Beyond the Baskets, It's Important To Remember High School Athletes Are Only Human

With the untimely death of Michigan high school basketball star Wes Leonard on Thursday, covering high school championships has become a bit morose for me.

In researching the teams fortunate enough to have made it this far, I've run across quite a bit of negative feedback about both players and their respective teams. And while this is to be expected to some extent, it does put a bit of a damper on their collective accomplishments.

When I first started scouting, I remember being told, "Just wait until you take everything you've read, show up at the park and see a pimple-faced teenager."

For the first time, I fully understand what was meant by that statement as I research players like Austin Rivers of Winter Park High School.

With 1,180,000 Google search results, it's easy to forget the fact Rivers is just a teenager, even though his skills on the basketball court are far beyond his years.

The tragedy in Michigan puts things into perspective as it's important to remember the young men playing in these tournaments are simply trying to live out state championship dreams.