8th grader pledges undying loyalty to USC

News out of Aurora, Ill., that an 8th grader has verbally committed to USC and Tim Floyd. I know kids are eager to get the whole recruiting thing, but this is ridiculous.

Ryan Boatwright is 5-foot-10, 145 pounds and has yet to decide which high school he's going to play at, but he pledged his commitment to USC. Boatwright participated in USC's camp last week, and Tim Floyd offered him a scholarship on the camp's final day.

He's the second 8th grader USC has a verbal commitment from. Last year, a 6-6 kid said he'd go to USC after his four years of high school.

It's one thing to try and recruit the best talent to your school, but reaching as far as junior high seems highly controversial. For one thing, how does Floyd know this kid is going to develop into what he needs after four years of high school?

Anybody remember Damon Bailey at Indiana? I can remember reading Sports Illustrated and they featured him as the next great player to head to Indiana. The kid was in the 8th grade when they did the story. He was a great college basketball player at Indiana, but that's way too much pressure and too high expectations to put on a 13-year-old.