Thiis guy is to be eligible for the '07/'08 draft, or go to college:"he is to redifine the initial O.J"<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>A worthy place to bide some timePrint this | E-mail this | Comments on this article: 0 Posted: August 9, 2005He is so good, he will redefine the initials O.J. That's how good O.J. Mayo is. Unless you are among the hopeless addicts who showed up at the Reebok ABCD Camp or the Big Time tournament or the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival -- and congratulations, if you are -- you probably have not yet seen Mayo play this game. So you read about him and wonder whether he's as good as has been described in print. And he's not. He's better. Mayo is a 6-4 point guard who will be a junior at North College Hill High in Cincinnati. He has been among the nation's most famous high school players since he was a seventh-grader starring for a Kentucky high school. With his size, strength, athleticism and skills, he almost certainly will be the No. 1 overall pick when he enters the NBA draft. But what route will he follow to get there? Mayo has said he will be fine attending college now that the NBA passed a rule mandating draft entrants be at least 19 and one year beyond high school graduation. Mayo will reach that age before finishing high school, but the one-year-out requirement will force him to occupy himself until June 2008. Mayo could play a year at a prep school. He could work a year with a personal trainer, avoiding formal competition. He could earn excellent money overseas, plus more from a shoe company endorsement. He could sue the NBA, but the suit would face a tough climb given Maurice Clarett's failure in a similar case against the NFL. Or, Mayo could play in college. Which is what he needs. There is so little about the game that Mayo does not do exceptionally well. He changes direction at full speed. He is a spectacular shooter. He gets open with moves others can't conceive. He is a superb, unselfish passer. The problem is competition. His high school games mostly are a joke; North College Hill won its state tournament games by an average of 29.5 points. His loaded club team, the D1 Greyhounds, only rarely encounter worthy competition. The Greyhounds did lose to Greg Oden and the Spiece Indy Heat in Las Vegas at the Big Time tournament championship, a game that featured more likely future pros than many Final Four battles. That gave Mayo a dose of what college basketball would be like. But college crowds would be larger, the pressure greater, the opposition more sophisticated. Opponents have time to scout you in college. For Mayo to become the best player he can be, he needs that. He already has conquered the overmatched and unprepared. Many, many times. There is a common belief among college coaches that Mayo will avoid the risk of injury or exposure in college and choose prep school. That would provide no benefit; by the time he finishes his senior year at North College Hill, he will have played against high school kids for six years. Insurance could protect him against a college injury that would end his career or damage his draft position. And exposure? Not a chance. He's too good. He is so good, in fact, that some day the initials O.J. will not be an easy punch line on late-night television or morning drive radio. They once again will be spoken with a sense of wonder and awe.</div>
I think he doesn't want to college, but maybe people will advise him to and hell take that into consideration.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RaptorFan#1 @ Sep 24 2006, 05:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think he doesn't want to college, but maybe people will advise him to and hell take that into consideration.</div>Do you mind telling me how he can enter the '08 draft since you have to go to college for atleast 1 year?
I thot the college rule thingy was only this year, can't they start comign straight out of HS this year?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RaptorFan#1 @ Sep 24 2006, 05:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I thot the college rule thingy was only this year, can't they start comign straight out of HS this year?</div>No.... Why would they do it for only 1 season. Did you even read the article you posted? It clearly says he'll become eligible for the '08 draft.
Remember, O.J. Mayo is a year older than the rest of the kids in his class. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Some feel that his development has slowed to an extent towards the end of his high school career ... Had an off court incident, fighting with another student, which raised some red flags, but behavior doesn't seem to be a major issue ... There's the fear that the AAU mentality might overwhelm the concept of team basketball for him ... He benefits being a year older than most of the players in his class ...</div> -NBADraft.net
