After watching Ohio State defeat Maryland, four-star recruit JaQuan Lyle waited until the next day to make the news official:
Yes, next year I will be enrolling to attend school and play basketball at THE Ohio St. University. #BuckeyeNation
— JaQuan Lyle (@JMamba5) January 30, 2015
D'Angelo Russell was the first to break the news, welcoming his potential future teammate on Instagram following his big night against the Terps:
Despite his talent, Lyle's recruitment has been unorthodox – and not only the manner in which his commitment broke. Lyle, the No. 38 overall prospect in 247Sports' composite rankings for the class of 2015, was originally a Louisville commit in the class of 2014 but flipped to Oregon. He signed with the Ducks in April but did not qualify academically. Rather than go the junior college route, he enrolled at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He attended Huntington Prep last season, averaging 17 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 220 pound wing considered re-committing to Oregon while also taking official visits to LSU and Missouri. He arrived in Columbus Wednesday morning and had a courtside seat for Thursday's game at The Schott.
Matta and assistant Dave Dickerson recently scouted Lyle, causing Matta to tell IMG coach John Mahoney that Lyle "could be special." The OSU staff has spent a significant amount of time watching Lyle, as he was a Buckeye target before signing with Oregon.
Ohio State could use some backcourt depth if Russell declares for this year's NBA Draft – his Instagram post seems to imply otherwise, however. OSU might be in need of another lead guard, as 2015 signees A.J. Harris and Mickey Mitchell are the only two options at the point guard spot.
Lyle is certainly capable of creating shots for himself:
