In the midst of a quiet period – coaches can only host visits on campus, no off-campus contact allowed – some of Ohio State's 2017 targets continue to put up impressive numbers during the AAU season.
Gary Trent Jr., whom OSU recently offered, is the standout star on the Nike EYBL Circuit through 12 games. He is currently averaging 23.9 points per game to lead the league.
More importantly, Trent Jr.'s point total isn't inflated by a wild number of shots – quite the opposite. The Minnesota native is shooting 50 percent from the field, 80.6 percent from the line and 43.4 percent from three. It's no surprise Duke and Kentucky are now showing interest in him.
During this past weekend's EYBL session in Houston, Trent Jr. posted some Klay Thompson-like numbers:
EYBL Houston: Best Performance Gary Trent Jr. (@THAT_KID_GARY) dropped 43 points in 21 minutes http://t.co/EgjgFYqA2q pic.twitter.com/snw9c2UAN6
— D1 Circuit (@D1Circuit) May 12, 2015
Although the Buckeyes stocked up on big-men commits in their 2016 class, Zach Brown still has an offer out to him. The 7-foot-1-inch center is an efficient beast on the blocks. He's shooting 63 percent and, during an April 26 game against CIA Bounce, hit 11 of his 14 attempts.
He's only averaging 10.1 points per game, so he's not heavily involved in the offense at times. On the defensive side, he's also making a significant impact in the post. Brown is tied for sixth most on the circuit with two blocks per game.
Recently, he compared himself to a member of the national champions:
Zach Brown, the #2 Center in the Class of 2017, compares his game to former #Duke big man Jahlil Okafor - http://t.co/lnwXqQBsCv (VIP)
— Adam Rowe (@BlueDevilLair) May 6, 2015
The Buckeyes would love to add an inside-out duo, such as Brown and Trent Jr. At this point, that won't be happening. Marc Loving would be the only senior on the 2016-17 squad, leaving one open scholarship for next season's freshman class. Ohio State also has offered guard Chris Giles, who was Mickey Mitchell's high school teammate.
It's a delicate situation for Thad Matta and his staff. You have to maintain relationships with these players, even if the class fills up, because of roster attrition. Someone might leave the program and the Buckeyes have to be prepared in the event they need to fill an unanticipated opening.
Gibbs Update, POtter vs UM Commit, Around the B1G
- Seton Hall grad transfer Sterling Gibbs visited Ohio State, last week, and still has to finish his UConn visit before making a decision. "Ohio State was a great visit," Gibbs told SNY.tv. "Me and my family really enjoyed the coaches and were able to get a good feel for what they have planned for next year."
- Buckeye commit Micah Potter (who plays for OBC) got an early taste of the Ohio State - Michigan rivalry after battling classmate and Wolverines commit Austin Davis. NextUpRecruits.com captured the action at the Spiece Run-N-Slam:
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Former OSU target Tyus Battle is now a Michigan commit, as well. The versatile New Jersey product is a five-star recruit and his high school coach once compared him to Kyrie Irving. "I really love the basketball situation and coach Beilein and the rest of the staff," Battle told Scout.com. "You can see how they develop their players like Caris [LeVert], Nik Stauskas and Tim Hardaway. That’s a big deal to me."
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Nebraska might have a shot at landing one-time Buckeye target and recent Florida de-commit Noah Dickerson. Former Florida assistant Rashon Burno is reportedly interested in joining Tim Miles' staff and could bring Dickerson with him.
