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Ohio State men’s basketball player preview: Roddy Gayle Jr.
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Gayle has possibly the highest ceiling of anyone in the 2022 class
As the basketball offseason continues and we move into the fall, Land-Grant Holy Land will put out our basketball player and team previews. There will be two previews a week leading all the way into the start of the season, starting with player previews.
Last time we went with big man and freshman Felix Okpara. This time around, we are taking a look at fellow freshman Roddy Gayle Jr.
Name: Roddy Gayle Jr.
Height: 6’4
Weight: 195 pounds
High School: Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: N/A
Outlook
Before the rise of Bruce Thornton and Brice Sensabaugh, Roddy Gayle was the diamond in the Buckeyes’ sixth-ranked 2022 recruiting class. Even though he is the third highest-ranked recruit coming into Columbus, the hype is still high and very real for the shooting guard.
Gayle comes into Columbus as the 45th-ranked recruit in the 2022 class, the second overall shooting guard, and the second-ranked player in the state of Utah.
According to Jerry Meyer, the 247 Sports Director of Basketball Scouting, Gayle “has a college ready body with good length (long arms) and great strength. Is a powerful athlete who thrives in traffic.”
Meyer added he “handles contact extremely well and loves to dish out the contact. Shoots the ball well off the catch with an efficient and smooth low release,” Meyer said. “Also scores with pull up jumpers where he elevates and can also score at the rim. Most notably, he has a niche as a potent post-up player. Ball handling is solid and efficient.
“Has the ability to deliver to the open man. Rebounds his position quite well and can ignite the fast break. Has potential to be a formidable and versatile defender. Overall has a well-rounded game that impacts a game in virtually all facets.”
Expectation
Gayle lives in the space that most of the freshmen coming into Ohio State live in. Development is key because he isn’t a one-and-done, but he will likely play valuable minutes for Chris Holtmann and his staff right away, especially once the Buckeyes hit their conference schedule.
Depth will be key and because of injuries, the Buckeyes struggled with that last season. It will be up to the freshmen coming in to help sure up the depth chart and make sure the Buckeyes have a deep bench.
Gayle is a high-level scorer who can come in and make an immediate impact off the bench. He can score in bunches and is extremely athletic, using that to every advantage he can find.
Prediction
I have been saying this for a while now, and I am sticking to it as we head into the season: I think Roddy Gayle has the highest ceiling of anyone in the Buckeyes’ 2022 class. Thornton and Sensabaugh will likely play more minutes than Gayle and have larger roles, especially early on, but Gayle comes in as an absolute bucket-getter who can score at all three levels and is one of the more athletic players to come through Columbus since Sam Thompson.
Evidence attached:
As promised! Who else do you want to see??@roddy_gayle | #Team124 https://t.co/HPV6zdrHti pic.twitter.com/3hS1RnBhLF
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) August 7, 2022
If he does more things like that and can defend multiple positions, it is going to be hard to keep him on the bench, even as a freshman. He will likely start the season playing 10-15 minutes off of the bench, providing that spark on offense and if he plays well, those minutes could rise to 15-20 minutes per game.
Also, the play of Eugene Brown will be important to Gayle’s playing time. And how the Buckeyes plan to use Tanner Holden and Justice Sueing will play into what they use Gayle for as well. With the season’s roster looking like it is “plug and play” with versatile guys who can play multiple positions, we could see Gayle playing anything from the 1 to the 3, helping his usage rate.
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justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Gayle has possibly the highest ceiling of anyone in the 2022 class
As the basketball offseason continues and we move into the fall, Land-Grant Holy Land will put out our basketball player and team previews. There will be two previews a week leading all the way into the start of the season, starting with player previews.
Last time we went with big man and freshman Felix Okpara. This time around, we are taking a look at fellow freshman Roddy Gayle Jr.
Name: Roddy Gayle Jr.
Height: 6’4
Weight: 195 pounds
High School: Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: N/A
Outlook
Before the rise of Bruce Thornton and Brice Sensabaugh, Roddy Gayle was the diamond in the Buckeyes’ sixth-ranked 2022 recruiting class. Even though he is the third highest-ranked recruit coming into Columbus, the hype is still high and very real for the shooting guard.
Gayle comes into Columbus as the 45th-ranked recruit in the 2022 class, the second overall shooting guard, and the second-ranked player in the state of Utah.
According to Jerry Meyer, the 247 Sports Director of Basketball Scouting, Gayle “has a college ready body with good length (long arms) and great strength. Is a powerful athlete who thrives in traffic.”
Meyer added he “handles contact extremely well and loves to dish out the contact. Shoots the ball well off the catch with an efficient and smooth low release,” Meyer said. “Also scores with pull up jumpers where he elevates and can also score at the rim. Most notably, he has a niche as a potent post-up player. Ball handling is solid and efficient.
“Has the ability to deliver to the open man. Rebounds his position quite well and can ignite the fast break. Has potential to be a formidable and versatile defender. Overall has a well-rounded game that impacts a game in virtually all facets.”
Expectation
Gayle lives in the space that most of the freshmen coming into Ohio State live in. Development is key because he isn’t a one-and-done, but he will likely play valuable minutes for Chris Holtmann and his staff right away, especially once the Buckeyes hit their conference schedule.
Depth will be key and because of injuries, the Buckeyes struggled with that last season. It will be up to the freshmen coming in to help sure up the depth chart and make sure the Buckeyes have a deep bench.
Gayle is a high-level scorer who can come in and make an immediate impact off the bench. He can score in bunches and is extremely athletic, using that to every advantage he can find.
Prediction
I have been saying this for a while now, and I am sticking to it as we head into the season: I think Roddy Gayle has the highest ceiling of anyone in the Buckeyes’ 2022 class. Thornton and Sensabaugh will likely play more minutes than Gayle and have larger roles, especially early on, but Gayle comes in as an absolute bucket-getter who can score at all three levels and is one of the more athletic players to come through Columbus since Sam Thompson.
Evidence attached:
As promised! Who else do you want to see??@roddy_gayle | #Team124 https://t.co/HPV6zdrHti pic.twitter.com/3hS1RnBhLF
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) August 7, 2022
If he does more things like that and can defend multiple positions, it is going to be hard to keep him on the bench, even as a freshman. He will likely start the season playing 10-15 minutes off of the bench, providing that spark on offense and if he plays well, those minutes could rise to 15-20 minutes per game.
Also, the play of Eugene Brown will be important to Gayle’s playing time. And how the Buckeyes plan to use Tanner Holden and Justice Sueing will play into what they use Gayle for as well. With the season’s roster looking like it is “plug and play” with versatile guys who can play multiple positions, we could see Gayle playing anything from the 1 to the 3, helping his usage rate.
Highlight video
Continue reading...