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Is it only a coincidence or can you make something of the fact that very few multi-star athletes have surfaced since the era of AAU or summer basketball began to negatively affect high school sports?
The latest athlete to choose specialization over versatility is Mount Carmel junior Adonis Filer, who was touted to be the next great linebacker in a distinguished line that included his older brother Steven, now at Notre Dame.
I don't know Adonis from Brian Urlacher but I know his brother was a talented two-sport athlete at Mount Carmel whose football credentials didn't seem to suffer by a season of basketball.
However, somewhere along the line, somebody has persuaded Adonis that basketball, not football, is his future. And he has opted to concentrate on basketball on a full-time basis--fall, winter, spring and summer. He will lose two years of development in many observers predicted was a very promising football career.
I hope Filer made the right decision for his own sake. But I understand most analysts felt his future was in football, not basketball, and he may have listened to some bad advice. It seems to me that he could have waited until after his senior year to decide which sports was best for him.
I may be wrong but the only outstanding multi-sport athletes I can recall since the AAU era began to take a stranglehold on high school sports were Tai Streets and Antwan Randel El of Thornton, Matt Lottich of New Trier, Sherron Collins of Crane and C.J. Fiedorowicz of Johnsburg.
Compare them to the long and distinguished list of multi-sport athletes who were produced in the pre-AAU era...all-staters, college stars, future Olympians and pros who didn't burn out on one sport but chose to gain experience in more than one sport, often three, even four.
Centralia's Dike Eddleman and Bobby Joe Mason, Springfield's Bob Trumpy, Bloom's Homer Thurman, Chuckie Green and Jerry Colangelo, Thornton's Lou Boudreau, Paul Jackson and LaMarr Thomas, Thornridge's Quinn Buckner, Oak Park's Charlie Hoag, Blue Island's Willie May, Lockport's Tom Haller, Canton's Ethan Blackaby, Rock Falls' Gary Kolb, Champaign's Johnny Easterbrook, Evanston's Howard Jones, Wheeling's Jack Bastable, Du Quoin's Don Stanhouse, Luther South's Mike Conley and Peoria Manual's Al Smith.
They don't make them like that anymore.
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Taylor, there are a few out there, but they aren't the dominant player in multiple sports like some of the guys you mention. Collins for example was a high caliber football player in addition to being a All American basketball player. And today's multi-sport stars may only play two sports, not three, as many of the guys you mentioned (typically football, basketball and baseball but also track, wrestling for example).
In the western burbs I can think of a couple off the top of my head who are multi-sport guys, but aren't dominant (best player in the area). Nick Linne of Naperville Central, Tyler Warden at Glenbard West, Austin Teitsma at Glenbard South, Jack Merithey at Glenbard East are all very good football players and play another sport very well. Basketball for Warden and Merithey, baseball for Linne and wrestling for Teitsma. They just are not a Jack Bastable, playing in three sports as I recall, and dominant in all.
Nice topic Mr. Taylor, and I agree. Even though the multi-sport athletes may have decreased I believe there are more participating than you think. Most elite athletes are involved with more than 1. I am the proud parent of a varsity football player,soph/varsity basketball and he says he wants to add track this year for the Curie Condors. So, tell me how hard would it be for you to find out who this player is?
You need to check out Maurice Fleming of Curie. He plays three sports, football, basketball and baseball. I guarantee you he is good at all of them. He is a sophomore and plays varisty level for them all.
Its not only the AAU basketball Taylor. I know many good athletes in the burbs who give up on basketball /baseball etc to train with a personal trainer for football. They lift and train all year to get their bench press up and their 40 time down. Then go to these spring camps/combines to get measured and timed. They are giving up competitive sports to just run and weight lift.
MR.BELL YOU ARE DEAD WRONG ON MR. FILER DECISION NOT TO PLAY FOOTBALL, I KNOW ADONIS & HIS FAMILY PERFECTLY WELL AND NO ONE PERSUADED HIM TO QUIT FOOTBALL, HIS FATHER IS HIS BIGGEST INFLUENCE & I HEARD HE MADE HIM PLAY LAST YEAR, FROM WHAT I HEARD HIS LOVE FOR THE GAME IS NOT THERE ANYMORE.
Certainly the rise of club sports has added commitment time, and it has to come from somewhere- better it be from another sport than studies, true?
And the increased value of a college scholarship today (look at the cost of college vs. electronics or cars) causes most kids to pick at least one sport to focus on- which opens up opportunities for other players.
And the fact is that HS athletes today, even with some of the elite players removed from a sport, are still better than they were 20 years ago- bigger, faster, stronger, and more skilled.
I'd be more worried about graduation and death rates than if a kid is playing multiple organized sports in HS.
IT IS NOT FASHIONABLE TO BE A THREE SPORT ATHLETE, SO THIS IS WHAT I PROPOSE, TAYLOR BELL, I WANT YOU OR JOE TO HAVE A END OF THE YEAR AWARD TO THE BEST THREE SPORT ATHLETE, I DON'T CARE WHAT SPORTS THEY PLAY AS LONG AS THEY PARTICIPATE IN 3 SPORTS, AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THEY ARE RECOGNIZED ON A LIST FOR DOING THIS, CHICAGOLAND AREA PARTICIPANTS, THEN WE VOTE ON THE BEST ONE, IF WE IN THE FUTURE WANT TO TAKE IT STATE WIDE THAT MAY BE SOMETHING TO LOOK AT, BUT I THINK THE CHICAGOLAND AREA SHOULD BE CONCENTRATED FOR THIS LIST, YOUNGSTERS LOVE TO SEE THEIR NAMES ON LISTS!
WE NEED MORE STUDENTS TO PLAY MORE THAN ONE SPORT, I HOPE YOU ALL AGREE?
COACH FRANKLIN AT SIMEON HIGH SCHOOL IS VERY UPSET THAT HIS BASEBALL FIELD IS IN THE SHAPE IT IS IN, HE WANTS THE FIELD AT WEST CHATHAM PARK BEHIND THE SCHOOL REVAMPED, IT IS APART OF THE CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT, PLEASE CALL COACH FRANKLIN AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP HIM WITH HIS FIELD SITUATION, ESPECIALLY ALL FORMER SIMEON BASEBALL PLAYERS AND CPS FORMER PLAYERS, TAYLOR BELL I KNOW YOU WILL HELP IN ANY WAY YOU CAN, YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON THE FRONTLINE FOR ATHLETICS IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, TAYLOR WE NEED YOU TO WRITE ANOTHER BOOK, HOW IS THAT COMING ALONG?
I have had two of my sons play three sports in High School. They started in all three and excelled in all three. Doing so is an extremely difficult task, both in terms of maintaining grades, and the toll it takes on your body. The total time off from sports during a school year for a three sport athlete is about 2 weeks.
Read the book Outlyers...studies indicate that in addition to skill becoming a pro at anything takes time. Accelling at any one sport requires you to hone those skills year round. You can't play football and take 100 jump shots a day then swing 100 times on a tee at a baseball and still have time to study and/or eat and sleep. The unfortunate truth is to play multiple sports means you will not be able to play to your fullest potential in any.
The question of who made the decision is mute point. The problem in high school sports today is the highschool school coach's arrogance. They feel that if a kid isnt there for thier spring workout, summer workout and whaterver else he has for the team, the kid is not committed. Thus when a kid wants to return to that perspective sport, he is 3rd string as punishment for missing the O.T.A's , in high school!
Don't forget about Antwan Randle El.
I happen to agree with Mr. Bell. I think that the region was better when all-around three-sport lettermen like Oak Park's Eric Kumerow were playing. This era of specialization is not necessarily a good thing.