As Ohio State begins fall camp, the staff is still wondering whether a five-star guard will join them next season.
Kobi Simmons could announce his commitment at any moment. He's taking a more relaxed approach than many other recruits of equal hype. At one point, his father said Simmons would make a decision by the end of September. Clearly, that deadline passed.
The most recent mention of any possible commitment date was by November, which marks the beginning of St. Francis' (Alpharetta, Georgia) basketball season. He has from Nov. 11 to Nov. 18 to sign a letter of intent during the early signing period. If he chooses to wait, the regular signing period begins in mid-April.
He'll choose between OSU, Kentucky and UNLV. With the Rebels landing a commitment from four-star point guard Jaylen Fisher, some wondered whether that would affect Simmons' decision. According to HoopSeen.com, the two immediately communicated after Fisher committed and UNLV remains among Simmons' top three destinations.
As the recruiting dominoes fall around him – including a potential De'Aaron Fox commitment to Kentucky following Fox's official visit to Lexington, this weekend – nothing has really changed in Simmons' recruitment. At least we know Simmons' feelings on Ohio State, straight from his mouth.
"D’Angelo Russell was there on the visit and so were Evan Turner and Mike Conley," he told HoopSeen.com. "D’Angelo was telling me about the experience and I would love to be there to experience the basketball and a college life like that."
Assistants Earn High Marks in Recruiting
Say what you will about how they develop talent already on the roster, Buckeye coaches continue to do well convincing recruits to join it.
Eleven Warriors' Eric Seger published the performance reviews for the Ohio State hoops staff, yesterday. These things always seem like needless paperwork, but the football staff reviews are always pretty thorough.
Matta's were less so, though it's tough to argue against his praise for how his assistants performed on the recruiting trail. It was particularly effusive towards Dave Dickerson.
"He is relentless in his efforts to recruit the highest level of student-athletes who are committed to success in academics and competition," Matta wrote.
Dickerson was essential in landing both Austin Grandstaff and Daniel Giddens. He established a relationship with Grandstaff before he committed to his original choice, Oklahoma State. When Grandstaff re-opened his recruitment, Dickerson was among the first coaches to reach out. He also helped sway Daniel Giddens to the Buckeyes.
Greg Paulus is probably the most well-traveled assistant. He is key in scouting in-state talent and guards outside Ohio. Like Dickerson, Matta described Paulus as "relentless."
Matta called Jeff Boals a "tireless worker" and noted his importance in Ohio State's recruiting success. His importance will only magnify in that area as OSU continues to pursue Gary Trent Jr.
Boals played with Gary Trent Sr. at Ohio University and their friendship continues to this day.
"Even if I did not know Jeff, of all the coaches, he's one of the hardest-working coaches recruiting my son," Trent Sr. told ESPN.com. "I can get the schedule for my son's tournaments quicker from him than from my son."
More Recruiting Notes
- Ohio State scouted 2018, five-star forward Khavon Moore (Macon, Georgia) at an open gym recently.
- Five-star, 2017 center Zach Brown (Miami) mentioned OSU is still recruiting him heavily.
- Greg Paulus watched Tim Finke (Champaign, Illinois), a four-star guard in the 2018 class, at an open gym.
- 2018 point guard Yahel Hill (Cleveland Heights) took an unofficial visit to campus, last weekend, and watched the Buckeyes practice.
- Hargrave Military Academy is No. 1 in NextUpRecruits.com's national post-grad rankings. New arrival and Buckeye commit Derek Funderburk recently won Hargrave's slam dunk contest, thanks in part to this leap from just beyond the foul line.
