The Maturation of J Reed: Vol. 12

As soon as football season was over it was time for basketball season. I was so exhausted that I figured I would take a week to just unwind before taking it to the hardwood. I found out that this wasn't such a good idea.

With as much success that Coolidge's basketball program had, the administration felt the need to hire a new coach. Mr. Crumpton was more of a disciplinarian than the last coach, so I understood when he told me that my little leave of absence was not acceptable and I would not be allowed to play basketball that year. I wanted something to be involved in, but with the college visits I had set up, I knew that I wouldn't be able to give %100 of my time or effort. So I took his decision as a blessing in disguise.

A few weeks prior to the end of football season I was officially offered a full athletic scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh. Coach Simms called to congratulate me, and to set up my official visit. My visit was set for December 7, 2001. I was so excited about taking a visit that everyday until the date seemed like an eternity . I knew that this was one of the first steps to my dream of being a professional athlete.
The day finally came and I was on my way up I-270 accompanied by my parents. You see, some recruits go on these visits alone. I had mixed feelings about my parents coming. I knew that this was a huge decision in my life and I wouldn't dare make it without my parents. But I also heard what went on during these visits, and I didn't want my parents attempting to prevent me from having a good time. So in the end my better judgment prevailed and my parents came along.
When we arrived in the city I was in awe. I hadn't really been out of D.C. before, so the change of scenery had me captivated. When we got on campus I felt like a celebrity. They had students there welcoming us and it felt like something out of a movie. I felt like all of my hard work was deserving of this moment.
The night came and the coaches and our player hosts had taken us to dinner. I found out that the type of recruit you were was determined by what host you received on your visit. For instance, if you were given a freshman that was currently redshirting and didn't play, you weren't high up on their list. But if you were given a star player on the team, then they must really feel you're going to be something special. I was given Gerald Hayes. If you watch football, you'll know that he played for the Superbowl runner up Arizona Cardinals. At the time he was the star linebacker on the team and a Butkus award winner. Now, I don't know if I was that special to have him escort me around all weekend, but he was my host. G. Hayes made sure I had a good time. I won't encriminate he nor myself, but I was well taken care of as a recruit.

On saturday morning I met back up with my parents and told them the bare minimum details of my evening, but my father was no dummy so he already knew pretty much what went on.
That day we took a tour of the city and campus with coach Simms. He took me around to the departments where I thought I would want to pick a major, and allowed me to speak with professors about the rigors of a college workload. I was so ready to take it on. I had already settled in to the role, mentally, of being a student athlete.
That afternoon we were taken to the practice facility where we met the strengh and conditioning coaches, the team doctor, and the athletic trainers. They took every recruit into a room and did a basic evaluation. This is where I may have made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. When it was my turn I was asked a series of questions. I was asked if I had in-curred any injury that season. I was up front and truthful and told them that I had dislocated my shoulder, but I only missed one game so it wasn't an issue. They told me that it felt a little loose but, "nothing rehabilitation couldn't cure." I was even told that I would be sent workouts to strenghten the shoulder, so that I would be %100 by the time I made it on campus. The evaluation ended with all of us smiling and shaking hands.
If I didn't feel like a celebrity the night before, I really felt like one that night. We were taken to Heinz Field, where the University shares the stadium with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and treated first class. We ate at one of the restaurants in the stadium and then taken downstairs to see the locker rooms. I was astonished when we got to the locker room and saw a locker with my name on it and a jersey hanging in that locker that also bore my name. Everybody took pictures and then we were rquested to go outside on the field. When we got to the field, the lights cut on and it was show time. They called each recruits name and played clips of their highlite tapes on the jumbotron. When they got to me I was excited. I couldn't believe that I was being treated in this manner. I looked at my parents and they welled up with pride. I had never seen that look they had in their eyes when it came to me. It almost brought a tear to my eye because I was so overcome with emotion. At this moment, I knew Pittsburgh was where I wanted to be. My parents could see I had made my decision already. But this joy was short-lived. Very short-lived...