I love this game.
It was a catch phrase applied to the NBA a few years ago. However it sums up the way I feel about basketball in general. I remember being young watching great games with players like Magic, Bird, Kareem, and Dr. J in too little shorts. I still remember when Mike got all six of his rings. Most importantly I remember the first moment I fell in love with Duke Basketball back in 1992. I love the game. Maybe it has something to do with my affection for tall men. Who knows. However basketball is and will always be my favorite sport. The intensity, the passion, and the physicality of the game. Nothing compares to it. I’m sure fans of football, hockey, and golf could make a case for their sport, but this is my post.
As usual, in the morning I check the night’s previous scores. Read any eye opening analysis. The thing that caught my eye on this eve to Friday:
A high school junior from San Diego, CA is going to forego his senior year to play professional ball in Europe. And I quote-
” I know I can do great things with my talent. My goal in life is to get better. Playing with the pro guys will get me a lot better faster. It will help me fulfill my dreams of playing in the NBA.” – Jeremy Tyler
Wow. I get it. I understand wanting to be challenged and improve on the gift that God has given you. As a parent of an athletically involved child whose been described as gifted in that area I can relate. At the same time I’m not willing to trade the potential for what his future could be over one thing. I think in today’s society so many of us have lost sight of our priorities. I get the dedication to the game and your craft but you’re trading time and memories that can never be retrieved. This young man is going to take a non traditional path to greatness. He’s bored. He doesn’t want to finish his senior year at his current school. He doesn’t want to transfer to one of the Big East prep schools. He doesn’t want to waste his time in the NCAA.
He will settle for a GED, but he won’t go to prom or walk across the stage at graduation. To think about that moment still gives me chills to this day. Then there’s the question of injury. What happens if his career is ended my injury he sustains. The contracts in Europe and other countries are nothing like what the NBA offers. He’ll settle for hundreds of thousands of dollars instead of millions.
“Education will always be there,” Jeremy said. “It doesn’t matter if I get it now or in three years. I can always go back. I’ll always have that to fall back on. I want to have a degree in business management.”
This story just disturbs me at such a deep level. There are several players currently in the NBA who are great that didn’t go to college. Kobe, KG, Dwight. In the years that it took them to achieve greatness with their respective teams, they could have earned a college degree. Still the decision was their own. At least they enjoyed high school and graduated they didn’t make a decision to forego that final year because it would be a waste.
I talk to my son constantly. I encourage him. I never lie to him. I tell him that as good as he is, there’s someone who may be on a different level that will cause you to reconsider your game. It’s fine to have dreams and aspirations but you’ve got to plan for your future. You have to ensure that you’ve got a backup in case things don’t go the way you want them or if life throws you a monkey wrench. Education is first. If grades don’t remain above a C and above. You don’t play. If behavior sucks, you don’t play. I don’t want to raise a diva who thinks the world should be handed to him just because he’s been told he’s great. Work hard for it. Respect those who are around you.
So what do you think? Do you agree Jeremy Tyler’s plan for the future?
Ya Dig? 
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