Early commitments a troubling trend?

Michael Jordan didn’t even make the varsity as a sophomore at Laney High in Wilmington.

That’s the problem with the current trend toward early commitments in college basketball. North Carolina has commitments from sophomore guards Kendall Marshall of Arlington, Va., and Reggie Bullock of Kinston.

Ohio State has commitments from three sophomores, including Trae Golden and Jared Sullinger, who are rated among the top 10 in their class by scout.com along with Marshall. Scout.com national recruiting analyst Dave Telep said there are positive aspects to the early commitment trend.

“You can lock down your guys and focus on coaching your team,” Telep said.

But Telep worries what will happen down the road when sophomores accept scholarships. Suddenly, a late bloomer like Jordan will come along. A coach will fall in love with him when he’s a junior or senior, but won’t have a scholarship left because he already gave it to somebody else in the class a year or two earlier.

“I think we’re going to see the decommitment rate skyrocket in the next few years,” Telep said.
That’s not good for anybody.

– Ken Tysiac