NORMAN — While watching the national signing day for basketball last month, a name popped up that has not been seen in a boxscore in Cleveland County in a few years. It was announced that former Norman freshman phenom Terrance Boyd committed to play basketball with Western Kentucky.
Despite his talents, Boyd’s news didn’t get much splash around the country. That is because since that first year, Boyd has become more synonymous with trouble than basketball.
As a sophomore Boyd was set to team with Norman’s Ryan Broyles and another super sophomore in Kyle Hardrick, who transferred to NHS from Lawton Eisenhower. They had a chance to be the greatest prep squad to ever lace up in Oklahoma. But before they even played a single game, it was all gone. Broyles decided not to play basketball and Boyd transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., as a sophomore, leaving Hardrick to carry the team.
Three years later, they have all taken divergent and difficult paths. After having to sit out his freshman year for allegedly stealing gas, Broyles has become a vital part of the University of Oklahoma football team. Hardrick transferred once again to Putnam City where he joined the nation’s No. 1 player (Xavier Henry) to win a state title. Hardrick will be back in Norman next year as a member of the Sooner basketball team.
While Broyles and Hardrick have regrouped from earlier mistakes, Boyd is still making his share. He could have become the poster child for what happens when we treat a child prodigy like a child prodigy.
The 6-foot-5 Boyd played one year at Oak Hill before miraculously showing back up at the NHS campus looking to play for the Tigers again. However, the OSSAA wouldn’t let him on the court. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Boyd was ruled ineligible in Oklahoma because of “improper monetary benefits from a third party” he received while at Oak Hill.
When his attempts in Oklahoma fell through, Boyd moved to California and attempted to play for coach Kenny Roy at San Diego High as a senior. But, once again, Boyd was unable to suit up. It has been reported that he was ruled ineligible after a friend of Roy’s provided Boyd’s mother with money to rent a condominium in San Diego.
So for those who are counting, Boyd did not play prep basketball his last two years of high school. Yet somehow, Boyd was still ranked in the top 50 in the nation by most recruiting sites. That includes Rivals.com, which has him ranked 50th overall in the 2009 class.
What allowed Boyd to keep his ranking was his work during the summer on his AAU team. Boyd teamed with Henry, Daniel Orton and Hardrick on Athletes First, which won the AAU National title.
Thus when national signing day rolled around, Boyd found himself committing to Western Kentucky University. I’m sure it’s not the school he thought he would be at four years ago when he was just starting his career, but the fact that he was able to still get a scholarship offer to a D-I university after the trail he has left is an amazing feat in itself.
No one expects Boyd to stay with the Hilltoppers for more than a season before trying to make the jump to the NBA.
It would be easy to say this is just a sad story about one kid who was surrounded by greed and corruption and lost his way. But Boyd is not alone. This type of crookedness happens every year all over the country. Boyd’s teammate at San Diego, Jeremy Tyler, decided to skip his senior season in high school and play basketball in Europe. He will enter the NBA draft in two years.
Whether it’s Boyd's misadventures or Tyler’s search for wealth, everyone has the right to seek out the best opportunities for themselves.
But what I can’t understand is where the adults have been this whole time? For a parent or guardian to allow their children to make these types of decisions is criminal to me. They are trying to profit off their kid’s talents with no regards to whether they mature into adults or not.
Whenever he leaves Western Kentucky, Boyd may move onto the NBA and could possibly one day be able to call himself a millionaire. But from where I sit now, he has a much longer road to travel before he will be able to call himself a man.
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May 11, 2009
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