Well, of course I am biased, uknowho1. I thought that was a requirement for participation on BGP. We, including you, are all prejudiced toward "our own" and, although we know we will never change an opinion, we enjoy the give and take of trying. It is important for each partisan to present his/her best "spin" because you can bet that there is someone "spinning" in the other direction. Therefore, we all attempt to balance the scales, so to speak.

There was speculation that HHS would cancel some games to play in the Beach Ball Classic at Myrtle Beach. However, the lineup of teams has been announced and HHS is not included. Scott County is a participant.

I have read and followed this site for a long time, but have very few posts as everyone can see, but I have some questions for the more experienced on this site:

1. How can OJ have one year of elegibilty left and Walker none when at the end of lastseason it was stated they would both be back for their SENIOR season at NCH?

2. Will the coach at HHS allow OJ's Advisor to attend practices and interfere

with what he is trying to do with the program as a whole?

3. Will the AD and Coach at HHS do the same as the LeBron show several years ago and take this team to larger arenas and force parents, relatives, and fans of the teammates of OJ & Co. and the opposing teams to pay 10 to 15 dollars minimum for tickets when they usually pay an average of about 5 for the right to see their sons play high school ball?

4. Why would OJ go 1 year to college when he would be better served by going to the NBDL or Europe for a year and get paid?

5. Last but not least, would high schoolers be better served if athletic associations tightened their rules on elegibility by passing rules against some

of the things that go on in AAU circles,(you can only play for 1 team only each year within a 50 mile radius of home, the team has to be in the state

you go to high school in, coaches must be registered with state HSAA, ect.).

 

I'am not trying to stir up anything, but i'am just asking some, what I feel are

logical questions.

http://www.savethis.clickability.com/st/saveThisApp?clickMap=link&webPadID=K154488074

 

Here's a little taste.

I have read and followed this site for a long time, but have very few posts as everyone can see, but I have some questions for the more experienced on this site:

1. How can OJ have one year of elegibilty left and Walker none when at the end of lastseason it was stated they would both be back for their SENIOR season at NCH?

2. Will the coach at HHS allow OJ's Advisor to attend practices and interfere

with what he is trying to do with the program as a whole?

3. Will the AD and Coach at HHS do the same as the LeBron show several years ago and take this team to larger arenas and force parents, relatives, and fans of the teammates of OJ & Co. and the opposing teams to pay 10 to 15 dollars minimum for tickets when they usually pay an average of about 5 for the right to see their sons play high school ball?

4. Why would OJ go 1 year to college when he would be better served by going to the NBDL or Europe for a year and get paid?

5. Last but not least, would high schoolers be better served if athletic associations tightened their rules on elegibility by passing rules against some

of the things that go on in AAU circles,(you can only play for 1 team only each year within a 50 mile radius of home, the team has to be in the state

you go to high school in, coaches must be registered with state HSAA, ect.).

 

I'am not trying to stir up anything, but i'am just asking some, what I feel are

logical questions.

1. Because Walker was in 9th grade the year after he was in 7th grade with OJ at Rose Hill. Search Bill Walker on this site, and you'll find the whole story.

 

2. Good question. With what they already have in place, I doubt it.

 

3. Another good question. I would guess the answer is the easy one when $$ is involved.

 

4. The only reason I can see is because it puts him out of the public eye for a full year, and that can be career suicide. It's not like there is a history of players doing this, so you just never know how it will play out. If he goes to the NCAA for one year, he will be a major story every time he plays. That's the easiest plan to the most money long term.

 

5. Noble idea, but I don't see how it could work.

Thank you, uknowho1, for posting the link for the article. From what I know, it is as close to factual as you will find on Mayo/Walker. I think it presents the reasons for Mayo's transfer from Rose Hill quite well. Barnes was not given a free rein at Rose Hill. In fact, it was quite the contrary. To his credit, Jeff Hall wouldn't allow it and made it very clear to the entourage. I don't think the move had anything to do with Hall's style of coaching. I think it had to do with Hall's "style" in handling Barnes.

 

Gametime is incorrect when he posts that Mayo and Walker were together in the seventh grade at Rose Hill. That is not factual. Walker was in the sixth grade for a short time at Rose Hill but, after trips back to Huntington and to Cincinnati, returned to Rose Hill two years later as a ninth grader. Strange? Sure. However, the material documents clearly indicate that he had finished the eighth grade and that he had started the 2002-2003 year as a ninth grader in Huntington before coming to Rose Hill in October, 2002. Rose Hill had no choice but to put him in the ninth grade.

Oak Hill's take on OJ's ability:

 

When asked to appraise Mayo as a prospect, Steve Smith did not sound overwhelmed.

 

"He's not LeBron James," the Oak Hill coach said. "He's not Carmelo Anthony. He's not Kevin Durrant. He's a 6-4 guard. If he's making shots, he's very good. He's a big-time high school guard. I don't know how well he'll adjust down the line."

Despite all of the hoopla that has surrounded the ability of OJ I think that Coach Smith has hit the nail on the head. How well OJ adjusts when everyone on the court is as big (or bigger) as he is will tell how good a prospect he is for the NBA. Also how well he adjusts to being in an offense istead of just free lancing all the time will decide how happy his one year of college will be. If I were advising him I would have him take the money and run after this high school year either in the NBDL or Europe. More and more high school phenoms are falling out of the first round money after their time in college.

you tell'em scooterbob?

Does anyone know the Status of Keenan Ellis?

 

Would Walker be able to play at a School like Harmony in Cincinnati and get a enough School Credits to move onto to College?

 

Would Walker be able to attend a High School in Kansas and somehow practice with Kansas State?

Great article by Groeschen, who's been around the circus for the last three years and knows the territory well.

Steve Smith's assessment of Mayo's abilities is very interesting and, I suspect, very accurate.

 

What amazes me about this whole circus is that it seems that Walker has sort of been cut loose and free to fend for himself ... the package deal seems to be no more. Is he still at North College Hill? Who is he living with now and who is looking out for his best interests?

 

It seems more and more apparent that Mayo's handlers are determined to put him in situations where he has plenty of star-quality help. They brought in Ellis to help Walker and Mayo, and now that Walker is ineligible they go to Huntington, where he is surrounded by plenty of high-level talent.

 

Am I the only one that wonders why the Mayo camp never seems content to let him stay in one place, especially now that he's a one-man show? Could that be that they're "protecting" him because they're afraid going it alone could expose some things and that his stock will drop before the big payday?

Groeschen’s article is one of the most accurate I’ve ever read on this situation. Agree or disagree, you have to respect Jeff Hall for not caving in to the posse. All hype aside, O.J. Mayo has worked as hard at developing his talent as any other kid I’ve seen. Say what you want, he deserves all the success he may ever achieve.

 

Royalblue makes a good point... one year of college is not going to do Juice a whole lot of good at this point in time.

Jeff Hall put up with a lot of crap, I'm sure ... I saw enough of it in my brief exposure to the O.J./Rose Hill traveling circus. I agree that he deserves respect for the way he handled it.

O.J. Mayo was at the high school Tuesday morning with his grandfather, Dwaine Barnes

 

 

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

:confused: