Charles Doss
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Future Buckeye small forward Justin Ahrens talks Ohio State commitment
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
See what led the junior to pick OSU, and much more.
While Urban Meyer and the Ohio State football coaching staff usually steal the headlines, it was Thad Matta and the Ohio State basketball team that took attention away from the future Silver Bullets over the weekend.
Holding a verbal commitment from Upper Arlington guard Dane Goodwin for nearly two years, the sharp shooter is no longer the loan member of the Buckeyes class of 2018.
On Friday afternoon, a pair of the top prospects the state of Ohio has to offer decided enough was enough and verbally committed to coach Matta, Chris Jent, Greg Paulus and the Buckeyes during an un-official visit to Columbus.
Joining the Columbus native as future Buckeyes are forwards Darius Bazley of Finneytown, and Versailles standout Justin Ahrens, the younger brother of Michigan State hooper Kyle Ahrens.
“Me and Darius met up before we went in the visit and called coach Jent and told him we were committing, and we asked him if he could get coach Matta out of his office for a couple minutes so we could sneak in. Then when coach Matta walked back in the room me and Darius were behind his desk and we acted like we had a microphone in our hands and we announced that we were going to commit to The Ohio State University, then we put on our hats and shirts,” Ahrens, a 6-foot-5, three-star prospect, stated to Land-Grant Holy Land soon after his commitment to the Buckeyes.
The 6-foot-7 Bazley chose Ohio State over programs such as Florida, Cincinnati and others; while Justin decided that suiting up for Matta and crew was the right spot for him over the likes of Miami (OH) and St. Louis.
“I chose Ohio state because I love everything about it. It feels like home. The academics, the coaching staff, the people, the campus. I just love it,” Ahrens, the 33rd small forward and 128th class of 2018 prospect, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings added on his OSU pledge.
“The connections I was able to make with the coaching staff made it easy for me to decide it was right. They are coaches that I can learn from, and also just have a good conversation with and they are so easy to get along with. Me and the coaches have a great relationship with each other.”
With Goodwin, Bazley, and Ahrens now in the fold the Buckeyes class of 2018 is currently the second overall class in the country behind the Razorbacks of Arkansas. Looking to add to the star studded group, Justin has another in-state recruit on his mind.
“Dwayne Cohill is one guy I'm trying to get. I played AAU with him two years ago. They already offered him too.”
Cohill (Cleveland,OH/Holy Name), arguably the top player in the state, isn’t just recruited by OSU, but also has Penn State, West Virginia and many more other schools . Can Ahrens, and the Buckeyes seal the deal, and close the border around the state or will Cohill end up elsewhere? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Stick with Land-Grant Holy Land for the latest.
Quick Hits
Continue reading...
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
See what led the junior to pick OSU, and much more.
While Urban Meyer and the Ohio State football coaching staff usually steal the headlines, it was Thad Matta and the Ohio State basketball team that took attention away from the future Silver Bullets over the weekend.
Holding a verbal commitment from Upper Arlington guard Dane Goodwin for nearly two years, the sharp shooter is no longer the loan member of the Buckeyes class of 2018.
On Friday afternoon, a pair of the top prospects the state of Ohio has to offer decided enough was enough and verbally committed to coach Matta, Chris Jent, Greg Paulus and the Buckeyes during an un-official visit to Columbus.
Joining the Columbus native as future Buckeyes are forwards Darius Bazley of Finneytown, and Versailles standout Justin Ahrens, the younger brother of Michigan State hooper Kyle Ahrens.
“Me and Darius met up before we went in the visit and called coach Jent and told him we were committing, and we asked him if he could get coach Matta out of his office for a couple minutes so we could sneak in. Then when coach Matta walked back in the room me and Darius were behind his desk and we acted like we had a microphone in our hands and we announced that we were going to commit to The Ohio State University, then we put on our hats and shirts,” Ahrens, a 6-foot-5, three-star prospect, stated to Land-Grant Holy Land soon after his commitment to the Buckeyes.
The 6-foot-7 Bazley chose Ohio State over programs such as Florida, Cincinnati and others; while Justin decided that suiting up for Matta and crew was the right spot for him over the likes of Miami (OH) and St. Louis.
“I chose Ohio state because I love everything about it. It feels like home. The academics, the coaching staff, the people, the campus. I just love it,” Ahrens, the 33rd small forward and 128th class of 2018 prospect, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings added on his OSU pledge.
“The connections I was able to make with the coaching staff made it easy for me to decide it was right. They are coaches that I can learn from, and also just have a good conversation with and they are so easy to get along with. Me and the coaches have a great relationship with each other.”
With Goodwin, Bazley, and Ahrens now in the fold the Buckeyes class of 2018 is currently the second overall class in the country behind the Razorbacks of Arkansas. Looking to add to the star studded group, Justin has another in-state recruit on his mind.
“Dwayne Cohill is one guy I'm trying to get. I played AAU with him two years ago. They already offered him too.”
Cohill (Cleveland,OH/Holy Name), arguably the top player in the state, isn’t just recruited by OSU, but also has Penn State, West Virginia and many more other schools . Can Ahrens, and the Buckeyes seal the deal, and close the border around the state or will Cohill end up elsewhere? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Stick with Land-Grant Holy Land for the latest.
Quick Hits
- Two future Ohio State running backs watched their games cut short on Friday. Class of 2017 commit JK Dobbins (La Grange,TX/La Grange), and 2018 pledge Brian Snead (Seffner,FL/Armwood) both left their respective games early. Dobbins’ night ended on the first play of La Grange’s win over Liberty Hill due to an sprain ankle. A lower back injury kept Snead from returning to action. Dobbins is expected to miss two or three weeks of game action, while it is unclear if Snead’s problem will keep him off the field.
- While Dobbins, and Snead’s night didn’t go as planned, many of the future Buckeyes shined under the lights this weekend. Which Ohio State commit did enough to grab your MVP vote? You have until Tuesday to pick your player of the week.
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