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Message: [QUOTE="EricLA, post: 4099594, member: 26"] Are these kids really under "way too much pressure"? I disagree with that premise - here's why. All thru high school, most of the best players are well known and the pressure for them to produce is on them all the time. Not only to win state tournaments, but also AAU tournaments with those teams. They are usually the best player on their teams, often the only one who can produce and score with frequency. They don't always have teammates who they can share the scoring burden with. They are double or triple teamed, and if they lose, often it's because they just had a bad game. All on them. Usually the local media is all over them for interviews and stories on TV or in local papers. How high are they ranked? There are at least 5 or 6 different services - all evaluating and commenting on the strengths and weaknesses of each player. Add to that the pressure of choosing the "right" school. Most kids, at least in the top 50, will have MANY college coaches come visit them, watch practices or games, have in home visits, arrange for official or unofficial visits, etc. They talk all the time about the pressure they face when trying to decide on the right college. For some kids it's an easy choice, others not so much. On top of that, the best kids are generally invited to various Team USA tryouts. U16, U18, U19. 5x5, 3x3. It's never ending. Then if they are good enough to make the team, they generally go overseas or to some foreign country to represent the USA and carry on the tradition of always winning. Many of the best players have big IG or social media presences. They know full well the impact they can have and even before the NIL, players often had hundreds of thousands of followers. And all this happens before they even step foot on a college campus. So I would say they are well prepared for the rigors of the college spotlight. Obviously the UCONN experience is like college on steroids for most, but it's not like they enter UCONN never having been in the spotlight or having faced pressure. Oh, and by the way, the UCONN staff has been at the top for over 25 years. It's not like the coaches don't have experience helping, shielding, etc. For some players it's too much - Kennitra Johnson comes to mind - but these days, the high school spotlight is super bright before they even graduate high school. [/QUOTE]

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