Desiree Oliver has yet to play one second of high school basketball, but she already has a scholarship offer from a Division I college.

Oliver is a 5-foot-5 eighth-grader at Linton Middle School in the Penn Hills district. Two weeks ago, she was offered a scholarship by Duquesne University and new coach Dan Burt.

"To be honest, I'm not that surprised," said Penn Hills coach John Tate, who also coaches Oliver in the Bruins AAU program. "Even when Suzie McConnell-Serio was Duquesne's coach, they were at her eighth-grade games. They've really been on her probably since she was a sixth- or seventh-grader."

Obviously, Oliver has talent. But to offer a scholarship to an eighth-grader?

"I'm telling you, she's really good," Tate said. "I've been coaching AAU for almost 10 years and have seen [Hopewell's] Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and some other good ones. As an eighth-grader, she's better than they were. What it translates to in the next four years, I don't know, but she is really good."

There are no rules when colleges can offer a scholarship to an athlete. Offering one to an eighth-grader isn't totally unheard of. Over the past 20 years, colleges have started recruiting players earlier and earlier, and college coaches seem to want to do anything to stay ahead of opponents. A few years ago, Southern California football coach Lane Kiffin offered a scholarship to David Sills, a talented seventh-grade quarterback from Delaware.

As for Oliver, she is expected to attend Penn Hills High School in the fall.

"I hope," Tate said with a laugh.

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