The things you learn at the ballpark.
Thursday night, I was sitting
in the stands at Mississippi State's Polk-DeMent Stadium watching a game between
the Mississippi Heat and the Atlanta A's, two summer teams made up of all-star
high school players. A friend of mine approached me and told me that one of the
players on the Heat team, Jordan Henry, had committed to Ole Miss.
After
the game, I received permission from Coach Gex to interview Jordan.
Jordan,
whose brother Justin Henry plays baseball at Ole Miss, told me that he had dreamed
of playing at Ole Miss ever since his brother signed with them a couple of years
ago.
"We weren't die-hard Ole Miss fans, but when Justin signed with
them, I started going to most of the conference games and became a fan,"
said Jordan, who turned 17 years old on June 13th.
Then, five days after
his birthday, he received possibly the best gift anyone could give him.
"I
played in a tournament at Ole Miss last weekend (June 15th-18th) and on the last
day Coach Bianco called me into his office and offered me a scholarship,"
said Jordan. "He told me to go home and talk with my parents and think about
it."
It didn't take him long to make his decision.
"There
wasn't much to think about, but I talked to my parents and then committed Monday
afternoon," said Jordan.
What was Bianco's reaction when he called
to commit?
"He was excited," said Jordan. "He shared a lot
about the scholarship."
Thinking back on the entire week, it's still
a surprise to Jordan.
"The offer was a surprise," said Jordan.
"We haven't had too much contact with Ole Miss except for going to their
camps and receiving some letters."
He received several letters from
a couple of other schools, as well.
"I also received letters from (Mississippi)
State and a few from Southern Miss, but not too many from out-of-state,"
said Jordan.
Now that he has committed, what will he do if he receives any
recruiting calls on July 1st, the first day college coaches can call a prospect?
"I'll
tell them thanks, I appreciate it, but I'm committed," said Jordan.
Does
he think he might miss all the hype that comes with being recruited?
"No,
because I've heard from coaches that I would enjoy it at first, but that it can
get tiring after awhile," said Jordan.
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