Dane Goodwin received a phone call Monday afternoon that caught him a bit off-guard.
The gist: After 13 years, Thad Matta was no longer going to be the head coach at Ohio State.
“Probably like all Buckeye fans, I was caught by surprise," Goodwin told Eleven Warriors on Monday night. "I don’t really think anyone saw this coming at this time, and it definitely kind of hit me hard."
Head coaching changes at college programs cause all kinds of dominoes to fall. A big one is how a decision like the one made Monday affects recruits currently committed.
Goodwin, a four-star guard in the 2018 class from nearby Upper Arlington, has been committed to the Buckeyes since his freshman year. Monday's events, though surprising, didn't change that status.
“As of right now, I’m still committed to Ohio State," Goodwin said. "With time, I’ll see where that leads me. I don’t really feel that it would be wise of me to make any major decisions without seeing who comes in after Coach Matta after being committed this long."
Goodwin is one of Ohio State's two current verbal commitments in the 2018 class. The other is three-star wing Justin Ahrens. Goodwin said he spoke to Ahrens on Monday, but it was just about Matta's departure, not "how it would affect our future." A message to Ahrens on Monday night from Eleven Warriors was not immediately returned.
It's quite the interesting time for Ohio State basketball as athletic director Gene Smith is in a bit of time crunch when it comes to hiring a new coach. A very crucial live July evaluation period begins in just about a month; a full staff needs to be in place by then.
The 2018 recruiting class is a vital one for the future of Ohio State basketball. Ohio is loaded with talent for that year, and whoever is hired as the next Ohio State coach has the opportunity to take a large class.
As things stand right now, Goodwin still intends to be part of that haul.
"I’m definitely looking forward still to getting there and being part of it," Goodwin said. "I just kind of have to wait and see how all of this kind of shakes out and then kind of go from there.”
