namod65;1138866 wrote:For next year there are really only three or four guys left that are worth it. And Tony Parker (6'9") is really the only one we have a shot at. And that would be a stretch. For the class of 2013 we only have one guy so far. Matta needs to do some major work on 2013 and get a good class if we want to maintain the level we are competing at right now. With our recent rise to the elite level; multiple final fours, the lottery picks (Oden, Turner, Conley), and domination of the Big Ten, I would expect Matta to have an easier time pulling in some of the top 5 guys. In one of the next few classes he needs to get another duo like Oden-Conley, Wall-Cousins, or Davis-Gilchrist to really secure the future of the team for the next few years. But that's probably wishful thinking.

It won't be as easy for Matta to steal recruits out of Indiana anymore with Crean having them back where they should be. I think Groce will be great at Illinois because he seems to be really likeable, so that state is more difficult now. You have Calipari at UK, who will get the top guys in the Midwest. Xavier and Cincinati are going to compete for recruits as well. With the lack of elite talent in Ohio, it's amazing what Matta has done and it definitely is only getting more difficult.

thedynasty1998;1138912 wrote:It won't be as easy for Matta to steal recruits out of Indiana anymore with Crean having them back where they should be. I think Groce will be great at Illinois because he seems to be really likeable, so that state is more difficult now. You have Calipari at UK, who will get the top guys in the Midwest. Xavier and Cincinati are going to compete for recruits as well. With the lack of elite talent in Ohio, it's amazing what Matta has done and it definitely is only getting more difficult.

I agree with this to some degree, but I still think Matta will be able to pull some of the top kids out of Chicago as well as Indiana. Maybe not every year, but often enough to keep OSU near the top in the B1G and country. Ohio bball usually has a good to great class every 2 or 3 years as well, so I think recruiting will be fine.


I am excited for next year's team. Without a dominant low post scorer, this team really needs to get out in transition. And, man do they have some long athletes to play that style. More importantly, they will have 2 top quality guards to handle the ball and run the offense, maybe sometimes playing together. If LaQ works hard he has the chance to add a second dynamic scorer to go along with Thomas.

Ohio State is in on a 2014 PG from Evansville, Indiana. Pretty strong as well. IU, Illinois (now K-State has offered as well with Weber) and Ohio State are his top 3 I believe.

Jaquan Lyle - 6'4" PG. He will be a 5*, imo. The 2014 class is loaded in Indiana, and IU already has 2 spots filled. So OSU can make some headway on that class, especially if Purdue has a down year and Illinois is down for a time with the transition.

In the end though, I think Lyle will choose the Hoosiers, but the rest of the state still has a lot of talent. I think he chooses IU because I expect Calbert Cheaney to be promoted to the vacant AST Coach position so he will be able to recruit this year. He is from Evansville, so he will be able to really sway Lyle's decision, imo.

Deshaun returning is huge for the Buckeyes. While I don't see it happening, if Thomas decided to play out his eligibility there is a very good chance he would finish as OSU's all time leading scorer. He currently has 899 points. Dennis Hopson's career mark is 2,096 which means that Deshaun would need 1,197 points over the next 2 years. If the Bucks play 70 games (they've played 76 the last two years) Thomas would need to average just over 17.1 per game to break it. This is very feasible.

I guess he could just put up 30 per next year and lead the Bucks to the title and break it that way. Haha.

slcoach;1140113 wrote:Deshaun returning is huge for the Buckeyes. While I don't see it happening, if Thomas decided to play out his eligibility there is a very good chance he would finish as OSU's all time leading scorer. He currently has 899 points. Dennis Hopson's career mark is 2,096 which means that Deshaun would need 1,197 points over the next 2 years. If the Bucks play 70 games (they've played 76 the last two years) Thomas would need to average just over 17.1 per game to break it. This is very feasible.

I guess he could just put up 30 per next year and lead the Bucks to the title and break it that way. Haha.

Unless something dramatic happens, or injury, Thomas will be gone after next year. Wishful thinking, not realistic.