We've been tracking this for a while and Rodney Hood will decide later this week whether to transfer to Duke or Ohio State.
Although earlier reports claimed Hood would pick his school on Tuesday, the Freshman All-SEC performer is at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy in Chicago and told SNY.tv that he would pick a school when he got home, either Wednesday night or Thursday.
While the Buckeyes are still in the running thanks to his friendship with former AAU teammate LaQuinton Ross, Duke, the team Hood grew up cheering for, is thought to be the heavy favorite at this point in the process.
"I went to the visit and I got to talk with Coach K eye to eye and the rest of the coaching staff. I met some of the players. You know, it just felt great. When you go to Duke you’re playing on the highest level of college basketball and the tradition there is great so it was good to go visit."
On his relationship with Ross:
"I’m just going to make my decision. It’s the second time around so I want to make the best decision for me. I just like the coaching staff there and ‘Q’ is a bonus. But I like the players and I just like the basketball part of it."
With JJ Sullinger predicting big things for Ross, imagine what this team will look like in 2013 with a versatile 6-8 wing that just so happens to have great chemistry with Ross running the floor next to him.
LONDON CALLING. Former Ohio State diver Katie Bell became the 9th Buckeye to qualify for the 2012 London Games after placing 2nd in the finals of the women's 10-meter platform Sunday at the Olympic Trials in Federal Way, Washington.
In other action over the weekend, Suzy Favor Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, sprinter Christina Manning, finished 5th in the 100m hurdle finals with a time of 12.92, just missing out on a bid to the Olympics, while long jumper Michael Hartfield finished 6th in trials with a leap of 25' 6¾".
Several other current or former Buckeyes are still in the process of qualifying, starting with Corey Leslie and Brian Olinger, who will compete in the 3000m steeplechase this evening. 36 current or former members of Ohio State's swimming teams will attempt to qualify for the London Games when the swimming trials kickoff today in Omaha, Nebraska.
THE JESSE OWENS EXPERIENCE. While the History Channel continues to air shows about pawn shops, junk pluckers and ancient aliens (respect to this guy, though), PBS continues to crank out solid historical pieces with their American Experience series. I'm a history nut, so I'm inclined to like these things, but for my money, American Experience may be the best show on television. The fact that it's commercial-free is icing on the cake.
Last night was the debut of the Jesse Owens story on American Experience and it's every bit as good as you would imagine it to be. If you didn't catch it, fear not, you can view the entire 52-minute episode online for free.
It's a Bowden matryoshka doll. Seriously, Bobby is inside.IT'S SCHEDULE POSTER SEASON. Another sure sign that we're inching closer to the return of meaningful Saturdays is the steady release of schedule posters.
Akron's poster [left], announcing the dawn of Bowden Ball and featuring a plump and jolly Terry Bowden, is your leader at the turn, despite strong efforts from Alabama, Idaho, Cincinnati, Auburn, Washington State, Iowa State, and Wake Forest (Deacon on a motorcycle? Yes, please.).
Penn State's poster is just plain boring, but they don't exactly have a lot to work with this year.
Florida's entry is a bit tame, but it's an improvement over "Taxi Driver" Muschamp and the leering Gator featured last year. HAHA, FLORIDA. WE STOLE YOUR CREATIVITY.
Clemson brings up the rear with what looks to be a poster created by a designer first encountering Brøderbund's Print Shop.
Ohio State did not release official schedule posters during the Jim Tressel era, but Meyer and his staff released posters while at Florida, so you can bet we'll be seeing one in the next month or so. If the amazing artwork being generated by the football operations group is any indication, we're in store for something worth displaying in your living room.
[META] Another Monday, another milestone of sorts for us.
Today, we unveil custom avatars for staff members, lovingly crafted by 11W Art Director Walt Keys. You, dear reader, finally have the opportunity to see what we all look like and as Johnny's avatar clearly shows, we're all sorts of handsome.
Collect them all now: Jason, Chris, Corey, Alex, Joe, Ramzy, Brandon, Walt, Kyle, Ross, Danny, Sarah, Jeff, Dave and Chad.
[You may need to clear your browser cache to see the updated avatars. Here's how to do so.]
ETC: Evidently, not one, but two 11W writers moonlight as musicians on the side (not really)... The Ohio State Meat Lab is a thing and it has delicious foods for sale... Wait for it... Bingo night just got real... Meanwhile in Romania... The Soda Pop Board of America was a real thing once... Another Monday installment of Nicolas Cage... And once again, North Korea is best Korea.
