Lol, yeah she is now....maybe, but in 5 years? No one knows. NCAA should put a stop to this crap.
20 girls 'committed' in the 2020 class...
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Lol, yeah she is now....maybe, but in 5 years? No one knows. NCAA should put a stop to this crap.
Yes, her dad is Jason "White Chocolate" Williams and her mother was a track star for Florida. Both parents attended Florida and they do not live for away from Gainesville. In her situation I would think Florida was probably her only choice and if the coaching staff is willing to make an offer you might as well accept it. She plays for Georgia Impact Fisher very strong 13U team.
- Sep 29, 2014
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Unless she played 16U last year as a 12 yr old and dominated against national level competition ( I mean no defects in fielding and throwing and hitting .600+ with numerous HRs) I would not call her a stud. Now if she did more power to her and good luck.
Of course she's a great player. We figured that. But that's not the point.
The problem that I have with the early commits like this one (a 7th grader) is that this now becomes her identity - softball player committed to Florida. That's a helluva a lot to live up to for a 7th-grader. That shapes her life at a time when she really doesn't know who she is yet. Now, she must live up to expectations. The next 10 years of her life are planned. There's pressure not to let people down. It's not easy to find your own way in life when your destiny has been etched in stone at age 13.
The problem that I have with the early commits like this one (a 7th grader) is that this now becomes her identity - softball player committed to Florida. That's a helluva a lot to live up to for a 7th-grader. That shapes her life at a time when she really doesn't know who she is yet. Now, she must live up to expectations. The next 10 years of her life are planned. There's pressure not to let people down. It's not easy to find your own way in life when your destiny has been etched in stone at age 13.
It's a shame. What should be a celebratory moment for her, her family, her coaches and her teammates. But instead a lot of hating going on all over various forms of social media and the internet. She plays for a team local to me and people are going nuts, mostly in a negative way. A lot who probably wish it was their kid getting the offer. That's ok, her dad had a lot of haters too and he managed to turn it into a nice NBA career, championship ring and more money than 99.9% of the haters out there will ever sniff.
Questioning the wisdom of something is not hating. Depends on how you do it. I'm sure there are some who have been overly judgmental and condescending and maybe even mean about it. Hope that wasn't me. I don't think so.
As far as jealousy, hard to say how many are motivated by that. When my DD was just starting in softball, I would've thought it a dream come true if she'd been a star player and could play at a place like Florida. Maybe I would've been jealous then. Now that she's 18, I don't care too much about how goodshe is or anybody else. There are so many other things that are important to her long-term well-being. Wish I'd figured that out sooner. Their needs from age 12 through 18 can change drastically. That's the perspective I'm taking with the 7th-grader in question. Totally wish the best for her. I would wish her even more luck if she were going to play at Georgia instead of Florida.
- Jul 3, 2013
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Zero downside for Florida. Parents are alumni with 8 figure net worth. Probably not using any scholarship money on her. If
she doesn't continue on her current path towards being a stud in college, and still wants to play they'll just sit her at the end of the bench.
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she doesn't continue on her current path towards being a stud in college, and still wants to play they'll just sit her at the end of the bench.
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No, my comment was not directed at you in any way. In fact I didn't even see your post until after I posted mine. But jealousy is a factor as I've seen with an older kid when someone on the team committed in 9th grade, if she went 3-for-4 you would have snide remarks being made for the one time she got out. Not loud, just that mumbling, under your breath condescending type remark...
Not sure if you are understanding the sentiment here. Verbaling a 13 year old, 7-10 grader should not be allowed. No jealousy here I assure you. Too many of these kids get their dreams crushed when they get to their senior year and school declines to sign them. NCAA should stop the verbaling of kids. The only upside is to the school. No upside to the player at all. No one is keeping track of the numbers on early commits that don't go to the school they verballed with. Mostly it is the colleges that back out on the kids their senior year leaving them scrambling to find a new school. This particular situation is very different because of the parents. No matter what she is going to go to Fla, and the school knows that too. I am sure some people are jealous but mostly you are here with the "been there, done that" crowd.
