FanHouse

Ryan Boatright is a 14-year-old middle school basketball player. He hasn't decided where he's going to high school. But he has decided where he's going to college: USC.

The 5-10 guard gave an oral commitment to USC coach Tim Floyd on Sunday. Boatright was at USC for a basketball camp over the weekend. Word leaked out on Monday that Floyd had offered Boatright a scholarship. The family announced the commitment Tuesday.

"It was just a coincidence," Tanesha Boatright, Ryan's mother, said. "Ryan has always loved USC and North Carolina. So when one of his favorite schools offered him a scholarship, he couldn't pass it up."

DePaul and Indiana both expressed interest in Boatright, but USC was the first school to offer. Floyd made quite an impression on the family.

"He was just amazing," Tanesha Boatright said. "Such a warm, nice man. He made us feel so comfortable. He was awesome. You couldn't have asked for anything more."

Yes, Floyd knows how to reel them in, but there comes a point where the recruiting process gets ridiculous, and Floyd has reached that point. Floyd got an oral commitment from a 14-year old last year as well, when Dwayne Polee Jr. announced he would go to USC, but at least Polee had already chosen a high school. Let's make a new rule: All announcements about where a basketball player is going to college must be preceded by an announcement about where he's going to high school.