Let's say I am a 5-star player, around 6'7" with the talent of a Lebron James or similar. I can go to any school in the country and be a star. I know that. To me the question becomes where can I go to experience the biggest challenge to me as a player and a person? I have no doubt about my ability to excel at these schools against the level of competition they regularly face. But what kind of program would offer me the greatest sense of accomplishment once my career is over? I say it is a mid-major like, dare I say Bowling Green.
If I go to UNC or Duke or somewhere like that the most I can hope to accomplish is to simply help maintain that program at the level they already are. A top ten program like North Carolina, Duke or a dozen others will still be a top ten program with or without me. I will be more or less a maintenance man, maintaing what is already in place.
However, if I go to Bowling Green, or any other mid-major program I can help build that program to the level of the elite programs. I trust my abilities and now I can use them to elevate my school rather than simply maintain it. When I watch the "big boys" play I look at the benches and wonder how many high school All-Americans are sitting on the end of those benches, stagnating, because they have never had the opportunity to play and get better. They would have been better served going to a school that offerred an opportunity to play rather than simply spectate.
I think of what Larry Bird did while at Indiana State. He lifted that non-descript program from obscurity to the championship game of the Final Four. Playing at Indiana State didn't seem to hurt his career in college or the pros. I wonder how far do you think Akron could have gone had Lebron joined his high school teammates, Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce? They might have been a Final Four team. That's my rant for the week. What do you think?
