Of course there’s two sides to this story. You’ve got those who think it’s necessary to recruit eighth graders, like USC coach Tim Floyd. And then you’ve got the coaches and critics who think offering a scholarship in the eighth grade is just ridiculous. For example, Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings:

“I have a daughter going into the eighth grade, and I don’t think I would let her commit to any place,” he said. “But I guess if a college coach is silly enough to offer an eighth- or ninth-grader a scholarship, then I guess a kid could be silly enough to accept it.”

I happen to agree with Stallings. The onus here is not just on the coach, it’s also on the kid kid’s parents. What parent would allow their kid to accept a college scholarship before starting high school?

When I was an eighth grader, I was more concerned about beating acne and braces than making a college decision. But apparently times are a changing. Just last month, USC took a commitment from freshman-to-be Ryan Boatwright.

Furthermore, the schools take a big risk on getting burned by a prospect not panning out when they take an early commitment. After all, the guys who are the best players in eighth and ninth grade are usually not the best players by their senior year.

Apparently, Billy Donovan agrees with me:

“When you make decisions further out in the process, so many things can change,” he said. “The further out in the process, there is the likelihood for more mistakes.”

So what is YOUR take on all of this? Is it okay for a kid to make a college choice as an eighth grader? Is it even acceptable for the schools to be courting kids this young? I’m interesting in hearing your thoughts.

Florida had been considered a dark horse for Garcia up until recently, with Indiana leading the pack and Memphis and Louisville close behind.

However, with the commitment by Tony Woods to Wake Forest, Garcia may now be the top priority for Billy Donovan and staff.

According to a report on Gator Country, the self proclaimed insider authority of Gator sports, Garcia may be ready to make a pledge to Florida upon his return from the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championships.

With Woods off the board, Florida’s big man recruiting centers around 6-10 Angel Garcia of East Chicago (IN) Central, who is playing with the Puerto Rican national team in Serbia this week. Speculation is that Garcia will commit to the Gators when he returns from Europe.

Personally, I’d be quite shocked and disappointed if this report turns out to be true. Garcia was the second best player I saw on the floor in this year’s state championship game against North Central, when he helped lead the Cardinals to the title.

He’s a versatile big man who can play inside and out. He can put it on the floor, hit the three, block a shot and rebound. The only question with Garcia is whether he’ll be able to qualify academically for the fall of 2008.

For now, I’ll hold out hope that Garcia could still end up a Hoosier and wait to hear what he has to say upon his return from Serbia.