Last week, I wrote about Ohio's frontcourt depth in the class of 2016. It's not usually wise to take cues from internet commenters, but the 11W community had pointed questions for me and how OSU has handled in-state recruiting.
The current Buckeye roster features only four Ohioans. Marc Loving and Jae'Sean Tate are the only two rotation players to stay in their home state, while the other two are Jake Lorbach and redshirt Dave Bell.
Perhaps fans are longing for the days when Ohio natives made up the the majority of the roster. Talent-wise, the 2010-11 team was unique and probably Thad Matta's best squad from start to finish. It also featured nine Ohioans and an entire starting five playing for their home-state school.
Since then, the Buckeyes have been more selective in building their classes from within the state. It really started with the 2011 recruiting class, which did not have a single Ohio native in it. Four years later, the result is an incredibly disappointing senior class. It would look a lot better if LaQuinton Ross stayed, but the lack of development from such highly-touted prospects is baffling.
In hindsight, the Buckeyes would've been better off taking a flier on a few guys who played high school ball in the state. The most famous example of which is Trey Burke, although his career outlook would look different playing alongside Aaron Craft.
Beyond Burke, another glaring name is Iowa's Aaron White (Strongsville). He developed into a First Team All-Big Ten performer. Wisconsin's Traevon Jackson (Westerville South) and Michigan State's Travis Trice (Wayne) also turned into solid B1G rotation pieces.
Funderburk Visits
Ohio State and several high major programs targeted Derek Funderburk early. He received a Buckeye offer over a year ago, but he's been deliberate with the recruiting process.
The 6-foot-9-inch center took an unofficial visit for the Wisconsin game, although his tweet wasn't particularly prophetic:
Road Trip To Columbus Gotta See The Bucks Beat The Badgers
— Derek Funderburk (@TooEvsy4) March 8, 2015
Sunday's visit followed Saturday's playoff contest, as his St. Edward squad continues to etch their path to another state championship. The Eagles reached the District Finals after beating Nordonia, 82-59, and Lakewood, 75-31.
Mitchell's Squad Keeps Rolling
Plano West squeaked by in their early playoff matchup against Cedar Hill, thanks largely to Mickey Mitchell's last-second putback.
The Wolves' most recent game wasn't nearly as much of a struggle, as they defeated Allen, 70-53. Mitchell scored 17 points and recorded six assists, leading his team to the state semifinals for the first time in program history. Plano West will play Irving MacArthur, Friday, at the Alamodome.
After the game against Allen, he spoke with Friday Night Glory:
Buckeye fans have been keen on Mitchell's athletic ability since he first committed, but the rest of the country is finally catching on. Recently, a World Star Hip Hop parody account (yay Internet!) tweeted this Vine, which now has over two million loops:
Lyle Update, Moyer Staying Put
- IMG Academy coach John Mahoney discussed the impact of JaQuan Lyle's injury with the Bradenton Herald: "[Lyle] sees the floor really well, passes really well, gets his teammates involved very well. So it's going to be tough to replace him." IMG will compete in the Prep National Championships without the recent Buckeye commit.
- Three OSU targets were selected for one of the Naismith Trophy Boy’s High School All-America Teams. Jayson Tatum made the second team, Harry Giles is on the third team and Kobi Simmons made it as an honorable mention.
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Gahanna Lincoln's Matthew Moyer, whose father infamously complained about how Ohio State recruited him, remains committed to Syracuse. This, despite recent sanctions levied against Jim Boeheim and the program. Boeheim, despite his shady tendencies, guaranteed Moyer will still have a scholarship:
Espn 60 Matthew Moyer "I just spoke to coach Boeheim and I am staying committed to SU, they assured me of my scholarship" Moyer told Espn.
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) March 7, 2015
