Texas has taken a verbal commitment from a 13-year-old seventh grader for its women’s basketball team. Deja Kelly will be a member of the Class of 2020 if she does end up playing for the Longhorns, but for now, she currently attends Luna Middle School in San Antonio, Texas. Kelly is 5-foot-8 and a picture on Twitter is circulating of her with Texas head coach Karen Aston.
The Today Show also has video on Kelly and her family and how they came to the decision to commit to Texas.
People are entitled to make decisions that they believe are best for them and their family, but I think 13 is a little young to make a decision like this to attract unnecessary attention. At the age of 13, that’s asking a kid to keep a very important educational and basketball decision for over five years while also placing a large target on their back.
Some kids might thrive under additional pressure or enjoy that kind of attention, but it can have consequences as well. Hopefully Kelly can continue to improve and not get injured so that this decision works out in the end for all parties.