I'm not sure how much of this article is new, it was posted about 12 hours ago. There's quite a bit more if you click on the link at the bottom.
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APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — When Tyus Jones took the floor for his first varsity practice last fall, Tubby Smith was there to watch the budding star — who happens to be an eighth grader.
For kids like Jones, who plays at Apple Valley High School in this Minneapolis suburb, it's not unusual for a college coach to enter the picture well before calculus appears in the curriculum. Young teens are attracting ever-more attention from coaches in the competitive and lucrative world of major college basketball.
A concerned NCAA is trying to keep control of the situation, having recently clarified a rule to try to better protect middle-school prospects and raising the possibility of future prohibition on the earliest scholarship offers.
With help from family and coaches, Jones is just trying to stay grounded and get better at his game. It's too early, he says, to actually consider where he might want to play next.
"Down the road I'll have to look into it a little more," Jones said.
Sleek and slender, 6 feet tall and 13 years old, Jones helped lead Apple Valley this season to a 20-8 overall record.
"There's so much curiosity about him," head coach Zach Goring said. "We've had the biggest crowds we've ever had. He represents our program so well. When he makes a great play or a big 3-point shot, there's no hot dogging.."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jBNvL09AvHTwh2DTkuZBC0hWxKMgD9EKNGI80
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APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — When Tyus Jones took the floor for his first varsity practice last fall, Tubby Smith was there to watch the budding star — who happens to be an eighth grader.
For kids like Jones, who plays at Apple Valley High School in this Minneapolis suburb, it's not unusual for a college coach to enter the picture well before calculus appears in the curriculum. Young teens are attracting ever-more attention from coaches in the competitive and lucrative world of major college basketball.
A concerned NCAA is trying to keep control of the situation, having recently clarified a rule to try to better protect middle-school prospects and raising the possibility of future prohibition on the earliest scholarship offers.
With help from family and coaches, Jones is just trying to stay grounded and get better at his game. It's too early, he says, to actually consider where he might want to play next.
"Down the road I'll have to look into it a little more," Jones said.
Sleek and slender, 6 feet tall and 13 years old, Jones helped lead Apple Valley this season to a 20-8 overall record.
"There's so much curiosity about him," head coach Zach Goring said. "We've had the biggest crowds we've ever had. He represents our program so well. When he makes a great play or a big 3-point shot, there's no hot dogging.."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jBNvL09AvHTwh2DTkuZBC0hWxKMgD9EKNGI80