One of the most difficult tasks facing a head coach is evaluating a player who is still in the early stages of their high school careers.
On the football side, Urban Meyer spoke about it two weeks ago during his weekly call-in show on 97.1 The Fan. In response to a question about recruiting young players, he said "schools are forcing our hand." Essentially, Ohio State has to offer high school underclassmen without a full breadth of information about these recruits, with Meyer particularly concerned about the lack of interaction with their families.
Considering the severely reduced amount of recruits basketball coaches have to deal with, bonding with family isn't necessarily an issue. However, like football, it's challenging to predict who will be physically ready to compete at a high-major college level, let alone who has the talent level to do so.
In the case of Upper Arlington freshman Dane Goodwin, coaches see a high ceiling.
"At this point, he's not anywhere close to what I hope he's going to be, but he's got that big frame and a chance to fill out," Upper Arlington head coach Tim Casey told Eleven Warriors. "He's a baby, he's still a young kid and he looks like he's 14, but if you project him out four years from now, he could be about 6-6, 6-7, long and strong. If he continues to improve athletically, he's going to be scary."
Failing to properly evaluate kids at this stage can contribute to losses on the recruiting trail, which, in turn, costs many head coaches their jobs. Thad Matta, who doesn't offer many players this early in their hoops careers, clearly sees something in Goodwin. The Buckeyes recently offered Goodwin, who is currently listed as a 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard and at 174 pounds:
Blessed to have received an offer from the Ohio State university! pic.twitter.com/eFZrg1M4ts
— Dane Goodwin (@danegoodwin23) October 25, 2014
The difficulty in recruiting players this young – besides the unknown physical tools – is developing the off-court habits that come with being a high-major college talent. So far, that is not an issue with Goodwin.
"It's important to him, it's been a priority to him throughout his young life. He's put a whole lot of time into it, it's obvious that he wants to excel and do well," Casey said. "Not only does he do the things we ask of him, which is quite a lot, he looks for other opportunities, spends a lot of time in the gym with his dad, goes to speed and quickness stuff on Sundays. He's doing the things that a young player has to do to continue to improve and maximize his potential."
Goodwin arrives on the Upper Arlington varsity team a season after the Golden Bears went 27-2 and finished as the runners-up in the Division-I playoffs. They nearly won a state title, too, falling in overtime in the championship game to St. Edward. That winning culture will help Goodwin's development.
At this point, with the hype of an OSU offer surrounding him, Casey is impressed by Goodwin's mindset.
"It's a lot of pressure for a young kid who hasn't even played a high school game to receive all that attention. I think the big thing with him is he seems mature beyond his years handling it all," he said. "People have to understand he's going to play really well at times and, other times, he'll be a bit overwhelmed – physically, he'll get worn down from the rigors of a long, varsity season. I'm excited for him to continue to invest, improve and mature like I think he's going to. He can be special over the next four years and has the chance to be really good."
Buckeyes offer Towns
In more pressing recruiting news, Ohio State recently offered Northland High School and class of 2016 forward Seth Towns, according to his AAU team.
The Northeast Columbus school, of course, counts Buckeye Jared Sullinger and Utah Jazz (or Michigan) guard Trey Burke among its alumni. Being so close to campus, it was a short drive for Towns' visit for Saturday's Buckeye hoops scrimmage.
He also has offers from Iowa, Michigan and UCLA, but the OSU offer was something special for him.
"It meant a lot to get an offer from Ohio State," Towns told Scout.com. "I came right in and went to Coach Matta’s office and talked for 20 or 30 minutes before he offered me, and I was elated. My heart just dropped. Just growing up a Buckeye fan and everything it meant a lot to get an offer."
Via NextUpRecruits.com, here are some highlights from Town's performance at the All-Ohio Nike City Series in October:
