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G D'Angelo Russell (Unanimous 1st Team All-American, All-Star, Los Angeles Lakers)

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MaxBuck said:
Russell's game will translate much better to the League than The Villain's, I think. Though Turner's NBA career has been scoffed at in a way he doesn't deserve. He didn't deserve to be picked second overall, but he's been a solid pro if you discount the outsized expectations.
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Yeah, Russell is a much better outside shooter, with deep range, no doubt that is a big asset. While ET was a tough player with a great competitive drive who made the most out of his abilities, I would agree that Russell will be a better pro with his skillset and the fact that at the same stage in their development (frosh season) Russell was way ahead. D'Angelo has made 60 3's this year, ET didn't make that many in 3 years.
 
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http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-ba...state-thad-matta-buckeyes-montverde-nba-draft

D'Angelo Russell's success surprising everyone but himself
Mike DeCourcy @TSNMike
January 27, 2015 10:01am EST

The recruiting process had been going on for a while, and it had long been established that D’Angelo Russell and Ohio State were going to have a future together. He was heading back to prep school in Florida from his home in Louisville, and Buckeyes coach Thad Matta asked Russell to let him know when he arrived safely.

Matta often does this with recruits so they’ll recognize he cares. But he’s not unrealistic.

“They never do,” Matta told Sporting News. “And he did. He called from Montverde at 12:30 one night: ‘Hey, I just wanted to let you know I got to my dorm and I’m all checked in.’ Nobody does that.”

Cont'd ...
 
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Dryden said:
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-ba...state-thad-matta-buckeyes-montverde-nba-draft

D'Angelo Russell's success surprising everyone but himself
Mike DeCourcy @TSNMike
January 27, 2015 10:01am EST

The recruiting process had been going on for a while, and it had long been established that D’Angelo Russell and Ohio State were going to have a future together. He was heading back to prep school in Florida from his home in Louisville, and Buckeyes coach Thad Matta asked Russell to let him know when he arrived safely.

Matta often does this with recruits so they’ll recognize he cares. But he’s not unrealistic.

“They never do,” Matta told Sporting News. “And he did. He called from Montverde at 12:30 one night: ‘Hey, I just wanted to let you know I got to my dorm and I’m all checked in.’ Nobody does that.”

Cont'd ...
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what a fantastic read. i like russell even more now. man i wish CBB had a 2 year rule
 
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I found this interesting

Michael Conley may be more apt of a comparison than Turner when referencing Russell, at least the way Matta was talking about Russell's basketball acumen. In the Matta lexicon, there's no higher praise than a comparison to Conley

"It's a little bit like with Michael Conley in '07, his demeanor in terms of kind of running our basketball team, he was such a likeable kid, all you knew he wanted to do was win," Matta said. "D'Angelo is along those same lines in terms of his competitive nature and those types of things."
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If D'Angelo Russell is Evan Turner, how far can the Ohio State basketball team go this season?
 
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Matta told a story about an early practice before this season when he stopped and told the team that Russell owned half the court. The freshman was that confident right away, that willing to do his thing without worrying about fitting in. Matta's hope was to inspire senior point guard Shannon Scott to take over the other half of the court in the full-court scrimmage.

Matta told another story about a recent practice when he shared a moment of amazement with senior Sam Thompson after Russell made a no-look bounce pass through a defender's legs on a pick-and-roll.

The sentiment? Enjoy it now.
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http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2015/01/ohio_states_dangelo_russell_pr.html
Nice video at the end of this link of Russell's highlights against Northwestern if only Shane Battier would keep his mouth shut for a while. Also, Draft Express now has Russell up to #2 according to this article.
 
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Russell has played a lot better than I expected him to, even a couple months ago. His improvement during the season has been remarkable. It will be interesting to see if he can overtake Kaminsky for B1G POY, probably not because UW is likely to win the league outright but he still has a few weeks to make his case.

We have seen a couple hoops stars who could've turned pro return to college when they didn't have to, in order to be a part of better teams. Surely Russell's stock will not be higher than it is after this season (yet another player whose draft stock has been maximized by playing under Matta), and I don't think there is a lot of room for him to play better if he came back so of course I expect him to leave. But I wouldn't say that there is no reason for him to come back, as he may aspire to achieve better team success and individual awards than what he gets this year.
 
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