Cool it over Kennard
June 29th, 2008, 10:34 pm · 14 Comments · posted by Mark Heller
Shamefully, Devon Kennard could suffer a wrath from ASU’s overzealous if he dares to make a leap and play elsewhere. (Ahwatukee Foothills News photo)
There was Phoenix Desert Vista senior-to-be Devon Kennard decked out in a blinding red suit on Sunday night, talking high school recruiting with Ross Shimabuku on Ch. 3.
Before Kennard revealed his top five schools of choice (Southern California, Arizona State, Texas, California and UCLA, in no particular order), Shimabuku listed his top five schools for Kennard, all of which were ASU logos.
This blog is normally a fan of Shimabuku, but he upstaged an already over-the-top premise of some baited-breath TV announcement, not even for a school of choice, but five schools of choice.
A top-five announcement-turned-TV-event is bad enough, but a top five of ways to force ASU down a kid’s throat was beyond homerish and pandering. It was embarrassing.
Kennard is a freak athlete, clearly the best in the past few years to come out of Arizona. He’s also an intelligent (academically and otherwise), grounded kid. His father, former Arizona Cardinal Derek Kennard, and older brother, Derek Jr., make sure of that.
ASU has more than a viable shot at him, which they wouldn’t have had a short time ago, and the fan base should be delighted.
But if Kennard chooses — gasp! — a school other than ASU, he’ll be villified by the desert masses, and a group of Sun Devil zealots might build a wall to keep him out.
Traitor for life!
It’s out there; a scary, but very real sentiment. It’s considered blasphemous for a local prep star to find his own way, without the jeers, behind-his-back jeers from local cronies and snide comments of “disgracing” the hometown ‘U.’
Is Shimabuku one of those? Doubtful, but the charade reinforced a sad state of affairs: Kennard, and other big-time East Valley recruits, will learn the hard way should they dare don a visitor jersey.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Shimabuku
Is a transplanted Hawaian dork, Kennard would be a beast at ASU and I hope that is his choice.
Should he choose to go out of state I would be disappointed, should he choose Uof A…. well I think he’s smarter than that.
Whatever his choice I wish him all the luck. but Ive always wanted to see him in Maroon and Gold.”’ Go Pride”’
June 30th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Don’t blame Ross or the ASU fans. Kennard and family allow these self-gratifying shenanigans to take place and seem to embrace it.
A few years back, another stud from the EV was recruited by EVERYONE. Remember Zach Miller? He chose to go low key. The Kennards could choose the same route if they wanted.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:21 am
Mr Heller should be ashamed to print such hypocritical nonsense!
Heller calls the segment in question embarrassing while in the same breath makes completely unfounded and speculative predictions/remarks about how local fans will react, labeling them zealots and saying Kennard will be villified by the desert masses.
The most embarrassing thing I’ve seen recently is this piece of blather that is evidently supposed to pass for journalism! It seems Heller has some sort of agenda to portray the “masses of desert zealots” in a bad light and use unflattering adjectives to describe ASU fans when the outcome and implied reaction are far from a given.
Additionally, there have been some very highly rated local recruits recently that didn’t chose ASU and NONE of them were villified by the desert masses or had to suffer behind-their-back jeers by local cronies or zealots! In fact, Everson Griffen (one such recent very highly rated recruit who didn’t attend ASU) wasn’t jeered, booed or treated any differently than any other USC player last season in Sun Devil Stadium!
Mr Heller, you owe the desert masses, including myself, an apology for this hypocritical hatchet job! Somehow I doubt we will get that apology or that anybody will even see this, as it will probably be deleted in a cowardly fashion. Now whose behavior seems inappropriate Mr Heller?
July 1st, 2008 at 10:36 am
Get a life Mr. Heller. Don’t you have anything better to write about? Kennard should go to ASU. He has a chance to start, to represent Arizona, and play in front of fans who would love to see the local kid bring home a championship. What is wrong with that? If he decides to go elsewhere, who cares? I only want kids who bleed maroon and gold on my team. Will I chastise him no. He will just become a distant memory.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:47 am
Don’t blame anyone. There is an audience, and a young man who is in the spotlight. Do whatever you feel like Devon, you’ve earned the spotlight. ASU fans would love to have, but you won’t suffer any wrath if you choose to go elsewhere (is Everson Griffen in hiding or something? What is this wrath?)
What is this poopery?
ASU has more than a viable shot at him, which they wouldn’t have had a short time ago, and the fan base should be delighted.
But if Kennard chooses — gasp! — a school other than ASU, he’ll be villified by the desert masses, and a group of Sun Devil zealots might build a wall to keep him out
1) We are delighted
2) We aren’t zealots. Buy a clue and act like you know a thing or two about college football.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
If Kennard wants to win a BCS bowl and a national championship, he’ll go to USC and play opposite future 1st round draft pick Everson Griffen. And spare me the Terrell Suggs talk ASU fans, that was 3 coaches ago if i’m not mistaken, time to stop living in the past and live in the present
July 1st, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Where is your blog re: Craig Roh’s visit to Notre Dame? Students at Notre Dame were running up to him and asking him for his autograph. ASU fans come nowhere near the hype found amongst the fans at other top football colleges. Talk to G. Robinson about the pressure other recruits from Notre Dame put on him while he was at the ARMY All-American game. You are way off-base.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:05 pm
actually, curtis jackson….oops i mean 50 cent it was two coaches ago. snyder, koetter, erickson. so i guess you are mistaken. besides whats wrong with saying T. Suggs went to ASU? They both are DL and both are highly recruited. get a life moron.
As for you mr. heller. what a total piece of hypocritical garbage. as someone pointed out, did i miss something when USC visited? I didn’t hear boos or anything directed towards Everson? You should find a new job. You have to be good at something.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:22 pm
If Devon doesn’t choose ASU, he will be villified by ASU fans and considered a traitor for life? What an overreaction by Heller. How did he come to that conclusion. Have ASU fans villified Everson Griffen because he chose USC? No. ASU fans may be disappointed with Griffen’s college choice, but I’ve never seen hate directed at him.
Devon’s a great player and I hope he chooses ASU. But if he doesn’t, virtually all ASU fans (myself included) will wish him luck (so long as he doesn’t head down to Tucson) and thank him for giving ASU serious consideration.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:29 pm
50 cent, go back to your drug infested ghetto at USC. Suggs has only been out of school a few years and played under a pathetic coach and still won every award he could in his tenure at ASU. Kennard will have NO PROBLEM getting all the publicity he needs here in Arizona. In fact, how about being the home town kid that helps ASU win its first national championship. That has a much more exciting sound to it and is a much better story.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Hey Hellen .. go back to Minnesota or else you’ll face the wrath of the “desert masses”! Isn’t that what you’re afraid of?
Seriously, your blog is lame. You got the “desert masses” attention by writing lies and exaggerating facts — gasp! — an inexperienced, starved for attention writer would never do that!
July 1st, 2008 at 4:07 pm
This doesn’t even make any sense. Our fan base turned on Koetter for being an inept coach… this is the most recent thing I can remember our fan base doing. Turning on Kennard because he chooses another school? Why? In state preps go out of state all the time, and have done so in the past. I have never seen an ASU fan say much more than “Thats a real shame”, or even maybe “That kid is making a mistake, he could have been big time here…” But getting our “wrath”? This is garbage.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
PPM or should i say pammielynn (aka the punching bag of the Rivals mainboard)
Suggs won every INDIVIDUAL award he could in his tenure at ASU, that is absolutely true, answer me this, did he win a National Championship? a Pac 10 title? a BCS bowl? Didn’t think so, meanwhile Everson Griffen as a freshman already has Pac 10 title and Rose Bowl rings sitting on his mantle back home in Avondale.
Using ASU fans’ reasoning, TCU should land all the 5-star RB recruits from Texas because LaDanian Tomlinson went there. Why stop there, I guess Marlon Brown (5-star WR from TN) should go to Tennessee-Chattanooga because Terrell Owens went there.
Is it worth being a big fish in a small pond at your hometown school if you’ll never have a chance at winning a national championship?
July 5th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
50 Cent … or should I say gangsta poser, faker … ghetto wannabe?
Why would Devon want to be in a gang-infested neighborhood that SC is located in? He doesn’t need free rent from boosters or runners, and he doesn’t need a free Impala.
Did Griffen win a NC? Didn’t think so. The only NC that SC won is in danger of being taken away now that the FBI, IRS and CA attorney general is investigating the Bush case. So enjoy the hard fought … errrrr, I mean hard bought NC trophy while it lasts.