Originally Posted by
principal
AZWildcat - if basketball is all that matters to the kid as you imply in your post, then perhaps you have an argument. If his education matters to him, and it should because the odds of him making enough money playing basketball to support himself and presumably a family for the rest of their lives is pretty damn small, then he'd likely be better off at Xavier.
Due to poor parenting and an even poorer educational system in this country, most kids don't come out of high school with their head's screwed on straight. Kevin may have had a decent family life and a decent high school education, but chances are he will be permitted to devote less time and attention to his schoolwork at AZ then he would have been at XU. A kid can dodge his education at any university to a degree, he can do just enough to get by. But he would have had more accountability at XU than AZ. More accountability equals more likelihood of success.
But even if we are talking basketball, the verdict is out as to who will have more success over the next 4 years. Presumably if Miller can do what he did at XU (an E8 and S16 over a two year period w/o being able to recruit the best players in the country), he should be able to do more at AZ. But who knows? Maybe he doesn't get the players Lute used to get, maybe he does. Maybe Sean's strength is not controlling the egos of 5 Star "me first" recruits? Perhaps he will have no idea how to control a bunch of teenagers when they are not forced into certain behavior patterns by the AZ administration. In addition, we have know idea who XU will pick up. Right now the 2009 and 2010 classes aren't looking great at XU...but maybe they will look pretty good 1 year from now. AZ isn't exactly on top of the recruiting world. I mean, their top prospects are from a lowly little mid-major school in Cincinnati, Ohio, right?
If this kid is smart he won't go to AZ, he'll go somewhere where he can get an education and be assured of a future regardless of what happens to his basketball career. If the kid has a career ending injury during his first year or two in AZ, what happens to him? I know what would happen at X because I have seen it with my own eyes. I don't blame Parrom for de-committing from X. Right or wrong, smart or stupid, he was coming here for Miller (maybe he was a Book guy too). There is nothing wrong with that. If he is smart, he'll choose a place with a coach he likes and a commitment to his development as a human being, not just a commitment to what he can do for their athletic program.
His call, quite possibly his loss.