I keep a fictitious list of "Interesting people I've met in the stands while my kid is toiling away on some random baseball field." I added another name to the list yesterday while at some random baseball field where my son was toiling away. Let's call this guy "Bob." We started chatting while in the bleachers about our sons and baseball, etc. Bob mentioned he, himself, played basketball in college. I later asked where? Let's call it "Medium State U." But the first place he committed to play at was D-III Pomona College in California. He said his Junior year of HS he was 6-8 and skinny. Had received no attention from any college coaches. Was working out on a gym court by himself one day trying to get ready for junior season of HS ball. Some guy was watching him work out. For a long time the guy just watched him working on his footwork and jump shot. Guy finally came down and started talking to him. Told him he was the Head basketball coach at a small college named Pomona College and wanted him to come play for him. Offered him on the spot, as a junior in high school. Coach's name was Greg Popovich. The year was 1981.
Bob visited Pomona later in the school year and he committed to play for D-III Pomona College in the middle of his junior year of high school.
Senior year he grows 2 more inches and adds 25 more lbs. Medium State U finally notices him and is then a top 25 team and they start recruiting Bob. Big time. Pop counters. Tells him they are gonna do great things together. That they will win a championship together. "I guarantee it." Says Pop.
Bob de-committed from Pomona his senior year of high school and committed to play D-1 ball at Medium State U.
That was 1982. And in 1986 Popovich led Pomona to a D-III championship. Bob of course tells this story with a bit of remorse, but more accurately perhaps as a tale of simple irony. He understands life well enough that it's not worth being the butt of your own life story. He has no regrets. His time at Medium State was good. Besides he did say he met his beautiful wife there. But he knows he missed a fantastic opportunity to be coached by a Legend. A Legend who really believed in him when no one else did. Oh well.
Story made me think about one piece of advice I've heard often in this recruiting journey, "Go where you're LOVED. Go where you're WANTED. Go where you can PLAY."
I've now added Bob to my fictitious list of "Interesting People I've Met on this Baseball Journey." He is #274.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05...alifornia-roots.html
