Comments on: Yep, a fifth-grader is starting for a Florida high school varsity basketball team (video)

By: Apparently some teams are forfeiting to avoid playing Downey High and its 11-year-old point guard Julian Newman (video) | Off the Bench

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:25:35 +0000

[...] in December we wrote about Julian Newman, the pint-sized basketball phenom who starts for the Downey Christian High School (FL) team even [...]

By: Yep, a fifth-grader is starting for a Florida high school varsity basketball team | MovementDr.com

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 05:40:44 +0000

[...] Julian is coached by his father, Jamie Newman, at the Orlando school. And if you’re wondering about the legality of all this, apparently it’s kosher. A person gets four years of eligibility in high school basketball in Florida, and if you want to use them all up by the time you’re in the eighth grade, you can do that. You just can’t repeat a grade. (Update: apparently you can get more than four years, if you start young like Julian).(Read More) [...]

By: MSNBC ›› 5th-grader starts for varsity basketball team

MSNBC ›› 5th-grader starts for varsity basketball team — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:26:13 +0000

[...] Original post by NBCNews.com: US news [...]

By: florida727

florida727 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:48:56 +0000

“He has moves that even NBA players don’t have. He does stuff that hasn’t been done before.”

Actually, this is an accurate statement. Has any other NBA player dribbled a ball between Kevin Durant’s legs while KD is standing flat-footed on the court? I doubt it.

Rick, you’re wrong about eligibility. This kid could end up playing up to EIGHT years of varsity basketball. See below, copied from the FHSAA website, with the emphasis added by me.

9.5 LIMIT OF ELIGIBILITY
9.5.1 High School Student Has Four Years of Eligibility. A student has four consecutive calendar years of
eligibility FROM THE DATE HE/SHE BEGINS NINTH GRADE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
This does NOT imply that the student has four years of participation. A student becomes permanently ineligible four consecutive calendar years from the date he/she begins ninth grade for the first time.