Glens Falls, N.Y. -- On Dec. 8, 2014, Joe Girard III made his debut on the Glens Falls High School varsity basketball team.
Girard was an eighth-grader. In order to be placed on the varsity, he had to pass a mandated physical test, including a mile run and pull-ups.
Glens Falls athletic director Chip Corlew talked with coach Tony Hamill about the pros and cons of placing an eighth-grader on the varsity. Was Joe ready emotionally? How would the seniors mesh with the budding star?
"We didn't want to rush him if he didn't need to be rushed,'' Corlew said.