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G/F Evan "The Villain" Turner (2010 Naismith Winner)

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St. Joseph's Turner commits to Ohio State

June 30, 2006

BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN Staff Reporter

Ohio State's domination of Big Ten basketball recruiting continued Thursday as Buckeyes coach Thad Matta reached into Illinois for the first time to land an oral commitment from St. Joseph's Evan Turner.

Turner, a 6-6 forward, is rated the No. 2 player in the state in the Class of 2007.

"It's the most surprising commitment since Julian Wright, in terms of timing,'' said Roy Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye Report, referring to the Kansas forward from Homewood-Flossmoor. "It's very rare to have a player make a decision like this before the beginning of the July evaluation period.''

Turner also considered offers from Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Notre Dame and Wake Forest.

Duke and Florida recently had expressed interest in Turner, who plays club basketball for the Illinois Wolves, but neither school offered a scholarship.

"Over the last month, he's felt a lot of pressure,'' Illinois Wolves coach Mike Mullins said Thursday. "But today he was relieved. He knows he's chosen a great place to play and to go to school.''

Turner's stock rose rapidly over the summer.

"He played as well as anyone in the country all spring,'' Mullins said. "He played his way into being a McDonald's All-America candidate.''

Turner visited Illinois the first weekend in June.

"At that time, Illinois looked like the clear leader,'' Schmidt said. "From the way he had been talking, it sounded like the only reason he hadn't committed there was because he wanted to wait and see what was going to happen with Duke.''

Turner is Ohio State's fifth top-100 national recruit from the Class of 2007. Matta's 2006 recruiting class, nicknamed "The Thad Five'' and headed by Indiana prep stars Greg Oden and Mike Conley, was hailed as the best in the country.

Guard Demetri McCamey, Turner's teammate with St. Joseph and the Illinois Wolves, is considered the No. 3 prospect in the state. He reportedly received an offer from Illinois on Tuesday.

"They are looking real hard at him,'' Mullins said. "It's one of Demetri's leaders, and he is very fond of coach [Bruce] Weber and the staff.''

[email protected]
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http://www.suntimes.com/output/prep/cst-spt-osu30.html
 
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Dispatch

6/30/06

OHIO STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

Guard commits to Class of 2007

Friday, June 30, 2006

Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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One dangling scholarship and the possibility someone else could have snatched it today may have been the nudge Evan Turner needed to take the plunge.

Turner, a versatile 6-foot-6 guard from Chicago who reportedly had favored Illinois, committed yesterday to become the fourth member of Ohio State’s 2007 recruiting class in men’s basketball, recruiting sources confirmed. The Dispatch was not immediately able to reach Turner for comment.

Turner’s decision came one day before Alex Tyus, a 6-7 forward from St. Louis, was to visit Ohio State and possibly commit to sign with the Buckeyes. Tyus’ visit was canceled after Turner informed Ohio State coaches of his decision.

The Buckeyes still have one scholarship available for 2007, but coach Thad Matta is expected to bank it so he has another to offer the class of 2008, which is strong in Ohio.

Ohio State already has commitments from 2008 prospects B.J. Mullens, a 7-foot center from Canal Winchester, and Walter Offutt, a 6-2 guard from Indianapolis, and will have two more available for the class when coaches hit the summer recruiting trail next week.

Players reported to be the Buckeyes’ top targets are 6-8 forward Yancy Gates of Cincinnati Hughes, 6-8 forward Delvon Roe of Lakewood St. Edward, 6-5 guard William Buford of Toledo Libbey, 6-11 center Kenny Frease of Massillon Perry and 6-1 point guard Anthony Crater of Flint, Mich.
Not having Tyus at the forward position could make the Buckeyes more attractive to Gates or Roe, especially with 7-foot Kosta Koufos of Canton GlenOak only one class ahead of them.

Turner, Koufos, 6-9 center Dallas Lauderdale of Solon and 6-6 guard Jon Diebler of Upper Sandusky comprise Ohio State’s 2007 class.

Turner was not a highly sought recruit until standing out on the spring AAU circuit with his competitiveness and ability to play and defend all three perimeter positions. Matta scouted him at the King James Classic in Akron in April and offered him a scholarship shortly after. Besides Illinois, Turner’s finalists also included Iowa and Wisconsin.

[email protected]
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CPD

6/30/06

OHIO STATE INSIDER

Illinois forward commits to OSU





Friday, June 30, 2006

Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter

Columbus- Illinois forward Evan Turner gave a surprise oral commitment to Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta on Thursday. It was the fourth pledge for the class of 2007, which is looking almost as good as the five-player recruiting class of 2006 that ranked as one of the top two in the country.

"What Ohio State and Thad Matta have done the last three years has the attention of the college basketball world," said Scout.com national recruiting analyst Dave Telep. "To pull Turner out from under Illinois caught some people off guard."

Turner, a 6-6 small forward from St. Joseph's in Chicago, is the 49th-ranked player in the Scout.com ratings of prospective high school seniors. He joins previous OSU commits 7-0 Kosta Koufos of Canton GlenOak (No. 15 in the Scout.com ratings), 6-5 shooting guard Jon Diebler (No. 62) and 6-8 Solon forward Dallas Lauderdale (No. 80). Syracuse is the only other school with commitments from four top-100 players.

Telep said Turner is a smart player who was a bit of a late bloomer, calling him a "character guy" that fits with the types of players Matta has targeted. The incoming freshman class includes center Greg Oden, swingmen Daequan Cook and David Lighty, point guard Mike Conley and junior-college power forward Othello Hunter.
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HoopTV.net has video of Turner on Scout.com

one thing i noticed is that turner, (even if he is wide open) doesnt really dunk it, its usually a lay in or somethin to that effect...i mean two points is two points...
 
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HilmerJ said:
HoopTV.net has video of Turner on Scout.com

one thing i noticed is that turner, (even if he is wide open) doesnt really dunk it, its usually a lay in or somethin to that effect...i mean two points is two points...
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I love that quality in a player. I'd much rather 2 points than a showboat move that clanks off the back of the rim.

One of the things I liked most about Michael Redd as a buckeye is that he usually took the two with a finger roll or layup over the dunk. It was sadly ironic that the breaking point in their loss in his last college game, against cryami in the dance, was in fact a blown dunk at the end of the first half by Redd. You could see the team's collective ego deflate when he blew it. A layup would have done the job! It was so out of character as he usually did not go for the dunk unless it was super easy.

Anyway, I like to hear that about Turner!
 
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BGriff,
No one can know that answer. He was quoted as saying his choice would be dictated by PT and his chances to start as a frosh.

So he probably thinks he'll come in and start as a frosh in place of Lewis and then star as a Soph and be a lottery pick after his 2nd year. But then he has a lot of talent in the class in front of him he'll have to beat out and may end up actually being a backup for several years. In that case, he'd be crazy to leave early. It will all depend on how quickly he starts and how fast he progresses and what Cook and Lighty and Diebler do. If Cook leaves real early and he can beat out Lighty he may be gone quickly. If, instead, he ends up behind all 3 of those guys for a couple years he could take a while to emerge and ewnd up staying 4.

Will be fun watching him progress either way.

:osu:
 
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buckeydoptimist said:
BGriff,
No one can know that answer. He was quoted as saying his choice would be dictated by PT and his chances to start as a frosh.
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Well it is pretty well-known Cook is gone after this year, and we all know that. Oden will most likely play at least 2, maybe 3, as he has stated over and over again that those are his intentions, and we all know that. And FWIW, I have never read that quote before. Where did you see it?
 
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BGriffBuckeye said:
Well it is pretty well-known Cook is gone after this year, and we all know that. Oden will most likely play at least 2, maybe 3, as he has stated over and over again that those are his intentions, and we all know that. And FWIW, I have never read that quote before. Where did you see it?
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I think it was a Scout article on him.

I don't think it is "well-known" that Cook is gone after a year. Most people I have talked to say 2-3 years for him. Just because he was "considering" going pro right out of h.s. does not mean he would have. A lot depends on his projected draft position when he decides. He would have to wow the scouts as a frosh as it is not easy being a high pick as a 6-5 2G. I don't know that he will be able to move up real high in one year.

Most still think Oden is a much bigger threat to go after his frosh year because he is guaranteed to be #1 whenever he chooses to go. I for one hope they both stay at least two years but my GUESS is 2 for Oden and with all the talent in that draft already then Cook will stay one more year and be here 3. Mayo and Walker are the ones that have pretty much guaranteed they'd only play one year wherever they go. Oden has talked about 3 years but I think he'll be too tempted after 2 and "hopefully will be wearing a NC ring" and he'll feel he has nothing more to prove.

JMHO
 
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the 07 draft will be absolutely loaded... I don't expect cook to leave unless he is incredible next year. However, I think Turner will be fighting Lighty for PT, as Cook is needed to play the 2 guard (at least to start).
 
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jwinslow said:
the 07 draft will be absolutely loaded... I don't expect cook to leave unless he is incredible next year. However, I think Turner will be fighting Lighty for PT, as Cook is needed to play the 2 guard (at least to start).
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How big of a fight do you think it will be? I have been told that Lighty can PLAY and definitely would have been a top-15 player had he not torn his ACL. It should be fun to watch them battle it out.
 
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great1 said:
Which Lewis are you refering too? Because Ron Lewis will be done when Turner is a Frosh.
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great1, that's what I meant. I project Lewis will start in 06-07 and since he will be gone at the end of it Turner may envision himself as the 07-08 starter ( when he comes in as a frosh ) IN LEWIS' PLACE. That is what I posted. I think he'll have a lot of talent in front of him and will likely come off the bench for at least his frosh season.
 
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