The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Aiming for a full life
Grueling offseason voyages push Korver beyond comfort zone.
A man can learn a lot spending nine hours on a paddleboard fighting the waves and currents of the Pacific Ocean — a lot about life and basketball. Kyle Korver did. The Hawks guard has embraced grueling offseason workouts known as misogi. He spent the past two offseasons pushing his limits, first pad- dling on top of and then carrying a large rock underneath the waters off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif.
“Basically, it’s once a year you do something to totally challenge yourself, something that is not in your comfort zone and has elements that you are not familiar with,” Korver said of the concept. “Something that where if conditions are perfect, you’ve got a 50 percent chance of making it. So, if you are a runner, it’s not to run a marathon. If you don’t run at all, then maybe it is. It’s not, ‘I’m going to climb the top of that mountain over there.’ It’s, ‘I’m going to climb that mountain, and the farthest mountain I can see from the top, I’m going to try to go there.’
“And you may not get it. But you are going to spend a whole lot a time in a zone you are not familiar with, and you are going to learn a lot about yourself.”
The idea intrigued Korver, who wanted more from life and basketball.
“When you are younger we learn that if we work hard, we can be whatever we want
Korver
his first day of classes, but his coach said that won’t happen.
“His recruiting is over,” Harold said. “It’s finished. He’s ready to move on to the next chapter of his life. His family is ready to move on. It’s just a good day. Everything is finalized. He’s relaxed. Now he can finish out his high school days and report to UGA this summer.”
Smith was labeled as a “pioneer” and “revolutionist” for being one of the first elite football recruits to skip over the NLI in February. He’s rated as the country’s No. 47 prospect, per the 247Sports composite rankings.
“As you could imagine it’s been tough lately, but I am relieved to say that I am officially committed to The University of Georgia 100%,” Smith said in a text message.
Other elite recruits such as former UGA quarterback Matthew Stafford and current running back Keith Marshall also did not sign the NLI. But that was because they enrolled early, and high school midyear enrollees are not eligible to sign the NLI, per NCAA rules.
Like Smith, Herschel Walker and former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor transformed into celebrity recruits after holding out a few months after signing day to pick a college. But both signed an NLI before the end of the signing period.
Last week, Smith committed to UCLA over Georgia in front of ESPN cameras but decided against turning in his NLI after reports surfaced later that day that Bruins defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich accepted a job with the Falcons.
Smith said Ulbrich had told him on the eve of signing day that he had “declined” the job offer from the Falcons, per UGASports. On Thursday, Ulbrich (now with the Falcons) declined to comment to the AJC about Smith’s claim.
“After everything that Roquan had been through, he was already torn between UGA and UCLA,” Harold said Friday. “I think he did some more research. Just with UCLA so far away from home and Coach Ulbrich not being there, his family and I felt more comfortable with him being closer to home.”
“Coach (Mark) Richt was excited, and told him he’s just glad he’s a (Bulldog) for life. Through this process, I can really see how Georgia fans and alum are there for you forever.”
With the addition of Smith, UGA has 29 members in its 2015 class and moved from No. 9 to No. 6 in the national rankings after Smith signed.
The director of the NLI program for the NCAA, Susan Peal, didn’t seem happy earlier this week about how Smith’s situation was playing out.
“If a prospective student-athlete only signs an athletics aid agreement, then the institution has no guarantee that student will show up for enrollment while also being recruited by other coaches,” Peal said.
“This really places that athletics team in a bad position for planning for the upcoming year if there is no binding agreement. This results in no accountability on the student’s behalf, but the institution is accountable for providing the athletics aid.”