Crean Offers an 8th Grader a Scholarship

[National Champs]

http://blogs.indystar.com/recruitingcentral/2012/04/16/eighth-grader-gordon-picks-up-offer-from-indiana/

[Lennys Tap]

TC was the first to offer Jon Scheyer, also when he was in 8th grade.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

TC was the first to offer Jon Scheyer, also when he was in 8th grade.

"When we recruited Scheyer to Marquette, we knew he would be a first class flop artist..."

[warthog-driver]

Pure rubbish, too.

[Lennys Tap]

"When we recruited Scheyer to Marquette, we knew he would be a first class flop artist..."

A Tweet "Not Tom Crean" would be proud of - very funny.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

if this kid was a girl, I4 would be in jail right now.

[dgies9156]

ron Gordon is still in the eighth grade, but he's picked up his first college basketball scholarship offer.

Gordon, the youngest brother of former North Central High School and Indiana star Eric Gordon Jr., was offered by Indiana coach Tom Crean on Sunday night.

The 6-1 Gordon played in the IndyBall.com Shootout at North Central over the weekend, playing up an age group with the 15-and-under Eric Gordon Central Stars.

Eric Gordon Sr. said Eron will take an unofficial visit on Wednesday to Purdue. It's possible that he could receive another offer.

"He's the definition of an 'attack-the-basket' type of guard," said Pat Mullin, his travel coach. "He does a lot of things you don't expect from a player his age."


Dumb a-s!

If the NCAA were up to its honor code, this would be banned. Marketing flesh in the eighth grade is pimping, pure and simple.

[4everwarriors]

Just another in a long line of marketing ploys to keep the dude's name ever-fresh in one's mind.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Just another in a long line of marketing ploys to keep the dude's name ever-fresh in one's mind.

You got it. How completely Creapy.

[rocky_warrior]

Anyone remember when Crean did this with Anthony Green?  He was a 9th grader though, right?

[eroc830]

I could be mistaken, but didn't Jerry Smith get offers when he was in 8th grade at Longfellow before he went to Tosa East?  Crean might have been one one of the offers. 

[tower912]

It seems like a good move to me.   Offer a talented 8th grader with good bloodlines, make important in-roads with an upwardly mobile AAU team.....from Crean's perspective, there is no downside.   Hoosier nation will continued to be excited because he is out there working so hard.     The only people offended are a small group of fans from a school Crean coached at a long time ago who can't let go.   

[brewcity77]

I'd be very curious to see the reaction on this site if Buzz offered a local 8th grade phenom a scholarship. Something tells me it'd be very different.

[GGGG]

It seems like a good move to me.   Offer a talented 8th grader with good bloodlines, make important in-roads with an upwardly mobile AAU team.....from Crean's perspective, there is no downside.   Hoosier nation will continued to be excited because he is out there working so hard.     The only people offended are a small group of fans from a school Crean coached at a long time ago who can't let go.  

Exactly.  And the kid isn't negatively harmed by this either if he has the right people around him.

[Dawson Rental]

I'd be very curious to see the reaction on this site if Buzz offered a local 8th grade phenom a scholarship. Something tells me it'd be very different.

Something is right on the money.

[tower912]

Anyone remember when Crean did this with Anthony Green?  He was a 9th grader though, right?

I thought Buzz had offered Diamond Stone...a 9th grader if I am not mistaken.   

[Goose]

Good call 4ever. It really is a ploy to some degree and it gets his name out there for being a judge on talent.

[mu-rara]

Exactly.  And the kid isn't negatively harmed by this either if he has the right people around him.

I'm guessing his family is saavy about the process, but how many families are?

[MerrittsMustache]

It seems like a good move to me.   Offer a talented 8th grader with good bloodlines, make important in-roads with an upwardly mobile AAU team.....from Crean's perspective, there is no downside.   Hoosier nation will continued to be excited because he is out there working so hard.     The only people offended are a small group of fans from a school Crean coached at a long time ago who can't let go.   

Exactly right.

Worst-case scenario: In a few years it turns out the kid isn't a D1 talent so IU "cools on him," he goes to Valpo and a handful of people snicker because TC went after a mid-major player as a middle schooler.

Best-case scenario: Gordon becomes as good as, if not better than, his big brother, remembers that IU was on him first and goes on to become a star for the Hoosiers.

[Goose]

Of course it is a no brainer but doubt it really needs to be advertised. It is a PR ploy at best. Why would he not recruit the kid considering everything? I have no problem with it other than it seems like a PR move IMO.

[Golden Avalanche]

Good call 4ever. It really is a ploy to some degree and it gets his name out there for being a judge on talent.

The kid has the right genes to bank on him being a legitimate player. Given what went on with his older brother, the earlier Crean does his work on Eron the better it is for the program.

For any rational and nonpartisan person, this is a good move. Unfortunately, a sizable portion of this crew doesn't fit that description.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Unfortunately, you are wrong. There is nothing "rational" about this. It is absolutely, 100 percent a gesture meant to garner media attention. To think he needs to get on a grade schooler from Indiana to "get involved" with him is completely absurd. Not to mention that the kids brother went to IU. I might give him a break if this was Purdue, even. But it's not. It's Indiana. It's Indiana. This kind of thing is unseemly and totally small potatoes. Just like Crean. He's a living, (nose) breathing example of why the term nouveau riche is considered a negative...both personally and as a coach. He's absolutely foul in every way.

[JWags85]

And Illinois fans now know why they woke up with a sharp pain in their temple.

[Goose]

Golden
I am not TC basher. I think under the circumstances with family history it was showboating to some degree. To offer the kid is one thing but to advertise another. If this was a diamond in the rough it would be another thing. Again, not TC basher at all. Did not cry when he left but not in the hater camp.

[brewcity77]

Unfortunately, you are wrong. There is nothing "rational" about this. It is absolutely, 100 percent a gesture meant to garner media attention. To think he needs to get on a grade schooler from Indiana to "get involved" with him is completely absurd. Not to mention that the kids brother went to IU. I might give him a break if this was Purdue, even. But it's not. It's Indiana. It's Indiana. This kind of thing is unseemly and totally small potatoes. Just like Crean. He's a living, (nose) breathing example of why the term nouveau riche is considered a negative...both personally and as a coach. He's absolutely foul in every way.

If this was some precedent, something that had never happened before, maybe you'd have a case. But Kentucky had an eighth grader commit back in 2008. Stephen Zimmerman had multiple offers from UNLV, UCLA, etc when he was in 8th grade (and has one from Marquette now, as I recall, as a 9th grader).

Where are the threads in an uproar over those? Oh, wait, there aren't, because it's not Crean. Did you ever think maybe he offered him early specifically BECAUSE his brother went to IU? Because he wants to give the kid the same opportunity his brother had? Yet somehow, if it was Painter, it'd be okay, because he's at Purdue?

The only thing in this thread that's irrational is the continued hate for Crean. Yes, he left us, and most of us are happier now because of it, so why hold on to this irrational anger?