Most everyone is expressing shock or disbelief that Alhambra wide receiver Zion Babb, an early commit to Michigan, was declared academically ineligible for Friday’s game against Santa Fe.

The question has been asked, how could he do that to his team, and to himself after being offered such a golden opportunity (to attend a university such as Michigan)?
Such things happen with teenagers who lose sight of the future and lean too heavily on the present. It is sad, even tragic, but it shouldn’t be shocking.
The evolvement of this academic predicament didn’t happen overnight, so the more obvious question should be, where was the coaching staff through the development of his academic downfall?
Many coaches keep a close watch on their athletes, marking for close scrutinization those who indicate a tendency toward academic delinquency.
It is not difficult (the classroom instructors do all the work), but it does require time and commitment and a line of communication. And even then, it is possible for an athlete to slip through the cracks.
Was this the case with Babb? Did he slip through the cracks?
Or was he left alone to his own devices, and finding the challenge to be not only more difficult but clearly less interesting than juking a defensive back and winning the race to the end zone, he chose to enjoy the present’s gratification in favor of the future’s promise?