Darius Bazley, a 2018 four-star small forward from Finneytown Secondary in Cincinnati, committed to Ohio State back in August 2016.
In January, he said his goal was to be the next Evan Turner for Thad Matta. However, Matta's men failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the second year in the row. Worse yet, they didn't even make the NIT.
Wednesday, Bazley decommitted.
In a Thursday interview with Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch, Bazley gave a candid answer as to why he pulled the plug on his future collegiate plans. He doesn't see the Buckeyes providing a supporting cast capable of getting back to the NCAA tournament.
“Ohio State, they didn’t make the NCAA Tournament this year,” Bazley said. “They didn’t even make the NIT, which is unfortunate, but I looked into the recruits they have coming into next year, they didn’t look too good for the future. So I felt like when my class came in, yeah, we would’ve been OK, but good enough to make the tournament? I don’t know. I just felt as if I was to de-commit, actually take my time, figure everything out it would just be a lot better.”
A tough but fair take from a young man looking to earn an NBA paycheck in a couple of years.
