The Ohio State women's basketball team opens its season tonight on the road against No. 2 South Carolina, but the Buckeyes picked up a huge win moments ago before the season even tips off.
Five-star guard Jensen Caretti has committed to Ohio State over South Carolina, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and others.
Jensen Caretti
- Class: 2016
- Height: 6-1
- Pos: Guard
- School: River (Hannibal, OH)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★★
- Composite Rank: #31 (#6 SG)
Caretti, from small town Hannibal, Ohio, flew under the radar for some time. Once she was discovered, however, she turned heads, climbing to 31st on ESPN's recruiting rankings.
Dan Olson of espn.com offers his evaluation of the 6-1 guard:
Ultra-athletic, versatile off-guard with superior length on perimeter; handles and attacks in transition game; exploits mismatches, brings soft touch on jumper; manufactures, elevates in mid-range game; highly coveted potential with next level possibilities.
"Ultra-athletic" may be an understatement.
From an espn.com article, Caretti's AAU Coach Kirk Perry describes the high-school phenom:
"She has springs like I've never seen. She will block shots and pin them against the backboard -- things you rarely see girls do."
The article also mentions she can "tip-dunk on a 10-foot rim" – not something you typically see from a 6-1 women's guard.
She can shoot, too. In the same article, Perry recalls his first time seeing her play, as he was coaching his team in a tournament championship game.
"I was trying to figure out whether to win this championship or go find out who this kid is," Perry said. "When I got over there, I was shocked. She was the tallest kid on the court but she was 22 feet away from the basket.
"After she made seven straight 3-pointers, I understood why."
Her path to Ohio State was not easy. She was put into foster care with her would-be adopted family at just 10-weeks old, and at 2-months old she suffered an injury that could have hindered her ability to even walk normally — much less play basketball at a high level.
You can read Caretti's full story here, and I suggest you do.
Caretti's commitment is Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff's second commitment of the 2016 class. She joins the nation's No. 22 prospect, point-guard Kiara Lewis, giving the Buckeyes a pair of five-star guards in the 2016 class.
Also joining the team next season are transfers Sierra Calhoun (Duke) and Stephanie Mavunga (North Carolina) – both former McDonald's All-Americans. The pair are currently at Ohio State and practicing with the team, but will not be eligible to play until 2016 due to NCAA transfer rules.
Entering his third season at Ohio State, McGuff is putting together quite a program, bringing in talent that will place the Buckeyes among the nation's elite – and he's not done yet. Ohio State is a finalist for the No. 10 player in the 2016 class, 6-4 forward Tori McCoy.
McCoy was not planning to sign during the November early signing period, but it appears that is no longer the case.
From GoVolsXtra:
Tori McCoy altered her recruiting timetable drastically Thursday and will be an early signee after all.
The 6-foot-4 post player from St. Thomas More High in Champaign, Ill., will announce her decision on Monday and sign a letter of intent, St. Thomas More coach Jay Price said via text message.
McCoy had intended to sign in the spring.
This news comes after McCoy visited Ohio State last weekend.
She's visiting South Carolina this weekend where she'll presumably attend the Ohio State vs. South Carolina game tonight. She will then make her decision Monday.
With games against the nation's top two teams and the possibility of landing two five-star recruits, this could be an enormous weekend for Kevin McGuff and the Buckeyes.
