“Kind of a blow-out”

Tom Splendor, 9
Greenwood

We’ve been focusing on kids whose brainpower has led them to positions of leadership, but we don’t want to neglect the body! It’s important, too! So, picking Tom Splendor was a no-brainer, so to speak, because at the tender age of 9, he is already being recruited by college basketball scouts.

Tom Splendor, whose prowess at the round-ball was recognized early on, is the product of two super-athlete parents. His mom, Roni, played basketball for Duke and was headed for the pros before a knee injury ruined her career. Tom’s dad, Mick, played professional tennis, once battling Bjorn Borg to the fifth set.

“Pretty quickly,” recalls mom Roni, “we saw that basketball was going to be his main game.”

“Pretty quickly YOU saw that,” counters Mick, smiling.

Already almost 6 feet tall, Tom Splendor plays hoops for his elementary school, once scoring 212 points for his team who eventually won the game, 216-8.

“It was kind of a blow-out,” Tom admits shyly, adding that he “sat out the last five minutes. I probably could have hit 300.”

That was the game that put him on the national map for future NBA players; each subsequent game has been attended by numerous scouts.

“Once, Isaiah Thomas came and watched me,” Tom says, clearly humbled. “And Larry Bird has seen me twice.”

Tom’s regimen starts early from basketball practice before school, to more practice after. In the evening, he receives private tutoring from coaches and even former NBA players.

“We don’t want to namedrop,” Roni says, “but Dennis Rodman was here in the summer for two months.”

“Only because he had nowhere else to go,” counters Mick, smiling.

“I’m not turning pro right out of high school,” Tom maintains. “I want to get a good college education.”

“Sure you do, honey,” Roni says, smiling.




________


If Isiah Thomas has seen him, I'm already worried.

[Edited on May 29, 2006 at 9:58 PM. Reason : http://www.nuvo.net/archive/2006/04/05/ten_under_10.html]

5/29/2006 9:58:23 PM

He is 9 and probably is done growing since he did so early.

He won't even make it to the college level Ill bet.

I hate these kind of stories, he won't amount to shit.

5/29/2006 10:00:26 PM

Quote :

"“Sure you do, honey,” Roni says, smiling."

so... does this sound like she's brushing off the idea of a college education?
whata mom...

5/29/2006 10:02:04 PM

Shame on the coach for letting a game get completely out of control. 216-8 is inexcusable.

And scouting a kid at age 9 is retarded. I don't know how good he is, but it's quite likely that he dominates because he's twice as big as anyone else. Let him get to high school with kids who will be closer to his size, and we'll see what he can do.

5/29/2006 10:03:08 PM

^^^ shawn bradley shot up to 6'8" by age 13, so anything is possible

5/29/2006 10:04:48 PM

Damn age minimum. Isiah was eyeing him at the #20 pick.

5/29/2006 10:05:20 PM

He is white too.

No way he keeps on dominating.

I mean what are the other kids, 4 feet?

5/29/2006 10:06:16 PM

that pic looks fake

5/29/2006 10:09:01 PM

^since his feet are floating over the lines

5/29/2006 10:13:50 PM

Quote :

"His mom, Roni, played basketball for Duke"

uh-oh

5/29/2006 10:14:59 PM

i dont believe that

5/29/2006 10:15:02 PM

yea no way elementary schools have teams or that someone would run up the score like that in 9 year old bball

5/29/2006 11:11:02 PM

Quote :

"“We don’t want to namedrop,” Roni says, “but Dennis Rodman was here in the summer for two months.” "

This is bullshit. Dennis Rodman wouldn't spend two months coaching a 9 year old white kid, and his parents wouldn't allow Rodman near their son.

5/29/2006 11:33:09 PM

Quote :

"He is 9 and probably is done growing since he did so early."

no

when i was cashier at winn dixie, there was a 6-11 father and 6-5 mother that had a 6'10" foot 15 year old, and his brother was 6'2" and 10 years old

[Edited on May 29, 2006 at 11:34 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on May 29, 2006 at 11:35 PM. Reason : the big one said his brother was taller than him for his age]

5/29/2006 11:34:14 PM

think of this kid's growing pains.. i grew 6 inches in a summer and i hurt.. i dont want to know what this kid went through

5/29/2006 11:37:02 PM

Quote :

"And scouting a kid at age 9 is retarded."

Quote :

"“Once, Isaiah Thomas came and watched me,"

5/29/2006 11:39:36 PM

Quote :

"He is 9 and probably is done growing since he did so early."

Very possible. I was 5'10" when I was 10 years old and I ended up only 6'5"... I topped out while in middle school.

5/29/2006 11:50:03 PM

Quote :

"I hate these kind of stories, he won't amount to shit."

i concur

5/30/2006 12:54:54 AM

try reading about the other kids in the article

pretty obviously fake

5/30/2006 1:19:38 AM

Quote :

"Already almost 6 feet tall, Tom Splendor plays hoops for his elementary school, once scoring 212 points for his team who eventually won the game, 216-8. “It was kind of a blow-out,” Tom admits shyly, adding that he “sat out the last five minutes. I probably could have hit 300.”"

goddamn! that is some of the shittiest sportsmanship i've ever heard of. it's a fucking elementary school game. pull the kid out! he scored 212 points, and the rest of the other two teams only managed a combined 12 points . whoopie! he was sat for the last 5 minutes. how nice.

[Edited on May 30, 2006 at 6:47 AM. Reason : ]

5/30/2006 6:47:30 AM

They have basketball teams for elementary schools now?

5/30/2006 8:32:05 AM

This is very clearly an Onion.com article. If not, it could be.

5/30/2006 8:50:31 AM

fake read at the link about the other acheivers

5/30/2006 9:40:19 AM

Quote :

"They have basketball teams for elementary schools now?"

None of the elementary schools I ever went to had them, but when I lived in Hawaii (I was in high school by this time) some of elementary schools had teams. Only a few of them, but they did exist.

PS This article is stupid and this kid will never amount to jack squat.

5/30/2006 10:25:48 AM

Quote :

"yea no way elementary schools have teams"

They do in some places. I played basketball for my elementary school in NJ. There were quite a few teams in the league, too -- at least 10 or so.

5/30/2006 10:38:14 AM