Caracter: Too much, too soon?
By Dick Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPN.COM
July 16
What is this world coming to, baby? Recently, the Nike and Adidas basketball camps were completed. One of the players that got the most attention was an EIGHTH-GRADER, Derrick Caracter! That's right, the talk was of a player not even in high school yet!
There we go again with that "P" word -- potential, potential, potential. That was the buzz word at the NBA draft, and it's the key to recruiting these days.
What are we going to do next? Start scouting kids coming out of the crib? I can see it now -- scouts racing over the hospital, taking down the heights and weights of newborns! Hey, let's go down there and find out who the real diaper dandies are! I can see them talking about sneaking in to the maternity ward and figuring out who the biggest and tallest babies are! Then they can start recruiting while they are in the hospital!
What is this world coming to?
You can't blame 14-year-old Caracter, who got rave reviews at the Nike camp and is a player that my buddy, Andy Katz, recently wrote about on ESPN.com. Already 6-foot-9, Caracter possesses great potential. There we go again with that "P" word -- potential, potential, potential. That was the buzz word at the NBA draft, and it's the key to recruiting these days.
Caracter will be attending New Jersey's St. Patrick's High School, which has produced a number of talented players over the years. Included on that list is Al Harrington, who made the jump from high school to the NBA. Already, Caracter has said he would like to attend St. John's, which must have Mike Jarvis jumping for joy. It is very early, and a lot can happen between now and then.
Kevin Boyle has done a great job with the St. Patrick's program, and he should enjoy developing a young talent. He has a point guard to watch, Mike Nardi, who is already being recruiting heavily in the Big East.
Think about the pressure that will be on this kid, Mr. Caracter. There will be tremendous scrutiny and evaluation all through his high school days.
You can't blame people writing and talking about a kid who will certainly stand out. He has special talent. When you think about other sports -- like tennis, for example -- kids make noise and get publicity early in their career.
Caracter caught the eye of many right away. He will have to live up to that billing; with the kind of hype he received, some people will try to knock him down. Hopefully, he will go out and play, enjoying a special time of life. Don't try to grow up too quickly; try to enjoy the most precious years of your life. Enjoy every moment of being a kid; there is time to figure out where you want to go to school and other pressures.
Jarvis will be happy if the kid is at St. John's in 2006. The ways things are happening now, Caracter may be in the Garden, but competing in the NBA, baby!
The NBA scouts say they want the young kids to go to school. Then they line up 40-50 strong anywhere a high school player is competing, evaluating these players at an early age.
Stay tuned as Caracter's world is scrutinized for years to come. He certainly impressed many in Indianapolis.
Remember this: There have been players who made noise early on but did not reach their expectations. Nobody is talking about D'Angelo Collins and Lenny Cooke anymore. Those two high school kids said no to college and went to the NBA draft because they received bad advice that they would go in the first round.
They had visions of grandeur; 90 kids were led to believe they would get guaranteed first-round dollars, but only 28 were picked. Their "posses" filled their heads with the feeling they would go high in the draft.
Now they have given up their college eligibility and will play the role of a basketball vagabond. Now they will try to make it, bouncing from one league to another. I hope good things happen, but it is a shame. For those that advised those kids to go to the NBA, shame on you. You put those kids in this position instead of allowing them the opportunity of growing up and maturing in college.
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