<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The subject of the conversation was unrealistic expectations, and that made a basketball scout in Los Angeles last weekend think about the son of an old buddy. The boy is only 5 years old, but he can do 50 push-ups on command, and he's already working with private coaches to fulfill his father's dream of athletic superstardom. "It's sad, in a way," the scout said. "What people don't realize is there's only been one Tiger Woods." And in college hoops, there's only been one Carmelo Anthony. But that hasn't stopped every program in America from trying to find its own one-year wonder. Ever since Anthony lifted Syracuse to a national championship as a freshman in 2003 and jumped to the NBA, other coaches have figured that if they can secure a similar talent ? even if it's only for one season ? they'll have a chance at a title of their own. It's why Ohio State signed Greg Oden, the 7-footer who would have been the first pick in last summer's NBA draft had it not been for the league's age minimum. And it's why Texas signed Kevin Durant, who quite possibly could leave Austin in a few months having left the program no better than he found it. Oden and Durant have no intention of becoming college sophomores, and coaches such as UT's Rick Barnes are fine with that. They like the exposure and the immediate impact the phenoms bring, and they believe the risk of investing a scholarship in a rent-a-player is worth the potential rewards. But is it, really? Or are Barnes and his cohorts on a chase as futile as the ones of the overzealous fathers who keep sending their toddlers out to the driving range to be the next Tiger? "I understand why the coaches do it," the aforementioned scout said of signing one-year players like Anthony, Durant and Oden. "But it can be dangerous." </div> Source
