Haney said his organization "needs to take some leadership and figure out what should be done to protect the game and the whole recruiting process" as increasing numbers of prospects make commitments years before they arrive on a college campus.
Avery's father, Howard, said he had advised his son to be patient.
But Avery said, "I really like Kentucky basketball. That's why I committed. I've been following their program for a long time."
King seemed equally convinced of his future at UCLA in the fall of 2003, but he ended up signing with Duke three years later and last month, after only one season, decided to transfer to Villanova.
Avery repeated the seventh grade, making him older than most eighth-graders. Hopefully, he'll have the fortitude and maturity to deal with the expectations.
Last week, he finalized his high school choice, deciding to attend Encino Crespi, which means Coach Russell White will be responsible for guiding him for possibly the next four years.
"The sooner the 'Kentucky-bound' disappears as an adjective from his name, the faster we can move forward," White said.
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Call me an old-timer when it comes to evaluating basketball ability, but I base it on how an athlete performs for his high school team rather than his club team.
I attended a Los Angeles Fairfax spring league game Monday night to watch Renardo Sidney of Fairfax. He took the night off. Instead, I got the chance to see one of the top guards in the City Section put on a show.
Michael Williams, the sixth man on Woodland Hills Taft's City Championship team, made seven three-pointers and scored 34 points in the Toreadors' 50-48 loss to Fairfax.
"He's a prolific shooter," Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani said. "He's a smart player and doesn't force it."
Added Taft Coach Derrick Taylor: "He's our next star."
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It's time to give respect to senior right-hander Jeff Rauh of Laguna Hills. All he's done this season is compile a 13-0 record with a 1.18 earned-run average in leading the Hawks to the Pacific Coast League title. He has a 4.4 grade-point average and is headed to UC San Diego.
"He throws first-pitch strikes to almost every hitter," Coach Pete Tereschuk said.
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Pro scouts were raving about the 12-strikeout, one-walk pitching performance by Long Beach Wilson's Aaron Hicks last week in a 5-0 victory over Lakewood.
