Dispatch
OHIO STATE MEN?S BASKETBALL
7-foot forward will headline class of recruits
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
It isn?t studded with the number of stars that last year?s was, but another top-10 recruiting class is expected to sign today with the Ohio State men?s basketball team.
Seven-foot power forward Kosta Koufos of Canton GlenOak is the gem of a fourplayer class that includes 6-8 center Dallas Lauderdale of Solon, 6-6 guard Jon Diebler of Upper Sandusky and 6-6 guard Evan Turner of Chicago.
The class is rated No. 7 nationally and third in the Big Ten, behind Purdue?s and Michigan State?s, by the Scout.com recruiting Web site.
Koufos, a 260-pounder with the size to play inside and the touch to score outside, is rated No. 12 in his class by the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, which averages six rankings services.
Koufos attended the Buckeyes? exhibition win over Walsh on Sunday in Value City Arena and said he liked what he saw of the faster-paced offense run by his future teammates.
"I feel like I can really fit in when I come here," he said.
The other three recruits rank between 50 and 75 in the RSCI and bring specific strengths valued by Matta. Lauderdale is a long-armed rebounder, Diebler a prolific three-point shooter and Turner an athlete whose quickness could be an asset in transition and on defense.
Matta cannot comment on recruits until he receives their signed letters. The fall signing period lasts through next Wednesday.
Ohio State could add a fifth player if 6-6 forward Eric Wallace of Kernersville, N.C., a senior at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, decides to sign. Wallace is, like Turner, an athletic wing, but at 215 pounds is 30 pounds heavier than Turner.
Wallace, who rescinded a commitment to Virginia in September and visited Ohio State in October, was believed to be on the verge of making a commitment late last night. He has not yet scheduled visits to Florida or Louisville, the only other schools he is considering.
