NCH Failed OJ Mayo as a Student, Used Him as a Product

[02Ram54]

I get sick of a KID (and he's still a kid you know) taking so much crap. And this article couldn't be more right.

 

 

The nation's No. 1 college basketball prospect almost certainly will not play another game at his current high school. Good. O.J. Mayo should leave North College Hill High School. He should pack up and hit the road that leads out of this Cincinnati neighborhood.

 

And he should feel blessed he never again has to wear the uniform of a school that used him so blatantly.

 

Oh, NCH made its money. The school moved games to bigger gyms and played in events and tournaments that ordinarily wouldn't have been interested in the Trojans. And the school won three Ohio state championships because Mayo enrolled three years ago.

 

When it came time to support him, though, to treat him like a high school student and a high school athlete is supposed to be treated, NCH chose to handle him like a celebrity and an interloper.

 

A 6-5 point guard with astonishing body control and a picturesque jumpshot, Mayo did not grow up in North College Hill. He moved to town only because his guardian lived there, and it became the place where he and fellow itinerant Bill Walker played their high school ball. Walker, too, is an exceptional prospect, one of the top five in the class of 2007.

 

Because of their fame, they became targets. They frequently were targets for students looking to make their own reputations -- the way burly men sometimes challenge football players in bars.

 

In one instance, Walker and Mayo were targets of an absurdly constructed television report that accused Walker of instigating an altercation on school grounds and Mayo of subsequently becoming involved. Whether they were "guilty" or not, it was disgraceful that Cincinnati's NBC affiliate would allow the young man who accused Mayo and Walker to remain anonymous -- the cameraperson even shot the accuser's mother from the waist down, to shield her identity -- while the two players were clearly identified in the news story.

 

You might expect the media to trade upon their celebrity. But you'd also expect a group of educators to understand how to handle a situation as simple as Mayo's one-game state tournament suspension for allegedly missing class.

 

Customarily, with a high school athlete, such a punishment is handled simply. Everybody shows up for the game and, while his teammates walk out in uniform warm-ups, Mayo strides to the bench in street clothes. His name is not in the scorebook. He can't play. That simple. That's how it's done.

 

Instead, NCH announced Mayo's suspension roughly 6-8 hours before the game. It became a national story, which is exactly what the young man did not need. But NCH had used him to make money in basketball, and now it was using him to make a point about how much it valued education. It was hideous.

 

Mayo's next year will be very interesting. But it almost certainly will end with him playing basketball in some city other than Cincinnati, at some school other than North College Hill. He needs that. He is not the young man these events make him appear to be. He needs to be somewhere the spotlight will be less intense, as dim as it can be with such a famous figure.

[DragonFire]

I don't necessarily disagree, but here's a rebuttal of sorts, viewing OJ as the problem:

 

http://www.cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9417261

 

NBA rules say high school junior O.J. Mayo, who would be the No. 1 overall pick if he were eligible for the 2006 draft, can't enter the draft until 2008. Fine. Rules are rules.

But Mayo has been pushing all kinds of envelopes since he was a seventh-grader in Ashland, Ky., averaging 23 ppg for his high school varsity and boasting his own website. It's time for him to push one more envelope, to cross a barrier as wide as the Atlantic Ocean.

[Fastbreak]

While you and I often differ in our political leanings Rammy, I couldn't agree with you more here.

 

This kid has been/is being used by virtually everyone around him. He really is a much better person than he has been portrayed as being.

 

I wish him the very best, and look forward to watching him do what he was born to do. :thumb:

[NEERFAN]

DeCoursey is a good journalist but OJ and NCH have two titles since he arrived. Losing in the 2nd round of the tournament isn't considered a title. I know one thing, OJ is constantly in the news these days, there's another article on cbs.

[westsider]

Is anybody thinking, like me, that the original story linked might be a plant of sorts, possibly to justify another move?

 

I'm not defending NCH here, but I do suspect NCH has been used, much as Rose Hill was.

[scooterbob]

This is quickly escalating into a depressing story. I don't think it really matters as to who used whom. I think there has been enough "using" to apply to all concerned- individuals, schools, shoe companies, recruiters, college coaches, AAUers, etc. What had the potential to be a fine story of success for a youngster from a very modest background using his exceptional God given talents to reach the top of his sport is now quickly losing its luster.

 

Who is to blame? All of us who have placed him on a pedestal and all of us who have sought to knock him off of that lofty perch somewhat share the blame along with those who are more directly involved. I do not excuse Mayo's mistakes. He must accept the consequences. Nonetheless, as Fastbreak stated, he really is a much better person than recent reports would suggest. I wish for him only the best.

[shooterx3]

One thing everyone fails to realize is OJ's incredible work ethic and will to succeed, so while mistakes may detour and slow him down, you can bet that OJ will learn from those mistakes and figure out what he needs to do to achieve his goals. Maybe these public mishaps will keep OJ from reaching his full potential in the endorsement world, I still cant believe that OJ will let anything keep him from being a lottery pick and very successful NBA player,

its just his destiny and the book is still in the early chapters

[WVA Boy]

I would think that OJ is still very aware of his current situation and He had a very good idea of what was going to happen at NCH when he went there. I'm fairly certain he knew that he would be used as a "cash cow" to increase their notoriety and size of their pocketbooks. I think that he has been exposed to this type of thing since a very early age. Obviously he has not learned from the unfortunate happenings that have involved him and his benefactors. I'm not saying that he is completely responsible but it would be naive to believe that there is no culpability for the young man. I believe he is more of an aider and abettor than victim.:thumb:

[WoodyJr]

Well these sportswriters have made some interesting points and they have done what they are paid to do; take a position and push it:flame:

As I mentioned in one of the other threads I feel it's a case of MUTUAL-using

[perhaps the history books will create that word noting it's introduction as; circa 1990's with the rise of AAU basketball;) ]

 

My comments yesterday, "pre" Mike DeCourcy:

In this particular case I feel that the schools involved have themselves been used to an extent AND on the flip side, the school (or segments of it) and various people connected to the school(s) have also used the player(s) for their benefit. Yes everyone is using "each other" to some extent, but that doesn't make it even, or fair, or right. The player(s) used the school(s) to showcase themselves and further their game experience, talents, and publicity (how much to blame other adults is a seperate debate). The school(s) used the player(s) to gain exposure, generate increased participation, opportunities, and monies. Adults at many different levels enjoy the connection with a talented, popular, and/or famous individual(s), team, or organization which feeds their ego and makes them a part of something . It often becomes difficult for them to say or do anything that threatens that connection -ie., let the good times roll

The Sporting News can send my residual check ASAP:rolleyes:

 

To be honest I think what bugs me the most is that this is nothing new, we read & hear about it all the time. But we see it as arising out of urban New York or crazy California, some "foreign" environment, not from the small towns around us in KY/OH/WV. This shows us they can get us anywhere. Perhaps no one is immune from it??

 

Woody Jr

[ladiesbballcoach]

Isn't OJ's parents supposed to be the ones to look out for his best welfare?

[gametime]

Seems people have already erased the LeBron fiasco from memory...

[cshs81]

Isn't OJ's parents supposed to be the ones to look out for his best welfare?

 

On a side note: Is "best welfare" redundant?

[westsider]

I believe he is more of an aider and abettor than victim.:thumb:

Probably more of an enabler. Then again, he's been a minor throughout the process and subject to the decisions of his family. His parents have chosen who they wish to have an influence on their son, right or wrong.

[Long Time Warrior]

Seems people have already erased the LeBron fiasco from memory...

 

Catch me up to speed please????

[gametime]

Catch me up to speed please????

Hummer in HS. Retro jerseys for free. Mom kicking out the window of a police car. More???