What interests me about this tweet is no mention of Louisville, who I thought were big players in it. Of course it says the report is false, but usually where there's smoke, there's at least some fire. Just surprised not to see any mention of who seemed to be the front runner. Any new insight
@OSU_Buckguy ?
the tweet being referred to is
this one. not exactly someone who has, as diddy would say, the bona fides you'd want from an insider. i mean, it's hard for me to accept that tweet as genuine if for no other reason than listing baylor since they just got dainja. i'm not diving deep into baylor's scholarship situation for 2020, but i'd be a little surprised if they're looking for two post players. or that they can get a center like loveday after securing a commitment from a blue chip pf/c.
like baylor, gonzaga would surprise me because i think loveday will ultimately choose a nearby program. not necessarily osu, wvu, or louisville, but one in the midwest area. speaking very generally, people from southeast ohio (aka north west virginia) prefer familiarity. though the area surrounding spokane ain't all that dissimilar from southeast ohio (east washington/oregon is pretty much gallia county), it's still too far away.
i hear purdue has mostly moved on from loveday. they have prioritized dickinson and garcia (perhaps some minor interest in carlson). lots of good programs want dickinson, though. notably louisville and ttun, at least as dickinson's recruitment pertains to loveday. i'd expect that painter will still keep loveday within reach. purdue has done such a great job with post players that they can invest in pretty much any big guy at any time and be a contender.
wvu... there may be a bit of a scholarship squeeze for 2020. they recently picked up a power forward, but huggins is still expressing interest in hugley. i was more concerned about wvu's interest in loveday back in january or so, but not as much recently, especially after the recent commitment. their greatest need right now is a backcourt player, notably a small forward.
louisville is an obvious contender, but they've also shown more recent interest in other bigs, especially dickinson. loveday really likes them, though. will be interesting to watch what happens with the interest in loveday if dickinson decides first.
i'm probably wrong, but if loveday is not making an early decision like the aforementioned tweet claimed, then i'm going with indiana, ttun, and osu as the finalists. i'd throw in louisville if they turn their eyes toward zach. loveday really values academics. ttun is a real player, but i think the turnover up there may be limiting their chances. beilein's system (pulling bigs away from basket) looked good to loveday. he probably wants to confirm how juwanna plays the bigs. this is good for osu's chances.
finally, loveday's performance at the nbpa top 100 camp didn't exactly inspire. i bet ho1tmann was happy that zach didn't shine. a smaller spotlight on loveday should only increase our chances. if i were forced to bet today, i'd go with loveday to osu over any specific school. against the field, though, i'd take the field. i just think osu has the best combination of location, familiarity, academics, and prestige.
edit: iu's assist coach ed schilling just left the program. he was loveday's lead recruiter.
