That kid has serious game. I look forward to watching him play in 7 years. He'll definitely play in college.
Heh, that's not bad... I had a friend in middle school who ran a mile in 3:56 at age 13. Got killed by a drunk driver in college as a freshman at OSU. I just hope this kid lives to see a career.
Sad thing is you know when someone easily found yet another youtube video of a similar 11 year old doing about the same thing as the 11 year old kid in the original video, it begins to make you wonder how "special" either of them really are. I suppose if we search hard enough we'll find 20 different 11 year olds who can dribble with both hands and do spin moves and make a lay in. I did notice the kid in #1 has mastered the art of making travelling look casually normal like most of the NBA stars. Kid #2 at least had a jump shot with form, that kid in #1 had an ugly release and has a lot of work to do before he can make a decent college team with that ugly outside shot.
It's not sad; there's just millions of kids out there, which means that if talent like this at 11 years old is a 99.9th percentile talent (one in a thousand), there's still tens of thousands of kids who can do that. Even if it's one in a hundred thousand (99.999%), you're still looking at a several hundred kids who can do that. I'm reminded of a few kids I knew in grade school who were *fantastic* soccer players; they made it up to college just fine (Mike Novak played for OSU, iirc), but none of them made it to the pros. But they still kicked butt over every other grade schooler, middle schooler, high schooler, etc. they ran across. There's all sorts of talent everywhere.
I played HS ball with Terrell Brandon..... well HE played and I guarded the Gatorade! But there were a handful of guys walking the halls of Grant while I was there that could play as well a TB! They just were either gangsters or to dumb to get the grades. A few went on to play in Europe or elsewhere. There are so many people out there who are talented, but there are only what...... 350 NBA slots to fill?!?
Obviously that Grant education didn't help you in math. 30 teams, 15 players. 30x15= drum roll please... 450 I think most of what keeps people out of the NBA is pretty much what you said. Either they're too stupid, or wannabes. They want all the glammer, and none of the work that comes with it (which is true of more than just athletes). But the biggest thing that keeps players out of the NBA? Being white! HA! just kiddin' FAMS!
I wonder how many straight up "pure bread" crackers are in the NBA? No Euros....... Richie Cunningham style!
How 'bout Damen Bailey? The next Larry Bird! Now he's workin' at a QuickyMart in small town Indiana pumpin' gas!
Cause I'm so far away from "the hood" right? I only have to drive 30 minutes in my brand new BMW to get to northeast!
You know I'm messin with you, it's just you have to admit, no hoopers come from out there! Within 30 blocks of where I grew up we had probably 25 guys that went on to play D1/D2 ball. Just while I was in HS! It's not your fault you live out there, I don't hold it against you fams!
What a neighborhood of fems! I went to a Mexican high school in California and the Mexicans wouldn't be caught DEAD going out for sports. I used to tell my freshman buddy Nick Beltran (the one who gave me my first-ever truly disabling kick in the balls for defending him too closely) that he should go out for basketball, and he just wrinkled his face in disdain. Joining any system was for gringos.
If those kids keep it up, they may not make the NBA, but they will surely get a free ride to college, and that's impressive by itself. I wonder if those kids are taking HGH or something to boost their height. I was extremely short growing up, and my parents debated putting me on some of that shit cause the doctors estimated I would end up 4'8" - 5'2" max. They ended up not putting me on anything and I had some late growth spurts that pushed me up to 5'9", very average. But those hormones are supposed to add 3-6 inches in a growing boy. I would have been up to 6'3" if my parents had decided to put me on the stuff.
