OSUBasketballJunkie;655894; said:
...And Indiana at #9
Big Ten have 4 if the best 9 recruiting classes this year in basketball. I love it!! Go Big Ten!
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...And Indiana at #9
Big Ten have 4 if the best 9 recruiting classes this year in basketball. I love it!! Go Big Ten!
Couldn't agree more. No point in having teams like these unless you are going to test them on a regular basis. I am also anxious to see what next years non-conf schedule looks like.
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DDN
OSU again excels in recruiting
Matta excited about scorer, athlete and pair of versatile big men.
By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer
Thursday, November 09, 2006
COLUMBUS ? Ohio State men's basketball coach Thad Matta sat alone Wednesday at the interview table.
But you could see how happy he was about the recruiting class that will join him at the Schottenstein Center next season.
On top of the "Thad Five," the Buckeyes announced four players who signed their national letters of intent ? 7-foot-1 forward Kosta Koufos, 6-6 guard Jon Diebler, 6-9 center Dallas Lauderdale and 6-6 guard Evan Turner.
"We're obviously very excited," Matta said. "With Jon, Kosta, Dallas and Evan, we got what we were looking for, what we think we need to replace."
Ohio State's only seniors are captain Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris. This season's freshmen, like 7-footer Greg Oden, could look at the NBA. Either way, Matta has stacked back-to-back nationally ranked recruiting classes.
"I remember Coach K (Duke's Mike Krzyzewski) telling me when I got here, he said it takes one class and then you've got to follow it up and follow it up and follow it up," Matta said.
Dayton fans may remember Diebler, whose Upper Sandusky team beat Daequan Cook's Dunbar squad in the 2005 Division II state semifinals. Diebler scored 77 points in a game last season.
There is a definite buzz around Koufos, a 7-footer with forward skills whom some say has NBA potential.
Layups: Matta said "we're still recruiting" a player with an available scholarship. He also said one or two walk-ons may join the team for this weekend's Black Coaches Association Classic. Matta said it would be a "freak of nature" if Oden played in November.
OSU again excels in recruiting
Matta excited about scorer, athlete and pair of versatile big men.
By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer
Thursday, November 09, 2006
COLUMBUS ? Ohio State men's basketball coach Thad Matta sat alone Wednesday at the interview table.
But you could see how happy he was about the recruiting class that will join him at the Schottenstein Center next season.
On top of the "Thad Five," the Buckeyes announced four players who signed their national letters of intent ? 7-foot-1 forward Kosta Koufos, 6-6 guard Jon Diebler, 6-9 center Dallas Lauderdale and 6-6 guard Evan Turner.
"We're obviously very excited," Matta said. "With Jon, Kosta, Dallas and Evan, we got what we were looking for, what we think we need to replace."
Ohio State's only seniors are captain Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris. This season's freshmen, like 7-footer Greg Oden, could look at the NBA. Either way, Matta has stacked back-to-back nationally ranked recruiting classes.
"I remember Coach K (Duke's Mike Krzyzewski) telling me when I got here, he said it takes one class and then you've got to follow it up and follow it up and follow it up," Matta said.
Dayton fans may remember Diebler, whose Upper Sandusky team beat Daequan Cook's Dunbar squad in the 2005 Division II state semifinals. Diebler scored 77 points in a game last season.
There is a definite buzz around Koufos, a 7-footer with forward skills whom some say has NBA potential.
Layups: Matta said "we're still recruiting" a player with an available scholarship. He also said one or two walk-ons may join the team for this weekend's Black Coaches Association Classic. Matta said it would be a "freak of nature" if Oden played in November.
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DDN
OSU recruits for men's basketball
By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer
Thursday, November 09, 2006
COLUMBUS ? JON DIEBLER
Basics: 6-foot-6 guard from Upper Sandusky H.S. averaged 35.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg
Matta's comment: "He's a proven scorer and I think he has the ability to be a prolific shooter when he gets here."
KOSTA KOUFOS
Basics: 7-foot-1 forward/center from Canton GlenOak H.S. averaged 24 ppg, 11.1 rpg
Matta's comment: "He's got great speed for being 7-1. He's very skilled for his size. He can shoot the ball from deep and put it down on the floor."
DALLAS LAUDERDALE
Basics: 6-foot-9 center from Solon H.S. with 21 ppg, 9.9 rpg
Matta's comment: "He's powerful inside and he's proven he can step out and shoot the basketball well and rebounds out of his area."
EVAN TURNER
Basics: 6-foot-6 swingman from St. Joseph's H.S. in Westchester Ill., got 16 ppg, 6 rpg
Matta's comment: "He's got length. He's got athleticism. ... I've seen him turn into a lock-down defender. He's explosive offensively."
OSU recruits for men's basketball
By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer
Thursday, November 09, 2006
COLUMBUS ? JON DIEBLER
Basics: 6-foot-6 guard from Upper Sandusky H.S. averaged 35.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg
Matta's comment: "He's a proven scorer and I think he has the ability to be a prolific shooter when he gets here."
KOSTA KOUFOS
Basics: 7-foot-1 forward/center from Canton GlenOak H.S. averaged 24 ppg, 11.1 rpg
Matta's comment: "He's got great speed for being 7-1. He's very skilled for his size. He can shoot the ball from deep and put it down on the floor."
DALLAS LAUDERDALE
Basics: 6-foot-9 center from Solon H.S. with 21 ppg, 9.9 rpg
Matta's comment: "He's powerful inside and he's proven he can step out and shoot the basketball well and rebounds out of his area."
EVAN TURNER
Basics: 6-foot-6 swingman from St. Joseph's H.S. in Westchester Ill., got 16 ppg, 6 rpg
Matta's comment: "He's got length. He's got athleticism. ... I've seen him turn into a lock-down defender. He's explosive offensively."
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DDN
Buckeyes add height with newest recruits
By Staff reports
Thursday, November 09, 2006
The Ohio State men's basketball team is a little undersized by Big Ten standards. That will change when 7-foot freshman center Greg Oden recovers from a wrist injury.
It will change more next season when the Buckeyes add two 6-6 guards (Jon Diebler and Evan Turner) plus 6-9 center Dallas Lauderdale and 7-1 forward Kosta Koufos, who signed their national letters-of-intent Wednesday.
Third-year coach Thad Matta joked at his press conference that he's tried to coach height but "hasn't found the right drill."
"I go back to the first time we huddled as a team in Year 1 here," said the 6-5 Matta, who played guard at Butler. "And (assistant coach) Dan Peters said to me, 'Does it scare you at all that you're one of the tallest guys in the huddle?'
"From that point, we said we've got to start recruiting big guys."
Buckeyes add height with newest recruits
By Staff reports
Thursday, November 09, 2006
The Ohio State men's basketball team is a little undersized by Big Ten standards. That will change when 7-foot freshman center Greg Oden recovers from a wrist injury.
It will change more next season when the Buckeyes add two 6-6 guards (Jon Diebler and Evan Turner) plus 6-9 center Dallas Lauderdale and 7-1 forward Kosta Koufos, who signed their national letters-of-intent Wednesday.
Third-year coach Thad Matta joked at his press conference that he's tried to coach height but "hasn't found the right drill."
"I go back to the first time we huddled as a team in Year 1 here," said the 6-5 Matta, who played guard at Butler. "And (assistant coach) Dan Peters said to me, 'Does it scare you at all that you're one of the tallest guys in the huddle?'
"From that point, we said we've got to start recruiting big guys."
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Canton
OSU SIGNEES
Thursday, November 9, 2006
The four high school seniors who signed national letters of intent Wednesday to play basketball at Ohio State: Jon Diebler
Upper Sandusky, 6-7, 170, guard
Noteworthy With 2,106 career points, Diebler is 27th on Ohio's all-time list and needs 852 to match Jay Burson's state record.
Kosta Koufos
GlenOak, 7-2, 255, forward
Noteworthy Named second-team All-Ohio as a junior after averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in just 11 games before breaking a bone in his foot.
Dallas Lauderdale
Solon, 6-9, 250, center
Noteworthy The Comets are 48-3 the last two seasons with Lauderdale averaging nearly 20 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Evan Turner
Westchester (Ill.) St. Joseph's
6-6, 180, guard/forward
Noteworthy Averaged 16 points and six rebounds his junior year ... Can play any position on floor except center.
OSU SIGNEES
Thursday, November 9, 2006
The four high school seniors who signed national letters of intent Wednesday to play basketball at Ohio State: Jon Diebler
Upper Sandusky, 6-7, 170, guard
Noteworthy With 2,106 career points, Diebler is 27th on Ohio's all-time list and needs 852 to match Jay Burson's state record.
Kosta Koufos
GlenOak, 7-2, 255, forward
Noteworthy Named second-team All-Ohio as a junior after averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in just 11 games before breaking a bone in his foot.
Dallas Lauderdale
Solon, 6-9, 250, center
Noteworthy The Comets are 48-3 the last two seasons with Lauderdale averaging nearly 20 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Evan Turner
Westchester (Ill.) St. Joseph's
6-6, 180, guard/forward
Noteworthy Averaged 16 points and six rebounds his junior year ... Can play any position on floor except center.
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Cincy
Is it relevant.com?
Online services that rank prospects pull in fans by the thousands, but coaches say the Web sites' numbers amount to little
BY DUSTIN DOW | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The college basketball season is ready to tip off, but lurking in cyberspace is an emerging breed of fan that is far more interested in what's happening off the court.
Those fans - "fanatics" might be more appropriate - are tuned in to the online recruiting scene.
They know the early signing period began Wednesday, and they already have surfed to the ends of the Internet for every last ranking associated with their favorite team's 2007 recruiting class.
OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1');
This is all very big business for online services such as Rivals.com and Scout.com, the leaders in the burgeoning industry of ranking the top college basketball prospects. For a player to be ranked in the Rivals150, the Web site's top 150 seniors nationally, is to be considered a can't-miss recruit to the legions of fans who are Rivals.com subscribers.
Rivals.com, which was founded in 1996, and its network of more than 150 individual team sites realized a best-ever 2.56 million visitors in September and could gain even more prominence this week as fans compare the rankings of their team's recruits with those of their, well, rival.
Ironically, as more fans flock to Web sites such as Rivals.com and the hundreds of copycat sites its success has spawned, coaches often see the sites as a glut of useless information.
"I think it's becoming increasingly more irrelevant ... because there's so many sites that rate (recruits)," said Xavier coach Sean Miller, who recalled that one, maybe two ranking services existed in 1986-87 when he was a high school senior.
"Now, with some of these ratings, I'm not so sure anyone's ever laid their eyes on the player," he said.
That's not to say coaches ignore the rankings.
They might not use them to determine whom they recruit, but coaches do everything in their power to inflate the rankings of their prospects.
The idea is for their recruiting class to appear as talented as possible on paper - or rather on computer screens - regardless of whether a player deserves to be ranked No. 10, No. 110 or not at all.
"If I have a player that's not ranked and he ends up signing with us, I'll call the recruiting gurus and say, 'Hey, let's get this guy up there,' " said University of Massachusetts coach Travis Ford. "You want that ranking to get up there to get your fans excited."
INSTANT EXPERTISE
Through these Web sites, any fan with an Internet connection and a credit card (Rivals.com subscribers pay $9.95 per month or $99.95 annually) can monitor his or her team's recruiting progress. And plenty of fans are doing so.
Rivals.com, for instance, boasts 150,000 active online subscribers and 1.7 million registered members (there is limited free access) on its network, which focuses on football and basketball recruiting.
So fans know when a coach secures a commitment from the No. 81 prospect - as Xavier recently did with Dante Jackson - or when he loses out on No. 53.
That cursory knowledge turns fans at their keyboards into second-guessing pseudo- analysts. A Xavier fan known as Sash19 at Xavier's Rivals.com site demonstrated the phenomenon last Sunday:
"No offense to Dante (who will be a great Muskie and is an even better person) but this year's recruiting has sucked. Not being able to close on players ... is very disappointing. If 2008 is not good, then I think there needs to be some kind of shake-up in how we go after a kid, who handles the recruiting and how we close the deal."
HOME-SITE ADVANTAGE
That's how Jerry Meyer expects fans to react. Meyer compiles the national basketball player rankings for Rivals.com, which has built a network of more than 150 college and state-specific sites to serve fans' recruiting interests.
Independent publishers - usually fans of the teams - operate the Rivals.com network sites, covering such matters as campus visits by recruits and whether a player's family likes the coaching staff. Much of the coverage is slanted toward the home team.
"I'm the guy who has to keep it real," Meyer said. "The Rivals Ohio State publisher is going to make the Ohio State recruits sound like the greatest players to ever play the game. That's his job. That's what the fans want to hear. You also notice that a player all of a sudden sounds a lot worse when he commits somewhere else. We've got to work with the publishers - they're driving our network - but we keep them an arm's length away at rankings time."
Only Meyer and two other national correspondents take part in the ranking process, which is all about potential.
The top 20 players are projected to become NBA draft picks. Players who fall from 21 to 50 in the Rivals.com rankings might show NBA potential but have limitations.
Beyond that, it's a best guess as to where a player deserves to be ranked. Many of the players in the bottom half of Rivals.com's top 150 are seen by Meyer about six to eight times total.
But at least he sees them.
COACHES LOOK ELSEWHERE
For analysis of potential recruits they haven't yet seen, most coaching staffs subscribe to private scouting services that give them starting-point information on players. Subscriptions to those services are not available to fans or media members.
Coaches might glance at some other sites that rank players, but usually only to get a quick look at the news.
"You take four or five minutes and you just click through them to see if anybody committed anywhere," said Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin. "You see if anything's going on out there. Some guy might have backed out of his commitment, and then we all call."
But for ardent fans, Meyer said, the rankings are critical. So Rivals.com tends to be diligent about its projections, although there still are some misses.
Kentucky finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2004, thanks in large part to Randolph Morris (No. 10) and Joe Crawford (No. 9). So far, neither has met his projection. Crawford is averaging 6.7 points per game over two seasons with UK; Morris is doing slightly better with a 10.5-point average, but the 6-foot-11 player is getting only 4.9 rebounds per game.
When Crawford considered transferring, it caused an uproar on UK's Rivals.com site from fans who expected big things from such a stout class. It was reminiscent of 1999-2000, when Miller was an assistant coach at North Carolina State and top-ranked recruit Damien Wilkins chose the Wolfpack but didn't stand out on the college court.
"It was almost the worst thing for all of us, including Damien," Miller said. "He shows up as a freshman and sometimes it's a hard transition. Why isn't this player dominating? Sometimes it's not that easy."
Many players are wary of the rankings.
Mike Williams, who was ranked No. 20 by Rivals.com in 2004, is transferring to UC from Texas and will be eligible to play for the Bearcats in 2007-08.
But don't expect Williams to spend much time studying how future teammates and opponents are ranked.
"I did a little bit, but then I stopped," Williams said when asked if he monitored the rankings in high school.
"You can't put too much in it because coming out of high school, you know that you've still got a lot to learn."
Is it relevant.com?
Online services that rank prospects pull in fans by the thousands, but coaches say the Web sites' numbers amount to little
BY DUSTIN DOW | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The college basketball season is ready to tip off, but lurking in cyberspace is an emerging breed of fan that is far more interested in what's happening off the court.
Those fans - "fanatics" might be more appropriate - are tuned in to the online recruiting scene.
They know the early signing period began Wednesday, and they already have surfed to the ends of the Internet for every last ranking associated with their favorite team's 2007 recruiting class.
OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1');
This is all very big business for online services such as Rivals.com and Scout.com, the leaders in the burgeoning industry of ranking the top college basketball prospects. For a player to be ranked in the Rivals150, the Web site's top 150 seniors nationally, is to be considered a can't-miss recruit to the legions of fans who are Rivals.com subscribers.
Rivals.com, which was founded in 1996, and its network of more than 150 individual team sites realized a best-ever 2.56 million visitors in September and could gain even more prominence this week as fans compare the rankings of their team's recruits with those of their, well, rival.
Ironically, as more fans flock to Web sites such as Rivals.com and the hundreds of copycat sites its success has spawned, coaches often see the sites as a glut of useless information.
"I think it's becoming increasingly more irrelevant ... because there's so many sites that rate (recruits)," said Xavier coach Sean Miller, who recalled that one, maybe two ranking services existed in 1986-87 when he was a high school senior.
"Now, with some of these ratings, I'm not so sure anyone's ever laid their eyes on the player," he said.
That's not to say coaches ignore the rankings.
They might not use them to determine whom they recruit, but coaches do everything in their power to inflate the rankings of their prospects.
The idea is for their recruiting class to appear as talented as possible on paper - or rather on computer screens - regardless of whether a player deserves to be ranked No. 10, No. 110 or not at all.
"If I have a player that's not ranked and he ends up signing with us, I'll call the recruiting gurus and say, 'Hey, let's get this guy up there,' " said University of Massachusetts coach Travis Ford. "You want that ranking to get up there to get your fans excited."
INSTANT EXPERTISE
Through these Web sites, any fan with an Internet connection and a credit card (Rivals.com subscribers pay $9.95 per month or $99.95 annually) can monitor his or her team's recruiting progress. And plenty of fans are doing so.
Rivals.com, for instance, boasts 150,000 active online subscribers and 1.7 million registered members (there is limited free access) on its network, which focuses on football and basketball recruiting.
So fans know when a coach secures a commitment from the No. 81 prospect - as Xavier recently did with Dante Jackson - or when he loses out on No. 53.
That cursory knowledge turns fans at their keyboards into second-guessing pseudo- analysts. A Xavier fan known as Sash19 at Xavier's Rivals.com site demonstrated the phenomenon last Sunday:
"No offense to Dante (who will be a great Muskie and is an even better person) but this year's recruiting has sucked. Not being able to close on players ... is very disappointing. If 2008 is not good, then I think there needs to be some kind of shake-up in how we go after a kid, who handles the recruiting and how we close the deal."
HOME-SITE ADVANTAGE
That's how Jerry Meyer expects fans to react. Meyer compiles the national basketball player rankings for Rivals.com, which has built a network of more than 150 college and state-specific sites to serve fans' recruiting interests.
Independent publishers - usually fans of the teams - operate the Rivals.com network sites, covering such matters as campus visits by recruits and whether a player's family likes the coaching staff. Much of the coverage is slanted toward the home team.
"I'm the guy who has to keep it real," Meyer said. "The Rivals Ohio State publisher is going to make the Ohio State recruits sound like the greatest players to ever play the game. That's his job. That's what the fans want to hear. You also notice that a player all of a sudden sounds a lot worse when he commits somewhere else. We've got to work with the publishers - they're driving our network - but we keep them an arm's length away at rankings time."
Only Meyer and two other national correspondents take part in the ranking process, which is all about potential.
The top 20 players are projected to become NBA draft picks. Players who fall from 21 to 50 in the Rivals.com rankings might show NBA potential but have limitations.
Beyond that, it's a best guess as to where a player deserves to be ranked. Many of the players in the bottom half of Rivals.com's top 150 are seen by Meyer about six to eight times total.
But at least he sees them.
COACHES LOOK ELSEWHERE
For analysis of potential recruits they haven't yet seen, most coaching staffs subscribe to private scouting services that give them starting-point information on players. Subscriptions to those services are not available to fans or media members.
Coaches might glance at some other sites that rank players, but usually only to get a quick look at the news.
"You take four or five minutes and you just click through them to see if anybody committed anywhere," said Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin. "You see if anything's going on out there. Some guy might have backed out of his commitment, and then we all call."
But for ardent fans, Meyer said, the rankings are critical. So Rivals.com tends to be diligent about its projections, although there still are some misses.
Kentucky finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2004, thanks in large part to Randolph Morris (No. 10) and Joe Crawford (No. 9). So far, neither has met his projection. Crawford is averaging 6.7 points per game over two seasons with UK; Morris is doing slightly better with a 10.5-point average, but the 6-foot-11 player is getting only 4.9 rebounds per game.
When Crawford considered transferring, it caused an uproar on UK's Rivals.com site from fans who expected big things from such a stout class. It was reminiscent of 1999-2000, when Miller was an assistant coach at North Carolina State and top-ranked recruit Damien Wilkins chose the Wolfpack but didn't stand out on the college court.
"It was almost the worst thing for all of us, including Damien," Miller said. "He shows up as a freshman and sometimes it's a hard transition. Why isn't this player dominating? Sometimes it's not that easy."
Many players are wary of the rankings.
Mike Williams, who was ranked No. 20 by Rivals.com in 2004, is transferring to UC from Texas and will be eligible to play for the Bearcats in 2007-08.
But don't expect Williams to spend much time studying how future teammates and opponents are ranked.
"I did a little bit, but then I stopped," Williams said when asked if he monitored the rankings in high school.
"You can't put too much in it because coming out of high school, you know that you've still got a lot to learn."
Upvote
0
Cincy
Reviewing some of Rivals.com's reviews
BY DUSTIN DOW | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Rivals.com is great at creating buzz about players coming out of high school. But how good is the analysis? Here's a quick breakdown. Here's what Rivals.com said about ...
Randolph Morris from Kentucky, ranked No. 10 in the class of 2004:
"Morris, 6 feet 11, 250 pounds, is a big man with a throwback, back-to-the-basket game. The addition of Morris also will fill a void in the post for the Cats. Erik Daniels graduated and the two 7-footers, Lukasz Obrzut and Shagari Alleyne, did not progress the way (coach Tubby) Smith had hoped they would."
Current Enquirer analysis: Can still prove he's a top-10 recruit, but the only other top-10 player from 2004 still playing college basketball is UK's Joe Crawford, who was probably overrated at No. 9. Rivals.com expects its Top 20 prospects to be NBA-ready after a year or two of college. Morris, a junior, has demonstrated he's not quite there yet.
Justin Cage from Xavier, ranked No. 110 in the class of 2003:
"Cage impressed us with his ability to play both inside and out. He has a rugged build, which aids him in forays to the basket, yet also displayed keen passing ability from the high post."
Current Enquirer analysis: Rivals.com was right about Cage's attributes, but there aren't anywhere near 109 college seniors today who are better than Cage, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Atlantic 10 Tournament last season.
Hernol Hall from Cincinnati, ranked No. 4 in the junior-college class of 2006:
"Hernol is a physical paint player who works hard for position and gets high-percentage shots. He has a nice touch from 15 feet, is a good passer, has a strong body and has the potential to be a big-time player as he learns the game."
Current Enquirer analysis: To be determined. Hall was seen as a steal when he first committed to Duquesne out of junior college. Then-Duquesne coach Danny Nee considered Hall the best recruit he ever landed, so the ranking looks good for now.
Greg Oden from Ohio State, ranked No. 1 in the class of 2006:
"Will be a dominating force from Day 1. Oden has been considered the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2006 since early in his sophomore season."
Current Enquirer analysis: Oden's wrist injury is going to keep him sidelined for a few more weeks, but there's been nothing so far to suggest he's not the top player in last season's class; in fact, he even made the cover of ESPN The Magazine.
David Padgett from Louisville, ranked No. 7 in the class of 2003
"Padgett is one of the best players in the 2003 class and one of the most sought-after student/athletes."
Current Enquirer analysis: Since his freshman year at Kansas when he averaged 6.5 points a game, Padgett has fallen well short of his top-10 expectations.
Reviewing some of Rivals.com's reviews
BY DUSTIN DOW | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Rivals.com is great at creating buzz about players coming out of high school. But how good is the analysis? Here's a quick breakdown. Here's what Rivals.com said about ...
Randolph Morris from Kentucky, ranked No. 10 in the class of 2004:
"Morris, 6 feet 11, 250 pounds, is a big man with a throwback, back-to-the-basket game. The addition of Morris also will fill a void in the post for the Cats. Erik Daniels graduated and the two 7-footers, Lukasz Obrzut and Shagari Alleyne, did not progress the way (coach Tubby) Smith had hoped they would."
Current Enquirer analysis: Can still prove he's a top-10 recruit, but the only other top-10 player from 2004 still playing college basketball is UK's Joe Crawford, who was probably overrated at No. 9. Rivals.com expects its Top 20 prospects to be NBA-ready after a year or two of college. Morris, a junior, has demonstrated he's not quite there yet.
Justin Cage from Xavier, ranked No. 110 in the class of 2003:
"Cage impressed us with his ability to play both inside and out. He has a rugged build, which aids him in forays to the basket, yet also displayed keen passing ability from the high post."
Current Enquirer analysis: Rivals.com was right about Cage's attributes, but there aren't anywhere near 109 college seniors today who are better than Cage, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Atlantic 10 Tournament last season.
Hernol Hall from Cincinnati, ranked No. 4 in the junior-college class of 2006:
"Hernol is a physical paint player who works hard for position and gets high-percentage shots. He has a nice touch from 15 feet, is a good passer, has a strong body and has the potential to be a big-time player as he learns the game."
Current Enquirer analysis: To be determined. Hall was seen as a steal when he first committed to Duquesne out of junior college. Then-Duquesne coach Danny Nee considered Hall the best recruit he ever landed, so the ranking looks good for now.
Greg Oden from Ohio State, ranked No. 1 in the class of 2006:
"Will be a dominating force from Day 1. Oden has been considered the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2006 since early in his sophomore season."
Current Enquirer analysis: Oden's wrist injury is going to keep him sidelined for a few more weeks, but there's been nothing so far to suggest he's not the top player in last season's class; in fact, he even made the cover of ESPN The Magazine.
David Padgett from Louisville, ranked No. 7 in the class of 2003
"Padgett is one of the best players in the 2003 class and one of the most sought-after student/athletes."
Current Enquirer analysis: Since his freshman year at Kansas when he averaged 6.5 points a game, Padgett has fallen well short of his top-10 expectations.
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CPD
With recruits, signs look positive
Thursday, November 09, 2006 From staff and wire reports
The first basketball hasn't been tipped and already Ohio State and other Ohio teams are restocking their shelves.
Two days before one of the nation's top recruiting classes makes its official collegiate debut for the Buckeyes, men's basketball coach Thad Matta announced he had signed four more top recruits who will enroll next fall.
Signing with the No. 7-ranked Buckeyes were 7-1 Kosta Koufos of Canton GlenOak, 6-9 Dallas Lauderdale of Solon and 6-6 Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky, along with 6-6 Evan Turner from Westchester (Ill.) St. Joseph's.
"Size is important. You couple that with skill and couple it with athleticism, and that's what we're after," said Matta, whose third Ohio State team opens the season Friday night at home against VMI in the BCA Classic. "I've tried for years to teach size, but I haven't come up with a way to do it."
Koufos averaged 24 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.0 blocks as a junior before breaking his foot in practice and missing the rest of the season. He was a second-team Associated Press All-Ohioan.
Lauderdale, a first-team all-state selection, averaged 21 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.5 blocks for a 23-2 team that advanced to the big-school regional finals before falling to eventual state champion Canton McKinley.
Diebler averaged 35.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 4.2 steals and 4.1 blocked shots, hitting an Ohio state high school-record 27 free throws (in 28 attempts) in a 77-point game against Tiffin Columbian.
Turner averaged 16 points and six rebounds as a junior for a 28-2 team.
Ohio State's women announced the signing of 6-4 Jantel Lavender of Cleveland Central Catholic and 6-1 Sarah Schulze of Anna, along with 5-11 Alison Jackson of Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick and Brittany Johnson from Olney (Ill.) East Richland.
With recruits, signs look positive
Thursday, November 09, 2006 From staff and wire reports
The first basketball hasn't been tipped and already Ohio State and other Ohio teams are restocking their shelves.
Two days before one of the nation's top recruiting classes makes its official collegiate debut for the Buckeyes, men's basketball coach Thad Matta announced he had signed four more top recruits who will enroll next fall.
Signing with the No. 7-ranked Buckeyes were 7-1 Kosta Koufos of Canton GlenOak, 6-9 Dallas Lauderdale of Solon and 6-6 Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky, along with 6-6 Evan Turner from Westchester (Ill.) St. Joseph's.
"Size is important. You couple that with skill and couple it with athleticism, and that's what we're after," said Matta, whose third Ohio State team opens the season Friday night at home against VMI in the BCA Classic. "I've tried for years to teach size, but I haven't come up with a way to do it."
Koufos averaged 24 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.0 blocks as a junior before breaking his foot in practice and missing the rest of the season. He was a second-team Associated Press All-Ohioan.
Lauderdale, a first-team all-state selection, averaged 21 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.5 blocks for a 23-2 team that advanced to the big-school regional finals before falling to eventual state champion Canton McKinley.
Diebler averaged 35.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 4.2 steals and 4.1 blocked shots, hitting an Ohio state high school-record 27 free throws (in 28 attempts) in a 77-point game against Tiffin Columbian.
Turner averaged 16 points and six rebounds as a junior for a 28-2 team.
Ohio State's women announced the signing of 6-4 Jantel Lavender of Cleveland Central Catholic and 6-1 Sarah Schulze of Anna, along with 5-11 Alison Jackson of Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick and Brittany Johnson from Olney (Ill.) East Richland.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
osugrad21;656374; said:
and going for the "hat trick" next year; with William Bufford, B. J. Mullens, and Walter Offutt so far.
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Three of the 8 kids who are playing right now are over 6' 5". All of the new recruits are 6' 6" or better.
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How does Tyreke Evans fit in? (assuming he eventually gets an offer)
With Oden/Cook projected to go pro, and Crater likely a buckeye, that leaves 1 schollie for Gates, Roe or Evans.
Might Matta be expecting a 1 and done in the 07 class, like Koufos?
With Oden/Cook projected to go pro, and Crater likely a buckeye, that leaves 1 schollie for Gates, Roe or Evans.
Might Matta be expecting a 1 and done in the 07 class, like Koufos?
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