Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk
So anyone hear which way B-MaC is leaning?
Beings MU doesn't have a coach at the moment...I would think we have the leverage. Does he announce Sat or Sun?
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http://earlaustinjr.com/prep-basketball/3751.html
Ben McLemore Says MU-KU Decision Coming In April
29/03/2011 20:44:00
By Cedric Williams
When local high school basketball star Ben McLemore agreed to play in last Saturday’s 2011 RameyBasketball.com Missouri-Illinois High School All-Star Game, he thought he’d avoided the sometimes bitter St. Louis winter weather,and would get to experience a glorious springtime day and night back in his hometown.
Boy, was he wrong about the weather. A severe early spring snowstorm dropped
as many as six inches of the white stuff on St. Louis Saturday afternoon,
catching everyone off guard, including the returning hoops star whose been
attending school in Texas.
“Man, I thought I was gonna be wearing shorts and flip-flops when I got
here,” McLemore said, following Saturday evening’s all-star showcase at
Vashon High. “I can’t believe how it snowed today. It was like December.”
As cold as it was outside though, it was plenty hot inside the Vashon High
gym, where many of St. Louis’ top high school hoopers took on a team of
Chicago-area stars in a game to decide supremacy from the two areas.
McLemore had 24 points and 7 assists for the St. Louisans, but DePaul
University signee Jamie Crockett stole the show, scoring a game-high 34
points to lead the Chicago team to a 111-108 victory over the St. Louis
All-Stars.
“I thought everybody played good,” McLemore said. “I’m just glad to be back
home, and play in the STL again. I had fun. I wish we would’ve won.”
For local hoop fans, now is when the real fun begins.
McLemore remains one of the nation’s highest rated high school seniors who
has yet to sign with or even commit to a college team for next year.
It’s been pretty clear since the start of this season that McLemore has
narrowed his choices to either Mizzou or Kansas, and has several times
passed on opportunities to commit to either school.
Recently, it was announced he would make his decision on April 3, just a few
days before the final signing period begins.
On Saturday, McLemore continued to be non-committal.
“I’m still just looking at Kansas or Mizzou,” he said, as other all-star
team members teased him by quieting chanting to the two schools’ signature
fan cheers ‘Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk’ and ‘M-I-Z. Z-O-U.’ “I know there’s lots
of rumors out there. But I haven’t made my decision yet. And I won’t until
April.”
Among the reported rumors regarding McLemore, is the notion that he prefers
Kansas, and wants to go there, but that his mother prefers Mizzou, and wants
him to choose the Tigers.
“Man, some of that stuff is crazy,” McLemore said. “It’s just talk. I don’t
listen to any of it.”
Another rumor circling the internet, is that McLemore might not qualify
academically for college next season. The concern is that McLemore’s first
high school, Wellston High here in St. Louis, has been de-certified by the
state of Missouri, which could bring into question his freshman-,
sophomore-, and junior-year grades.
There was also some concern over McLemore’s senior-year grades because after
transferring to basketball power Oak Hill Academy in Virginia last summer,
he left that school in February, and is now attending The Christian Life
Center School in Texas.
“That wasn’t a grade problem,” McLemore said. “I broke a school rule. I
didn’t know it was against the rules. But I did it. And I learned a lesson
from it. And now I’m just concentrating on getting my grades good so for
next year.”
There’s even a rumor that ESPN has asked McLemore to not announce his
college choice until the last possible date, because they would like to
carry the announcement live on their network.
“I heard that,” McLemore said. “But nobody’s asked me. Nobody has talked to
me. So to me that’s just another rumor. And I (won’t) worry about it.”
McLemore also said Mizzou coach Mike Anderson leaving to take the same job
at Arkansas would have no bearing on his decision. He also stated he hasn’t,
and won’t, give any consideration to becoming a Razorback. The only choice
for him is MU or KU.
“I don’t know what it’ll come down to,” McLemore said. “I’ve been thinking
about it a lot. And I’m just gonna keep thinking about it, and talking with
my family, and I’ll make a decision in April.”