<p>I wonder just how many "earlys" we need to describe this instance of athletic recruitment? Bluebayou, are you suggesting that athletic recruiting - that includes the use of non-binding verbal agreements - also be limited by stricter, overarching guidelines?</p>
<p>After reading several of the other CC threads dealing with this subject, I wonder who made the initial contact - USC scouts, the coach at Westchester, or the student's family. In any case, we all do know by now that athletic recruiting is a highly competitive game and aggressive recruitment is the name of the winning strategy. </p>
<p>Goaliedad's posts are highly informative on the subject of the contractual validity of non-binding verbal agreements (nil) and binding letters of admission and intent. Even though this type of recruitment is not early admission, it is, nonetheless, worth asking in this case just how much of this is pure pr and whose interests are best served?</p>
<p>For those who can't access the article:</p>
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[quote]
Dwayne Polee Jr., a 6-foot-6 freshman guard, said Tuesday he has made a commitment to USC, even though he has yet to play in a high school basketball game and is only 14 years old.</p>
<p>Polee, expected to start as a freshman for City Section champion Westchester, said USC Coach Tim Floyd offered him a scholarship Monday and he accepted. Polee, whose father was a standout at Los Angeles Manual Arts and Pepperdine, has been spending time working out at USC on his own.</p>
<p>"I fell in love with it," he said. "It's close to home, they have a new basketball arena and I like Coach Floyd."</p>
<p>Polee's decision is non-binding, and he could end up changing his mind just as Taylor King of Santa Ana Mater Dei did. King committed to UCLA before his freshman season but will sign with Duke next month. Polee, however, said the USC commitment is firm and now he must take care of his grades over the next four years at Westchester.</p>
<p>Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said of Polee, "He's pretty good."
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