Ohio State's basketball season begins Friday with a season-opener against UMass-Lowell. Leading up to that game, Eleven Warriors will dive deep into a different aspect of the 2014-15 Buckeyes with a new story each day this week.
Ohio State head coach Thad Matta — orchestrator of the famed "Thad 5" recruiting class back in 2006 — had hit a bit of a rough patch.
Often thought of as one of the top recruiters in college basketball, Matta and his staff struggled with their 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes after landing a five-player class in 2011. Ohio State landed only one player in 2012, Amadeo Della Valle. In their 2013 class, the Buckeyes brought in both Marc Loving and Kam Williams.
Della Valle left the program after two sub-par seasons in Columbus to pursue a professional career in Italy. Williams redshirted as a true freshman last year and Loving had a minimal impact, averaging just 4.4 points per game.
In the era of the one-and-done and big-impact freshman classes, the game seemed to be passing Ohio State by.
After losing four-year mainstays like Aaron Craft and Lenzelle Smith Jr., it was vital Matta and his staff didn't miss when it came to the 2014 class. And the good news for Ohio State fans is they didn't.
| NO. | Player | Pos | HT | WT | PREP RANK | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | D'ANGELO RUSSELL | G | 6-5 | 180 | #16 (SG) | ★★★★★ |
| 15 | KAM WILLIAMS | G | 6-2 | 175 | #71 (SG, 2013) | ★★★★ |
| 1 | JAE'SEAN TATE | F | 6-4 | 190 | #58 (SF) | ★★★★ |
| 33 | KEITA BATES-DIOP | F | 6-7 | 190 | #29 (SF) | ★★★★ |
| 10 | DAVE BELL | C | 6-10 | 225 | #184 (PF) | ★★★ |
Matta and the Buckeyes will have four freshmen in addition to Williams on their 2014-15 roster: D'Angelo Russell, Keita Bates-Diop, Jae'Sean Tate and Dave Bell and they'll be a huge factor in determining the success of this year's Ohio State team.
According to 247 Sports, Ohio State had the No. 8 recruiting class in the country and No. 1 in the Big Ten.
"I've been very, very pleased with the freshman class," Matta said at Big Ten Media Days. "... I couldn't be happier with how they've been playing so far."
Here's a brief look at what to expect from each freshman in the 2014-15 season:
D'Angelo Russell
The prized possession of Matta's recruiting class, Russell came to Columbus as 247 Sports' 16th-overall prospect in the country. He's a smooth-shooting left-hander who can play either point guard or shooting guard.
For a team that lacked scoring a year ago, Russell can definitely fill that role as a go-to scorer for this year's Ohio State team. But what Matta has most raved about Russell is his passing ability.
"He’s got a different pace about him," Matta said of Russell following Ohio State's 40-point exhibition win over Walsh. "He sees things like a lot of freshman don’t see them and that’s good."
Russell also gives Ohio State some much-needed shooting from the perimeter. He hit 50 percent of his 3-pointers against Walsh after making his first four from downtown. He's the first big-time recruit since Jared Sullinger for Matta, and has capability of being an all-Big Ten selection as a true freshman.
Kam Williams
Williams has been around the program for a year after redshirting last season as a true freshman due to a bout with mono.
He's a 6-foot-2 guard from Baltimore who has explosive athleticism and is a capable shooter from the perimeter. Williams is not a point guard, though, he's better playing off the ball.
Like most of the other freshmen, Williams should give the Buckeyes an added spark off the bench and gives Ohio State a solid option in the backcourt when Shannon Scott is out of the game and Russell slides over to the point.
Jae'Sean Tate
If you look at Tate, you're not going to be blown away by his physical appearance. He's only a 6-foot-4, 190-pound forward, but the Pickerington native plays much bigger than his size.
Like Russell, Tate is also a left-hander player and has an incredibly high motor. So high, in fact, Matta said at Big Ten Media Day it's going to be "hard to keep him off the floor" this season and called him a somewhat "reckless player," in a good way.
Against Walsh, which was an undersized team as a whole, Tate had 10 points and eight rebounds and brought instant energy off the Ohio State bench. It will be interesting to see his production when the Buckeyes move into Big Ten play and Tate must go up against bigs who are considerably taller and stronger than he is.
Keita Bates-Diop
Bates-Diop could very well be the wild card of this group. He's got the size and skill level to be a very valuable asset to this year's Ohio State team.
A 6-foot-7 forward with a wingspan over 7-foot, Bates-Diop should provide the Buckeyes with a nice mix of his inside-out game. He's a more-than-capable shooter from the perimeter and also has the size and athleticism to get in the paint and score some buckets inside. His length can also be a huge factor on the defensive end of the floor.
He comes to Columbus from Normal, Ill. rated as a four-star prospect by 247 Sports and the 29th-best player in the 2014 class.
Dave Bell
It wasn't likely Bell was going to see much playing time coming into this season as he would have been the fourth big guy, playing behind Amir Williams, Trey McDonald and Anthony Lee and Matta confirmed that after the Walsh exhibition, saying Bell "probably will redshirt."
Still, the 6-foot-10 three-star forward from Cleveland can take the year to develop his game and contribute to the Buckeyes during the 2015-16 season.
