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Easter Sunday Cash Heist in Los Angeles ($30 million stolen)
- Open Discussion (Work-safe)
- 3 Replies
Thought of posting in the unusual headlines thread but this is like a real life Ocean’s Eleven, and it’s the off season, so figured it might warrant its own thread…
Easter Sunday heist in Southern California nets thieves $30M: report
An Easter Sunday burglary at a San Fernando Valley money storage facility netted thieves as much as $30 million in cash in an operation that has, at least for now, left authorities baffled, the Los…
ktla.com
2025 TN RB Shekai Mills-Knight (Ole Miss Signee)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
- 16 Replies
247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL
Class: 2025
Position: RB
School: Chattanooga(TN) Baylor School
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 215lbs
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Rivals
HudL
Class: 2025
Position: RB
School: Chattanooga(TN) Baylor School
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 215lbs
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2026 NJ CB Jordan Thomas (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
- 0 Replies
247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL
Class: 2026
Position: CB
School: West Orange(NJ) Bergen Catholic
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 180lbs
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Rivals
HudL
Class: 2026
Position: CB
School: West Orange(NJ) Bergen Catholic
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 180lbs
Login to view embedded media
LGHL Meechie Madness: The reunion that signals Ohio State is ‘going for it’ in Diebler’s first season
- News
- 0 Replies
Meechie Madness: The reunion that signals Ohio State is ‘going for it’ in Diebler’s first season
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson’s homecoming is more than just a feel-good story — it signals that Ohio State is serious about raising the standard of the program.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team is eight days into the offseason, and one thing has become abundantly clear: Jake Diebler’s first team will be expected to compete for a Big Ten title next season.
When incoming athletic director Ross Bjork hired Diebler just over two weeks ago, he made it known that the expectations for the program had to elevate to a whole new level. Higher standards would accompany this new era of Ohio State basketball, as the results of the last two seasons have fallen well short of what should be expected at Ohio State. Simply making the NCAA Tournament — something Ohio State has not done since 2022 — will no longer suffice. Bjork wants the program in the NCAA Tournament on an annual basis, making deep runs in the tournament often, and competing at the top of the Big Ten every single year.
Another benefit of hiring Diebler was the perceived ability to retain the most important and potential-laden players already on a team that went 8-3 in its final 11 games last season. So far that benefit has paid off, as Ohio State has seen just one player who averaged 10+ minutes per game last year transfer away — Scotty Middleton.
Starting point guard/captain Bruce Thornton and starting center Felix Okpara both announced that they would be returning for their junior years this week. Roddy Gayle has not made any such announcement, but he also has not entered the transfer portal or made any indication that he’s leaving.
On top of that returning core, Diebler made a big-time splash in the transfer portal on Tuesday night when former Ohio State guard Meechie Johnson announced that he would be transferring back after spending the last two seasons at South Carolina.
Johnson played at Ohio State from 2020-22 and was in the same 2020 recruiting class that included Zed Key and Gene Brown. He was originally in the 2021 class but re-classified in November 2020 to the class of 2020, graduated high school early, and enrolled at Ohio State for the spring semester. In his first two seasons, Meechie averaged 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. He played 5.8 minutes per game as a freshman, and 17.7 minutes per game as a sophomore.
He then transferred to South Carolina, where he played for Lamont Paris — a Findlay native. Johnson earned All-SEC honors this past season, averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game and leading the Gamecocks back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. While his shooting percentages and efficiency aren’t off the charts (Johnson shot 39.9% last season overall and 32.1% from beyond the arc, while taking a team-high 11.8 shots per game), he did score in double-digits in 22 of South Carolina’s 33 games. He scored 20 or more points 10 different times last season.
Diebler was hired as an assistant in April 2019 — four months before Johnson committed to play at Ohio State. While he wasn’t a primary recruiter for Johnson, he was an assistant coach working with guards during Johnson’s first stint at Ohio State. Bringing him back gives the first-year head coach the best backcourt in the Big Ten, and possibly one of the best in the country.
The trio of Thornton, Gayle, and Johnson combined to score 44.3 points per game last season, and all three played at least 29 minutes per game. It’s possible Diebler starts all three guards and tries to revamp a slow, half-court-oriented Ohio State offense that has ranked 238, 274, 280, 251, 289, 247, and 251 in adjusted tempo over the last seven seasons. Diebler has not kept it a secret that he wants to be aggressive and push the pace, and starting the entire trio of guards would do that.
However, all three of those guards also shot below 34% from three-point range last season, and Gayle is the tallest of the trio at 6-foot-4. It would be a fast lineup, but those three plus Felix Okpara would also be a poor shooting lineup, not to mention undersized. Because of that, it seems just as likely that Johnson will come off the bench and play 20-25 minutes per game, with Diebler rotating his guards constantly to keep all three fresh. Dropping Thornton and Gayle by even a minute or two per game, plus 20-25 minutes per game from Johnson, could help all three reach an even higher level and give Diebler one of the best backcourts in the nation.
On top of the guard trio, keeping Okpara — an incumbent starter — on the team was critical as well. The to-be junior was second in the Big Ten in blocks last season and finished the year scoring in double-digits in all three NIT games. Prior to the NIT, Okpara had scored 10+ points just six times in 32 regular-season games. The 6-foot-11 big man from Lagos, Nigeria could have a huge junior season after ending this year on a high note.
Devin Royal, a to-be sophomore from Pickerington, didn’t get a ton of run early in the season, but led the Buckeyes in scoring in a road win at Michigan State on Feb. 25 and averaged 8.4 points in 17.3 minutes per game from that point on (nine games). He’s expected to step into the starting lineup as a sophomore and see his production rise with more minutes, given he can stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor.
Plus, by going after Johnson right away, Ohio State’s NIL Collective, THE Foundation, has shown that it is willing to step up and take big swings for men’s basketball. With one scholarship still available and the transfer portal open for four more weeks, the Buckeyes will be making at least one more addition via the portal. It will need to be a forward who can slide into the lineup next to Royal, and preferably someone who can knock down threes and extend defenses to the perimeter, since Ohio State very much lacks that ability as things currently stand.
Despite the loss of Middleton, Diebler has earned a passing grade so far this spring by bringing back the core of the team, plus bringing Meechie Johnson back to where it all started. With the talent assembled on this roster, there will not be a “rebuilding year” or a “buffer year” for the first-year head coach. The Buckeyes have the talent to tangle with the best of the best, which is exactly what Bjork — and Ohio State fans — are expecting come November.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson’s homecoming is more than just a feel-good story — it signals that Ohio State is serious about raising the standard of the program.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team is eight days into the offseason, and one thing has become abundantly clear: Jake Diebler’s first team will be expected to compete for a Big Ten title next season.
When incoming athletic director Ross Bjork hired Diebler just over two weeks ago, he made it known that the expectations for the program had to elevate to a whole new level. Higher standards would accompany this new era of Ohio State basketball, as the results of the last two seasons have fallen well short of what should be expected at Ohio State. Simply making the NCAA Tournament — something Ohio State has not done since 2022 — will no longer suffice. Bjork wants the program in the NCAA Tournament on an annual basis, making deep runs in the tournament often, and competing at the top of the Big Ten every single year.
Another benefit of hiring Diebler was the perceived ability to retain the most important and potential-laden players already on a team that went 8-3 in its final 11 games last season. So far that benefit has paid off, as Ohio State has seen just one player who averaged 10+ minutes per game last year transfer away — Scotty Middleton.
Starting point guard/captain Bruce Thornton and starting center Felix Okpara both announced that they would be returning for their junior years this week. Roddy Gayle has not made any such announcement, but he also has not entered the transfer portal or made any indication that he’s leaving.
On top of that returning core, Diebler made a big-time splash in the transfer portal on Tuesday night when former Ohio State guard Meechie Johnson announced that he would be transferring back after spending the last two seasons at South Carolina.
Johnson played at Ohio State from 2020-22 and was in the same 2020 recruiting class that included Zed Key and Gene Brown. He was originally in the 2021 class but re-classified in November 2020 to the class of 2020, graduated high school early, and enrolled at Ohio State for the spring semester. In his first two seasons, Meechie averaged 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. He played 5.8 minutes per game as a freshman, and 17.7 minutes per game as a sophomore.
He then transferred to South Carolina, where he played for Lamont Paris — a Findlay native. Johnson earned All-SEC honors this past season, averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game and leading the Gamecocks back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. While his shooting percentages and efficiency aren’t off the charts (Johnson shot 39.9% last season overall and 32.1% from beyond the arc, while taking a team-high 11.8 shots per game), he did score in double-digits in 22 of South Carolina’s 33 games. He scored 20 or more points 10 different times last season.
Diebler was hired as an assistant in April 2019 — four months before Johnson committed to play at Ohio State. While he wasn’t a primary recruiter for Johnson, he was an assistant coach working with guards during Johnson’s first stint at Ohio State. Bringing him back gives the first-year head coach the best backcourt in the Big Ten, and possibly one of the best in the country.
The trio of Thornton, Gayle, and Johnson combined to score 44.3 points per game last season, and all three played at least 29 minutes per game. It’s possible Diebler starts all three guards and tries to revamp a slow, half-court-oriented Ohio State offense that has ranked 238, 274, 280, 251, 289, 247, and 251 in adjusted tempo over the last seven seasons. Diebler has not kept it a secret that he wants to be aggressive and push the pace, and starting the entire trio of guards would do that.
However, all three of those guards also shot below 34% from three-point range last season, and Gayle is the tallest of the trio at 6-foot-4. It would be a fast lineup, but those three plus Felix Okpara would also be a poor shooting lineup, not to mention undersized. Because of that, it seems just as likely that Johnson will come off the bench and play 20-25 minutes per game, with Diebler rotating his guards constantly to keep all three fresh. Dropping Thornton and Gayle by even a minute or two per game, plus 20-25 minutes per game from Johnson, could help all three reach an even higher level and give Diebler one of the best backcourts in the nation.
On top of the guard trio, keeping Okpara — an incumbent starter — on the team was critical as well. The to-be junior was second in the Big Ten in blocks last season and finished the year scoring in double-digits in all three NIT games. Prior to the NIT, Okpara had scored 10+ points just six times in 32 regular-season games. The 6-foot-11 big man from Lagos, Nigeria could have a huge junior season after ending this year on a high note.
Devin Royal, a to-be sophomore from Pickerington, didn’t get a ton of run early in the season, but led the Buckeyes in scoring in a road win at Michigan State on Feb. 25 and averaged 8.4 points in 17.3 minutes per game from that point on (nine games). He’s expected to step into the starting lineup as a sophomore and see his production rise with more minutes, given he can stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor.
Plus, by going after Johnson right away, Ohio State’s NIL Collective, THE Foundation, has shown that it is willing to step up and take big swings for men’s basketball. With one scholarship still available and the transfer portal open for four more weeks, the Buckeyes will be making at least one more addition via the portal. It will need to be a forward who can slide into the lineup next to Royal, and preferably someone who can knock down threes and extend defenses to the perimeter, since Ohio State very much lacks that ability as things currently stand.
Despite the loss of Middleton, Diebler has earned a passing grade so far this spring by bringing back the core of the team, plus bringing Meechie Johnson back to where it all started. With the talent assembled on this roster, there will not be a “rebuilding year” or a “buffer year” for the first-year head coach. The Buckeyes have the talent to tangle with the best of the best, which is exactly what Bjork — and Ohio State fans — are expecting come November.
Continue reading...
LGHL Meechie Johnson, Bruce Thornton return to Ohio State; Justin Frye on offensive line changes
- News
- 0 Replies
Meechie Johnson, Bruce Thornton return to Ohio State; Justin Frye on offensive line changes
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
All the Buckeye news that’s fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
What Ryan Day said about hire of Carlos Locklyn as OSU RB coach
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State player are we hoping to hear/see more of this offseason
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
What We Learned from Justin Frye with Buckeyes offensive line pecking order beginning to shake out (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Luke Montgomery Getting Acclimated at Right. Guard, Focused on Improving Each Day as He Competes for Starting Job
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith continues to impress, making case to start as a freshman
Patrick Murphy, 247Sports
Emeka Egbuka leading Buckeyes receiver room through spring practice (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Welcome back, old friend: Meechie Johnson announces he will transfer back to Ohio State
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Bruce Thornton to return to Ohio State for his junior season
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Meechie Madness: The reunion that signals Ohio State is ‘going for it’ in Diebler’s first season
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Jake Diebler Ensures a Core to Build Around for 2024-25 With Two Retentions, One Addition in 22-Hour Span
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Matt Allocco experiencing busy recruitment as Ohio State, others pursue
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Felix Okpara explains his decision to stay at Ohio State
Dushawn London, 247Sports
Ohio State spring sport storylines other than football you should be following
Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land
Men’s Lacrosse: Fyock Tabbed B1G Freshman of the Week
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Lacrosse: Alexander, Tyack Receive Weekly Awards
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Gymnastics: Thackston and Snyder Win Big Ten Weekly Awards
Ohio State Athletics
#DevelopedHere
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
All the Buckeye news that’s fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
For your Earholes...
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
What Ryan Day said about hire of Carlos Locklyn as OSU RB coach
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State player are we hoping to hear/see more of this offseason
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
What We Learned from Justin Frye with Buckeyes offensive line pecking order beginning to shake out (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Luke Montgomery Getting Acclimated at Right. Guard, Focused on Improving Each Day as He Competes for Starting Job
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith continues to impress, making case to start as a freshman
Patrick Murphy, 247Sports
Emeka Egbuka leading Buckeyes receiver room through spring practice (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
On the Hardwood
Welcome back, old friend: Meechie Johnson announces he will transfer back to Ohio State
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Bruce Thornton to return to Ohio State for his junior season
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Meechie Madness: The reunion that signals Ohio State is ‘going for it’ in Diebler’s first season
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Jake Diebler Ensures a Core to Build Around for 2024-25 With Two Retentions, One Addition in 22-Hour Span
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Matt Allocco experiencing busy recruitment as Ohio State, others pursue
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Felix Okpara explains his decision to stay at Ohio State
Dushawn London, 247Sports
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Ohio State spring sport storylines other than football you should be following
Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land
Men’s Lacrosse: Fyock Tabbed B1G Freshman of the Week
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Lacrosse: Alexander, Tyack Receive Weekly Awards
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Gymnastics: Thackston and Snyder Win Big Ten Weekly Awards
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
#DevelopedHere
Continue reading...
