It was all wrong.
In wide receiver Jason Ferguson’s dreams, he saw himself
playing college football for either UCLA or USC, proving all
doubters wrong about his 5-foot, 5-inch height. He saw himself at
the Rose Bowl, listening to the crowd roar as he scored yet another
touchdown. He was a small star in a game supposedly for big
men.
And UCLA’s sports camp was supposed to be the springboard
to his dream.
So when Ferguson fell to the ground in pain last June after
making a sharp move, he couldn’t help but think about his
college career.
He wanted UCLA’s coaches to notice him, to offer him a
scholarship, and, most of all, give him the chance to fulfill his
dreams.
“I just wanted to do my thing,” said Ferguson, who
scored 34 touchdowns as a junior running back, receiver and return
specialist at Fairfax High School. “My coach told me that
there was no way they couldn’t like me if I just did my
thing. I did my thing, but then this happened.”
What happened next raises the issue of the purpose of sports
camps.
On a post pattern, possibly the result of pushing himself so
hard, Ferguson tore his anterior cruciate ligament, and in doing
so, he lost his entire senior year of high school and a chance to
get scholarship offers from the top Pac-10 universities. Instead of
being recruited by the likes of USC, Cal and UCLA, Ferguson
received calls from Portland State and Idaho.
The only correspondence Ferguson received from UCLA were letters
from former head coach Bob Toledo, wishing Ferguson luck in his
recovery from surgery.
“I’m disappointed in the way Jason was handled by
Pac-10 coaching staffs,” Fairfax head coach Shane Cox said.
“My kids won’t be participating in sports camps
anymore. If he can produce on the field, why do sports camps
matter? If you lined up UCLA’s 20 recruits, I’m willing
to bet he would be one of their top five players right
now.”
Running back Maurice Drew, who committed to UCLA last week,
avoided attending any sports camps, yet still had scholarship
offers from all the Pac-10 schools and national powers like
Colorado.
“Why should my entire future be determined on one
day?” Drew said. “I was lucky enough to play for De La
Salle, and as a result got plenty of exposure outside of the camps.
But I didn’t want to have one bad day at a sports camp ruin
my college career.”
On the other side of the spectrum, sports camps can be a
launching pad for unknown high school players while giving athletes
a chance to hone their skills with some of the best coaches in
football. More importantly, college coaches are in attendance, and
a good day can mean a scholarship.
“I wanted to see where I stood with other players and what
I needed to work on,” said safety Dennis Keyes, who is rated
the No. 14 safety in the nation. “As a result of my
performance at the UCLA camp, I got a scholarship offer and
I’m probably ranked higher than where I would have
been.”
Nevertheless, there is an inherent risk involved.
“There’s a risk of injury even if you’re
playing catch with your dad in the backyard,” said Greg
Biggins, who is in charge of player personnel for Nike sports
camps. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a
season-ending injury in a camp. It’s bad because Jason is a
great guy and he needed his senior year to get the scholarships,
but if Jason had stayed healthy, he would have had scholarship
offers from everyone. That’s because he absolutely blew
everyone away at our camp.”
As for Ferguson, all is not lost. In somewhat of a lucky turn of
events, head coach June Jones of Hawaii saw Ferguson’s junior
year tape and immediately took a chance. He offered Ferguson a
scholarship immediately, but not after an emotional year during
which, instead of being recruited, Ferguson had to recruit
colleges.
“There was so much stress this past year, much more than
it should have been,” Ferguson said. “Truthfully, I
think sports camps do help the average player. The Nike camp really
put me on the map. I just don’t agree with the way I had to
prove myself. I went to UCLA’s camp because I wanted to make
sure UCLA’s coaches saw me. And I ended up nearly losing
everything.”