Is he the next big thing? Or the next bust?
No one knows what Heights sophomore Perry Ellis will be, but everyone sure does have an opinion.
There's nothing wrong with expressing an opinion, but when it is uninformed and based on brief instances, there's something wrong.
It's impossible to tell if Ellis will go and be a successful basketball player. My first question would be what is deemed successful for Ellis at this point?
By the end of middle school, Ellis had appeared on the cover of the Wichita Eagle, inside the pages of Sports Illustrated For Kids and countless other web sites hyping up the top recruit in the 2012 class.
Would just accepting a scholarship to a blue-chip program be enough? Clearly not. It's almost a given by now that Ellis will be playing for a national power. Nearly every top-10 program has, or will, offer him a scholarship. Everyone wants him. So just playing for a school won't suffice.
What about having a meaningful career, starting a handful of games his freshman season and recording solid statistics? Would it be enough to average 10 points and 5 rebounds his freshman season? Clearly not. Scouts have been raving about his ability to post up and score and also take his defender on the perimeter. He must be a star, then?
But what if he records a somewhat decent season-worth of stats and bolts for the NBA and the millions of dollars awaiting him after just one college season. This is what people are expecting. Anything less than the NBA and Ellis will be considered a flame-out.
Whether or not that is far is irrelevant. It's what Wichita will be expecting after four years of the hype machine while he is winning championships at Heights.
What most people don't know is Ellis has a solid support system at home with his parents. He ranks first in his class at Heights with a flawless 4.0 grade point average. He plays video games just like any normal 16-year-old.
The allure of the one-and-done season just doesn't seem to appeal to Ellis. That's easy to say now, though, before people are promising you to be drafted in the first round and guarantee you millions of dollars. But Ellis seems, right now, to want more than that.
It's too early to tell where Ellis will go to college, but academics certainly will play into the equation. While he may not make as much money in his major, Ellis will certainly consider the school's academic history while making his decision.
If Ellis goes to a prestigious school, graduates with a degree and earns All-America status for academics, it should be considered a successful career. It won't be, though. People will be interested more in the other All-American status and how Ellis performs on the court.
It's a shame that the hype will likely put near-unbearable amounts of pressure on the kid. But if anyone can handle it, Ellis' calm demeanor might be the best bet.
Fifteen years from now, people will look back and see a successful Ellis making a lot of money.
But whether he is making it in his career choice or the NBA will be the determining factor.
It shouldn't be that way, but his ultimate success will be.
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