Baseball Gifts For Little League Players

Michael Rosenberg: Pistons' draft pick Knight has parents to thank

Brandon Knight was a basketball prodigy. He was a top-rated recruit from his early teens, and a presumptive 2011 NBA lottery pick before he left high school. This makes his journey seem inevitable. It was not.

“There’s two roles to get the kid to the place they want to be,” Knight’s mother Tonya said today after the Pistons introduced their new point guard to the local media. “The kid must do their part, and the parents must do their part.”

Too many parents think they can get their kid to the NBA, or the NBA, or Major League Baseball. They can’t. Tonya and Efrem Knight knew it. They just wanted to navigate through the sea of sharks that is the youth basketball scene.

Brandon Knight could have been ruined by arrogance, academics, laziness, injury, drugs, AAU coaches with an agenda, sycophants or a college coach who cared more about his paycheck than his players’ success. The Knights did everything they could to help him get as far as he could, even if they didn’t know how far that would be.

“We’ve always tried to put him in a place so he can have options,” Tonya said.

Brandon did not just have to stay academically eligible; he had to excel. You don’t hear many 19-year-old NBA lottery picks say, as Knight did today, “I took an unofficial (visit) to Yale.”

He chose Kentucky instead. Wildcats coach John Calipari had helped star point guards Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall become top NBA picks in one season. Knight knew Calipari would help him, too.

But even then, Knight did not sign a letter of intent with Kentucky. He took the unusual step of signing an “aid agreement” instead. It required Kentucky to give him a scholarship, but did not require Knight to go to Kentucky.

That way, if Calipari left for another school, Knight would have the option of going somewhere else and playing right away, instead of sitting out a year.

Knight gamed the system, and good for him. Why should colleges have all the leverage? As a pre-teen, he had been burned by a rules violation — he helped one AAU team qualify for a tournament and then wanted to play for another. He was told he wasn’t allowed.

“It taught as a very valuable lesson,” Tonya said. “I would tell every parent, even if it’s ballet, whatever it is: Know the rules.”

Knight already had 22 academic credits when he stepped on campus.

Little League Players Love Baseball Necklaces

If youre looking for a good accessory for your baseball outfit, you need look no further than your local sports equipment outlet. The newest item to have is baseball necklaces and baseball bracelets. Players enjoy hit the field donning baseball necklaces and baseball bracelets. Such things can be used to enhance baseball uniforms and bring out team spirit.

They can be obtained in many places. Purchase baseball necklaces and baseball bracelets for teammates and they will most indeed like them. They make great gifts and help agility.

hey come in all colours to coordinate with most any team. Athletes from umpires to players appreciate them. Get some today at a athletic goods store.

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Que's Official Internet Yellow Pages, 2005 Edition

Que's Official Internet Yellow Pages

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