How young is too young? Recruiting is the game within the game of college basketball

Recruiting young hoopsters draws scrutiny

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — Tyus Jones is an eighth-grade point guard who has begun to draw interest from major college programs.

Jones just finished his first varsity season for Apple Valley High School in a suburb of Minneapolis, and as a young prodigy he’s not alone in getting such early scrutiny.

As the environment around college basketball has grown even more competitive and lucrative, recruitment has predictably become more aggressive. The NCAA is concerned about it, and one rule has already been changed to help protect seventh- and eighth-graders from some of the intensity of the process.

For now, Jones says he’s just trying to get better at his game. He hasn’t started to think too much about college. He says it’s too early to actually consider where he might want to play next.