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SoCal Prep & High School Preview

Ray Young Speaks:
To the Oakland Tribune--(November 12, 1997)

Ray Young (6'-4" Sr. SG, Alameda St.Joseph-Notre Dame) has verbally committed to play for UCLA next year. By the time this is written, he may have signed a national letter of intent, thus contractually committing himself to UCLA, and the school to Young, for what could be a four-year stint, but which may only end up being a two-year hiatus to allow Young to work on his game before going early in the NBA lottery.

Today's edition of the Oakland Tribune featured an article on Young, and on the recruiting process he experienced. It featured a front page picture of Young, surrounded by "35 pairs of expensive athletic shoes" which he received for participating in tournaments for his EBO team this last summer. The article described him as having "an eye for high-priced fashion" and as someone who "enjoys Sega Genesis" and thinks about getting his piece of the "shoe company money pie" first, and about his education little, if at all.

The article was really more about the recruiting process in general, something that we've written alot about already, but in the process, it was pretty unflattering to Young.

Young was reported as telling the Tribune earlier this summer, during the height of the playing season, "High school, right now, means nothing. Basically, if you have a good summer and prove that you can play with the best kids in the nation, no matter what you do in your high school, it really doesn't matter anymore," Young said. "It's kind of sad, but it's the truth, and a lot of kids look at it like that."

Lots of people continue to complain about the current recruiting system, and there are nationwide calls for reforms and new rules, but Young figures that it's worked out pretty well for him. He worked last summer at a local Foot Locker and in the process was reminded himself about why he was getting all of those free shoes by the shoe companies: It's to sell them to other kids, and basically to make money, the "business of basketball".

"That's the cool thing about it, though,"Young told the Tribune. "I mean there's so much money to be made out there, so I figured I might as well get a piece of it somehow."

Young said he was literally amazed that Kevin Garnett, only a few years older than he, could turn down a $100 million contract offer, then sign for more still.

"Yeah, I could own all the Foot Lockers if I got an NBA contract," Young told the Tribune. "There's too much money. I'll get in there somehow, either as an agent or a player. Hopefully, I'll be a player. It's too much money, too much publicity, and it's just everything you need."

The Tribune article was really not so much about Young, as much as it was about the current recruiting process, and in all fairness to Young, he's really not much different than any other kid thrown into this kind of a fishbowl. And with the prospect of all the attention, and the possibility of huge dollars later, he really can't be faulted at all for simply using his talents and taking advantage of what's been offered to him.

Maybe now that the signing period is underway, once he signs, he can get down to the basics of once again being a student, and getting an education. Maybe then his senior year of high school will mean something, and so will the value of a four-year degree from UCLA. The NBA will still be waiting.

Congratulations Ray. All of us look forward to seeing you here in L.A., and if you're still as good as we've seen before, SoCal hoops is really going to be fun to watch.

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