SFBearz;842170788 said:
Pope reportedly broke his leg while playing today. He was still recovering from his previous injury....Sure hope he fully recovers and can play a little this season.
malik broke the same leg that has been injured before last sat while trying to dunk in warmups at the elite 50...the elite 50 is a sacramento based showcase of its best players for college scouts & its participants this yr included cal targets pope, dj wilson, solomon young & christian terrell
mp's hs basketall career is essentially over
pope has scheduled official visits to academicaly mediocre schools gonzaga, san diego state & kansas...after those visits he intends to evaluate his trips & either then decide among those 3 or make additional trips with cal & ucla the most likely destinations although the bruins receiving a commit from bluiett at the 3 may take them out of the running
all athletes are one play (one injury) away from their sports days being over permanently...with 2 major rehabs on the same leg, malik is realistically one more injury away from being done as a basketball player
so what are malik's priorities?
is he gonna be the kind of guy who wants to be well rounded with an infinite number of career possibilties (including the nba) like cal grad & sacramento mayor kevin johnson ($30+m nba earnings) or does he want to put all his cards in being a baller (which if it doesn't work out professionally means he'll be qualified to be a security guard at the elk grove outlet mall)?
if he can't play bb anymore, how happy is he gonna be in freezing azz spokane or lawrence in the winter?
when malik tells his hs coach he likes san diego state because of the beaches & that his friend goes there, what is he thinking???...the critieria for selecting a long weekend roadtrip might include beaches & buddies, the critieria for selecting a college should be a 50 yr decision
san diego state is a glorified jc with a 90+% acceptance rate in a beautiful location...unfortunately its graduates don't have many doors opening for them when they leave
malik pope by all accounts is a great kid with lots of enthusiasm & an unselfish teammate in addition to being a 2014 top 20 player when healthy...he would be a terrific fit as a golden bear under monty & gottlieb and would further develop his game playing with jabari bird & the cal monster class
malik, what are your priorities?
50 yr decision#
the grind#
the university of california, berkeley=#1 ranked public university in the world