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I am just saying that it isn't the main contributor to where a kid goes to school. There may be a few instances here or there where the shoe company is a factor, but in most cases it is not a factor. The article shouldn't be taken as shoe companies as the dominant force in college basketball recruiting because there are many cases where kids go against the shoe company that has sponsored their AAU teams from high school.

I'm not saying they are the main contributor or most dominant force. But that doesn't mean they are not heavily involved. And just because a kid he's to a school sponsored by a different company does not mean the shoe companies were not heavily involved.

According to Meyer in the article, here is a breakdown of this situation. And this is by no means a one time occurrence. It's just the most recent, and more publicized than most.

- one of the very best players in the country plays aau ball for a nike team. "Everyone" around him and his "infrastructure of people who helped him get where he is" is nike.

- he takes his first official visit, to an Adidas school. He made no secret to about his love for this school before he even went on the visit. He commits to the school on his visit. He's so excited that he announces the commitment on social media before even telling the school's coaches.

- after committing, the previously mentioned nike infrastructure "abandons him" and "leaves him on an island"

- 11 days later, without having taken any other visits, the kid that was so in love with the Adidas school has decommitted and scheduled 4 more visits, all to nike schools. The reason for the decommittment is the nike influences were not happy he only visited an Adidas school and shut it down.

None of that seems wrong to you?

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Meyer even implies in his original tweets that playing up the shoe companies as a factor in the decision isn't usually a move he makes. This is one of the few instances where it matters.

Direct quotes from Meyer in the article:

"What was the basis for the tweet about Blakeney's decision being based on shoe company affiliation? Facts. I knew this was gonna happen last week. I just didn't know it was gonna happen so soon. I'd been told it was gonna happen and why it would happen."

"This isn't the first time it's happened."

"It still seems strange that message wouldn't be sent to him beforehand, don't you think? Trust me, they did. He quit listening to them."

"I think the No. 1 thing is that the people around him, the support system, they want him to visit other schools, and that doesn't seem like an outlandish request."