Ah, isn’t speculation fun?
Isn’t it great to wonder what a 17-year-old kid is
thinking right now, doing right now, eating right now, and feeling
right now?
Isn’t it cool to hang on the words of said
17-year-old’s father, who seems to be stringing the caring
public along, day by day?
Isn’t it awesome to formulate notions in our minds about
something over which we have no control?
Wait, let me answer that ““ NO, it’s really not.
It’s neither fun, great, cool, nor awesome to care so damn
much about the recruiting process of a basketball player who has
never even stepped foot on the court in a college basketball
game.
But such is the nature of the Malik Hairston recruiting
circus.
Hairston, who plays wing, was a great high school basketball
player at Detroit Renaissance High. He had a tremendous senior
season, played in the McDonald’s All-American game, and will
make some college team very happy next season. All that is
true.
But the next part of the story becomes very hazy and
pathetic.
During their senior seasons, talented high school players sign
letters of intent to play in college ““ at least, those do who
aren’t already headed to the pros. Most of the great high
school players have already made their decision. Hairston, however,
has not.
Generally regarded as a top-10 recruit nationally, possibly the
best high school player actually going to college, and certainly
the best player who hasn’t yet signed, Hairston has been the
object of ridiculous speculation for the last six months.
The current speculation says a lot of things. It says Hairston
is deciding between UCLA, Kansas, Michigan, Oregon, Ohio State and
Oklahoma. It says he wants to go to UCLA, but other people want him
to stay closer to home. It says his girlfriend (people know her
name) is in Michigan, which might mean something. It says there are
better looking girls in Los Angeles anyway, so he’ll come
here. It says there is a lot of rain in Oregon, so that’s out
of the question.
And it says, and it says, and it says.
Online recruiting people have been making phone calls to his
family on a daily basis. His father has been taking the calls and
saying that an announcement regarding his son’s decision will
be shortly forthcoming.
That’s funny, because an announcement has been shortly
forthcoming for months. Well, maybe tomorrow.
This whole recruiting process has just gotten out of hand, and
it’s really, really sad.
On the UCLA side, many in the Athletic Department seem to have
thought Hairston was headed to Westwood. They thought this shortly
after the season ended.
Originally, Michigan, Kansas and Ohio State were also in the
running. And then Oregon and Oklahoma entered the race. And then
Malik had eggs for breakfast. And then he went to the gym. And then
he called his girlfriend. And then, and then, and then.
It just needs to stop.
Let’s let the kid make the decision, and let’s move
on from there. It would certainly be great if he chose UCLA. But it
wouldn’t be the end of the world if he didn’t.
I often wonder what this whole recruiting process was like 15
years ago, before the Internet could track every second of a
kid’s life. It must have been pretty refreshing.
But that’s not the way it is anymore. And that’s not
the way it will ever be again.
We now live in an age in which high school kids can have grown
men hanging on their every change of heart. And frankly, it’s
pathetic.
Deciding on college is a difficult decision, a decision that
shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s even harder when so
many people close to you are telling you so many different
things.
But such is the nature of the beast.
By the way, did Malik sign yet?
E-mail Regan at dregan@media.ucla.edu.