Romeo Miller, the rapper who goes by Lil' Romeo, figures to be a bench warmer at USC next season, but that hasn't stopped the university from offering him a full-ride scholarship.To be fair, "offer" might be the wrong word.
According to Trojans' coach Tim Floyd, Lil' Romeo was part of a package deal with blue chip prospect Demar DeRozan, a 6'6" forward out of Compton scoring 29.2 points per game on an astronomical shooting percentage. Scout.com has DeRozan rated as the #5 prospect in the country.
Miller, by contrast, averaged 8.6 points in just eight games before sitting out the rest of the season with a knee injury. Miller and his father, Percy -- rapper Master P -- became acquainted with DeRozan through a club team several years ago, and have taken him like an extra member of the family.
So when Percy called Floyd last spring, inquiring if Floyd would like to have Romeo and DeRozan play at USC, it was clear that Percy was talking about a 2-for-1 special. And with a player of DeRozan's caliber ready to commit to his program, Floyd was more than willing to sacrifice an extra scholarship.
Besides, Floyd reasoned, Romeo's star power just might bring extra fans to the arena.
So when Percy called Floyd last spring, inquiring if Floyd would like to have Romeo and DeRozan play at USC, it was clear that Percy was talking about a 2-for-1 special. And with a player of DeRozan's caliber ready to commit to his program, Floyd was more than willing to sacrifice an extra scholarship.
Besides, Floyd reasoned, Romeo's star power just might bring extra fans to the arena.
The Millers don't see Romeo's scholarship as a compromise to lure DeRozan or a marketing ploy. They say Romeo had scholarship offers from LSU and Arizona State, and that Cal and Florida State had expressed interest as well. Not really true, say staff members at each school.
If basketball doesn't work out for Romeo, he's fortunate enough to have a backup plan; the rap star will study film, and who knows, maybe he'll have time to crank out a new album in the offseason. "Basketball is just one-half of what I'll be doing," Romeo said.
If basketball doesn't work out for Romeo, he's fortunate enough to have a backup plan; the rap star will study film, and who knows, maybe he'll have time to crank out a new album in the offseason. "Basketball is just one-half of what I'll be doing," Romeo said.
For more, check out A Hot Prospect? at the Wall Street Journal.
1 comment:
That's ridiculous and a waste of a scholarship if you ask me!
Why doesn't Texas Tech just offer me a scholarship?
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