Leading off today: The saga of David Sills has been a cautionary tale since Feb. 10, 2010.
That was the day Sills, anointed as a can't-miss college quarterback, put the bull-s-eye on his back by making a non-binding commitment to play his Division I football at Southern Cal. From the start, there were at least two obvious problems:
(1) He was putting his future in the hands of then-Trojans coach Lane Kiffin, who already was not especially well regarded in a lot of circles over real or imagined -- and it didn't take all that vivid an imagination -- character issues.
(2) Sills was only 12 years old and in junior high school at the time.
By the time Sills was ready to enroll in college last fall, Kiffin was long gone from USC and Sills' projected career trajectory had failed to materialize. He enrolled at West Virginia and got on the field a bit -- but as a wide receiver.
On Thursday, that chapter in his playing career came to an end. Sills confirmed his intention to transfer to El Camino College in California in a bid to revive his quarterbacking career.
According to USA Today, one service lists 11 athletes in the Class of 2020 -- i.e., just completed eighth grade -- who already hold scholarship offers from FBS programs.
The odds suggest at least a couple will wind up at a school that has already made one of those non-binding offers.
Good luck to all of them.
Awards news: Gatorade has made the last of its annual player of the year selections, honoring Beacon long jumper Rayvon Grey as its New York track and field athlete of the year.
The LSU-bound senior jumped 25-4.75 this month to break Bob Beamon's long-standing state record, then followed up with a championship at the New Balance Nationals.
End of an era: Syracuse.com appears to have shut down its discussion forums, posting the following note:
"Thank you to everyone who has allowed us to be a part of your daily routine over the years. We hope you will join us in our comment streams, on Facebook , and on the internet at large."
At its peak, the discussion forums were sources of useful information, interesting observations and fun discussions for fans of football and basketball from all across the state. At their worst -- which was the majority of the time for the past five years -- they were what I've often described as an intellectual cesspool.
The problem with discussion forums is their anonymity. Not having to attach your name to your words makes for a lot of nonsensical commentary and reckless allegations.
Syracuse.com is still allowing comments to be posted beneath news story pages on its site.
Henninger decision: Former Syracuse Henninger guard Gilbert Speights will coach the school's boys basketball team next season after three years as an assistant there and five more helping out at Nottingham.
Speights takes over from Erik Saroney, a teammate on the 1990-91 Henninger team that won 25 straight games before losing to Mount Vernon in the NYSPHSAA title game in Glens Falls. Saroney left Henninger to become head coach at Onondaga Community College after winning 238 games and five Section 3 titles in 14 seasons.
