Thousand Oaks eighth-grader commits to playing hoops at Kentucky

[jacktruth]

This is an interesting trend. At least it keeps them out of the NBA before puberty.
--------------------
Michael Avery, a 15-year-old eighth-grade basketball player who’s 6 feet 4 and lives in Thousand Oaks, has committed to Kentucky.

“We know what college he’s going to before his high school,” his father, Howard, said Thursday.

Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie, pictured, who can’t comment because of NCAA rules, saw Avery play in a tournament last weekend in Ohio. Avery’s father made contact with Gillispie by phone and received the scholarship offer. He called Gillispie on Thursday and told him his son had made a final decision.

“In terms of basketball programs, they don’t get better than Kentucky,” Howard said. “In terms of basketball towns, they don’t get better than Lexington.” Blog sites that focus on Kentucky basketball were buzzing Thursday with news of the commitment.

Avery, who attends Ascension Lutheran Middle School in Thousand Oaks, has never visited Kentucky but has traveled frequently to the Midwest where his mother grew up. “This is all Mike's decision,” his father said. “He wanted to commit.”

Colleges offering scholarships to eighth-graders is no longer considered a rarity. Former Santa Ana Mater Dei standout Taylor King committed to UCLA before his freshman year of high school, later changing his mind. USC has a commitment from a former eighth-grader, and UCLA added a commitment from a sophomore last season.

As for which high school Avery will attend, he has registered at Encino Crespi but is trying to gain entrance to a boarding school in Indiana. “He’s got great tools for an eighth-grader,” Crespi Coach Russell White said.

-- Eric Sondheimer

-- Image by Matt Sayles/Associated Press

[MavsX]

jesus

[Burn this City]

$20 says Gillispie gets fired before the kid finishes 11th grade...

[GuerillaBlack]

Kid must be pretty raw.

[Dtownsfinest]

And if this kid gets a injury possibly ending his basketball career will they still take him in 2011? This is so ridiculous. We've gotten to the point where we are recruiting kids from middle school. Let kids be kids.

[alby]

this has been going on for years

[bruinsbaseball]

That's extreme.

[bruinsbaseball]

What if Kentucky sucks then?

[bruinsbaseball]

Should of gone to Texas.

[MavsX]

See, if i had mod powers, i could clean up this mess ^..but noooooooooooo