Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Dad's Take
Here is one (fairly recognized) new Illini dad's take on his son's decision to play Illini basketball, from the Trib.
On son Jeff going to Illinois:
I'm happy for Jeff. It's easy for a parent to come in and say, "I think you should go to North Carolina, because that's where I went and I'd like to see you follow in my footsteps." No—that, to me, would've been a tough move for him because of the expectations. His name is not Michael. He's not Michael Jordan Jr. He's Jeffrey. He's his own self. I didn't want to name him Michael, I didn't want a Junior. I knew the pressure he had to deal with. He's a very mature kid. I think he wanted to go off and enjoy college and give himself something to work towards. He could have easily gone to another school and gotten a scholarship. But he wanted to enjoy college life and, at the same time, have a challenge in front of him.
I've heard first-hand that MJ regularly cheers on his sons at AAU games, and I trust that he will find his way to Champaign over the next few years...
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On son Jeff going to Illinois:
I'm happy for Jeff. It's easy for a parent to come in and say, "I think you should go to North Carolina, because that's where I went and I'd like to see you follow in my footsteps." No—that, to me, would've been a tough move for him because of the expectations. His name is not Michael. He's not Michael Jordan Jr. He's Jeffrey. He's his own self. I didn't want to name him Michael, I didn't want a Junior. I knew the pressure he had to deal with. He's a very mature kid. I think he wanted to go off and enjoy college and give himself something to work towards. He could have easily gone to another school and gotten a scholarship. But he wanted to enjoy college life and, at the same time, have a challenge in front of him.
I've heard first-hand that MJ regularly cheers on his sons at AAU games, and I trust that he will find his way to Champaign over the next few years...
# posted by Alma Mater : 7:44 PM
