Cliff Alexander, the six-foot, eleven-inch big man from Chicago Curie High School, held a press conference on November 15. During this press conference he was to choose where he would attend college to play basketball. On Cliff’s final list of schools were the University of DePaul, the University of Memphis, the University of Kansas, and the University of Illinois. His decision, however, was really down to two schools; Kansas and Illinois. Since Alexander was a five star recruit, his decision was broadcast on national television.
During Cliff Alexander’s televised announcement, hats of the four schools he was choosing from lay on the table in front of him. Cliff thought it would be funny if he picked up the Illinois hat and act like he was about to put it on, then put it down and put on the Kansas hat. He later said that some of his high school teammates said they thought it would be funny.
The act of picking up the Illinois hat as a joke was a disgrace to the Illinois program. I don’t understand how Alexander could do this. The University of Illinois spent lots of time and money trying to recruit the star player. By no means was there any reason for Cliff Alexander to treat the program as badly as he did.
I respect the decision he made in choosing to play basketball at the University of Kansas. I just feel he should have been straight forward with his answer and respect the schools he decided not to attend. My opinion may seem a little biased because I am a fan of Illinois, but I feel that I am not alone in thinking that the way Alexander handled his business was childish and disrespectful.