OSU Men's Basketball Recruiting/Projections/General Discussions

[buckeydoptimist]

What? Lighty was close to a 5 star actually, if not for his injury he would have been. Diebs was also a T75 player in his class which most consider a 4 star. Zelle was a borderline T100 coming out and could be called a 3 star but he was a high 3 I'd say.

I don't know about that. Lighty and Diebler were 3 stars and turned into very nice players. Lenzelle Smith was a 3 star and is very nice. I think the first game we can already see the progression of Ross, Scott and Thompson.

 

[NINJA BUCK13]

C'mon. The improvement thing is a non-starter. You had a team that was an NIT club in 2008, lost three starters (KK, Hunter and Butler) and improved to a #9 seed (in spite of losing Lighty for much of the season). You had a team that was a #9 seed in 2009, lost one player to the NBA and three more to transfer, didn't add anyone, and got a #2 seed in 2010. You had a #2 seed in 2010, lost the NPOY and got a #1 seed in 2011. You lost three starters off a #1 seed and made the Final Four the next year. Now this year they have pretty much the same preseason ranking as last year in spite of losing two starters who were among the top-3 in scoring and not adding in anybody of note. It's ridiculous to attack Matta for not developing players when the team is excelling. Every year there are players who make significant improvements, if you don't notice that you need to play closer attention.

Very well stated DZ...


Hard to argue against that success...

 

[MUBuck]

I don't think it's fair to evaluate player development in college basketball based on recruiting as we do in football. These kids have played so many games and gotten so much coaching by the time they get to college that many are maxed out. You also have to consider the 1-and-done rule, and the effects that has on player development.

As other posters have commented, I think a better benchmark is individual improvement from year to year. Matta has done a great job getting our kids to play D and also play within a system IMO.

 

[Bill Lucas]

Smith was/is decent to good.....like he was in HS
Thompson......definitely not better than when he came in
Lightly......4 star......played no higher than his ranking

There s still time for these two but I'm concerned

I think you validated that only Turner has been I coached up by Matta

Decent to good? Bilas is saying that he and Craft are the top defensive backcourt in the nation. I'll take his word on this one.

 

[buckeyesin07]

Decent to good? Bilas is saying that he and Craft are the top defensive backcourt in the nation. I'll take his word on this one.

Dickie V (I know) just called them the best backcourt in the nation during the Duke-UK telecast.

 

[LitlBuck]

I think there's several things to consider. The first is a recent weak crop of in- state talent. The second is Thad going outside of his old ways and battling the big boys for the Nation's best. Concentrating on Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio helped focus on the regions top, and put in the work. Now, it seems like there are some 4 star type talent that don't get the necessary attention needed, and when OSU misses on the national guys, they're playing catch up on the regional guys. And finally John Groce... he was instrumental in recruiting the Oden class. I really thought Jent would help land some elite talent, but it hasn't worked out thus far... I wonder if he likes that part of the job.

I think they need to build the program on the regional 4-5 stars, and concentrate on them, right now they're spread too thin, and concentrating on reaches, then don't have enough time to get back in the game with other talent. That along with considering a top notch assistant that has deep recruiting ties. Boals doesn't seem to be able to close, Jent is invisible, Dickerson has the most pull with southern connections and a little Maryland pull, and then Paulas is still TBD.

As Brian Snow mentioned recently, Indiana's recent success can be attributed to Indiana recruiting it's own talent rich state, having Kenny Johnson as an assistant with deep AAU ties and then Crean concentrating on a couple others.

For the most part I agree with your post but

I am not too concerned about this year because we are a fairly young team. However, I would like to think that Thad can get a 4 or 5 (not talking about stars) recruit in the Spring. I think we are fine on the perimeter for the next couple years but our depth up front is a little scary. Maybe Williams and McDonald will progress more this year but I have not seen that progression in the first couple games and I know that it is extremely early to make judgments.

One would think that Jent would have instant credibility when walking into a recruit's home since he has been associated with King James. I don't know maybe he just doesn't like that part of the business. He is originally from New Jersey and maybe we are spending too much time going around the country searching for stardom as you suggest.

I would hate for Matta to stoop low and do a Tom "the walker" Crean and get an AAU coach as an assistant. I know that that is getting more and more common but I hope that we never do that.

 

[OH10]

I think the basetball recruiting concern is directly related to the rise of Indiana and, to a lesser extent, Michigan. That may not be a big issue for us this year as we still have plenty of talent on the roster. But when you only bring in 3 recruits in 2 years? It's a bad sign for the future and I'm not sure how anybody can really spin it differently.

Recruiting is all about momentum. We ain't got it.

 

[LitlBuck]

I think the basetball recruiting concern is directly related to the rise of Indiana and, to a lesser extent, Michigan. That may not be a big issue for us this year as we still have plenty of talent on the roster. But when you only bring in 3 recruits in 2 years? It's a bad sign for the future and I'm not sure how anybody can really spin it differently.

Recruiting is all about momentum. We ain't got it.

Yup, we haven't won anything for years

 

[BayBuck]

I think the basetball recruiting concern is directly related to the rise of Indiana and, to a lesser extent, Michigan. That may not be a big issue for us this year as we still have plenty of talent on the roster. But when you only bring in 3 recruits in 2 years? It's a bad sign for the future and I'm not sure how anybody can really spin it differently.

Recruiting is all about momentum. We ain't got it.

Quality > quantity in basketball recruiting IMO, and right now we've got two 4-star recruits signed for the current class. Okay, Indiana has the top guy in Vonleh, who is probably a one-and-done, and Crean has the big numbers with his SEC-style recruiting -- but Matta has still signed two 5-stars and seven 4-stars (plus Craft and Smith Jr) in a 4-class span. scUM's gotten a few guys too, but they're still coached by John Beilein, so there's that.

As for momentum, I see one team that's been to 4 straight Big Ten Tourney finals (and won two), versus a couple other teams that wish they had the same record, on the court. We keep winning and the recruits will keep coming.

 

[OH10]

Yup, we haven't won anything for years

You know that's not what I'm saying. Three recruits in two years is not momentum. We are still in the conversation with the best players in the country. We just haven't closed on any of them in a while. And that kind of momentum could take us out of the conversation.

Let me pose this to you for next year: Both DT and Ross leave for the NBA. We'll have very little perimeter scoring; no inside scoring; and no depth.

 

[starBUCKS]

For the most part I agree with your post but

I am not too concerned about this year because we are a fairly young team. However, I would like to think that Thad can get a 4 or 5 (not talking about stars) recruit in the Spring. I think we are fine on the perimeter for the next couple years but our depth up front is a little scary. Maybe Williams and McDonald will progress more this year but I have not seen that progression in the first couple games and I know that it is extremely early to make judgments.

One would think that Jent would have instant credibility when walking into a recruit's home since he has been associated with King James. I don't know maybe he just doesn't like that part of the business. He is originally from New Jersey and maybe we are spending too much time going around the country searching for stardom as you suggest.

I would hate for Matta to stoop low and do a Tom "the walker" Crean and get an AAU coach as an assistant. I know that that is getting more and more common but I hope that we never do that.

I brought up on Scout board, perhaps the idea of bringing in a "director of basketball operations" like Pantoni. They have David Egelhoff, but he's not a guy tapped into recruiting like Pantoni.

 

[MaxBuck]

I love Coach Matta. He's the guy I want leading the Buckeye basketball program for the next 20 years. But you can't deny he's in a monumental slump when it comes to recruiting, relative to his success in his first few years.

Don't have an answer as to why this is the case, but if we don't get two or three more high-quality recruits in the late signing period, we'll be finishing lower than 4th next season IMO.

 

[DZ83CK]

I am not really worried about recruiting - Matta has proven he will clean up in Ohio when the top talent is there, and top in-state talent has been pretty average in 2011, 2012, and 2013. It's only a matter of time until things turn around and OSU gets some stars again.

There's really only one clear recruiting need on this team right now, and it's for a big man who can score. They will have the roster well-stocked with talent at every other position next season regardless of whether DT turns pro. I don't know how likely it is that DT would turn pro - I don't think he would be a first round pick due to his defense. And if he isn't going to go first round, would he turn pro anyway? Matta said today that one of the reasons recruiting has been tough is they had one senior last year and one senior again this year so they bring everybody back - if DT told him he's going to leave, Matta sure didn't tip his hand, as he made it seem as if it was true that they will bring everybody back next year (other than Rav of course). But they still will have Amir and Trey next year, and Matta has gotten by with having just two guys to play the 5 in the past many times at OSU. Ideally they would have a big man in mind they can add to improve the skill level there, but if they can't then there is still a lot of talent at the other positions on the roster and it will put OSU in great recruiting position for a marquee big man in 2014. I think the tricky part is you want to add a big man who can contribute (not just scoring but rebounding also is an issue at the 5) in 2013-14, but not be a reason for any top 2014 recruits such as Okafor to feel there isn't an opening for them to get big minutes right away.

It might be that they just have another year with everybody on this team, minus Ravenel, plus Loving and Kam. That is still a darn good team. And Matta even acknowledged that he's setting up for a big 2014 class.

 

[RB07OSU]

This coming from a casual bball recruiting observer...our recruiting momentum has slumped but then again, we aren't the sexy "return to glory" school that Indiana and Kentucky are selling right now. We are flat out performing on a high level on the court but I think that is why it is especially puzzling why we are missing out on so many heavily pursued targets. Before the '12 and '13 bball class, Matta basically just took who he wanted and that isn't the case now. Of course we have 2 great ones in Williams and Loving, but a bench that can play will be important to develop down the road.

I am far from panicking but you can't ignore the downturn in recruiting for the last two classes. I'm sure we will be "fine" but in basketball more than any other sport, you basically need to reload with elite talent every year to stay elite. We have been elite in my books for the most part since Matta got here, not "fine" and we are going to have to step it up some to keep pace with the elites. I have full faith in Matta to do that.

 

[Buckskin86]

Matta “Couldn’t be Happier” about Wednesday’s Signings

Thad Matta pleased with early recruiting success: Ohio State Basketball Insider

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVw0zuG42ZA"]Thad Matta Recruiting Q&A 11-14-12 - YouTube[/ame]