A guard and a wing. What Ohio State is targeting to wrap up its 2017 class has been well known for awhile now, but was confirmed by the man who would know best at a press conference on Tuesday.
"General terms, backcourt and probably in-between," Ohio State head coach Thad Matta told Eleven Warriors on what the Buckeyes are targeting most.
With Massillon Jackson wing Kyle Young putting Ohio State in his final five last week, the Buckeyes appear closer to moving toward its perimeter prospect. However, in the backcourt, things aren't as solidified.
Ohio State did get some fairly good news earlier in the week when 2017 Indianapolis North Central wing Kris Wilkes included in the Buckeyes in his top 11. While not as exclusive as Young in the recruiting process, Wilkes, who comes in at No. 15 nationally by 247Sports, is still a prime target for Ohio State.
Thanks to @TiptonEdits_ for the edit ... pic.twitter.com/mBBgvtB0jI
— Kris Air Wilkes (@kadw31) July 31, 2016
With the live recruiting period of July wrapped up for Matta and his staff, the Buckeyes are feeling to be on the right track recruiting wise after extending several scholarships to talented prospects across all classes nationally.
"I think from the standpoint, you look at this year’s team we only have one senior. Will we ever carry 13 guys on scholarship? I’m not sure about that," Matta said. "I think, I love the position we’re recruiting in terms of the future, the guys that we’re recruiting, the guys that we have committed, those types of things."
While the Buckeyes haven't yet reeled in a guard for its 2017 class, Matta is excited about the point guard he brought in this past spring to wrap up a four-man class that includes wing Andre Wesson and big men Derek Funderburk and Micah Potter, all native Ohioans.
"I think adding C.J. Jackson into that sophomore class – he doesn’t come in as a freshman, he comes in as a sophomore – gives it a little bit more of a stability there in terms of evening things out as much as we can," Matta said on his talented junior college point guard Jackson.
The 2017 class looks to be a three-man haul for Ohio State, while classes in 2018 and 2019 could be much higher in volume for the program. Matta spoke on what bringing in big classes would mean for the Buckeyes.
"As long as it’s the right guys it’s real nice," Matta said. "I think with that said that’s something that really, recruiting sometimes is like a jigsaw puzzle and you have to get the right pieces to fit the puzzle. By the same token we’ve been hurt with early departures, not so much transfers, the transfers don’t bother me that much – but I think from the early departures we’ve had a hard time saying we need exactly this, exactly this.
"I think we’re sort of getting back to that the best that we can. By the same token, we always liked multidimensional players and guys that can play several positions for us.”
The aforementioned Young and Wilkes appear to be versatile guys like that for Ohio State, but it remains to be seen what will happen with the rest of their recruitment. Speculation says that Butler and Michigan are in on Young as strong as anyone, which will make the remainder of the 6-foot-7 wing's recruitment an interesting one.
As far as guards, prospects like Troy Brown Jr., Nojel Eastern, Nick Witherspoon, MJ Walker and Jordan Goodwin seem to be the focus of Ohio State at the moment in 2017.
News and Notes
- Once a prized target of the Buckeyes, Findlay Prep's Gary Trent Jr. ended all hope of an Ohio reunion by leaving Ohio State out of his top five on Tuesday. Trent Jr., who is regarded as one of the best all-around players in the country, is down to Kentucky, UCLA, Duke, Arizona and Michigan State.
- Ohio's top prospect in 2017, 6-foot-10 Warren Harding big man Derek Culver committed to West Virginia on Tuesday, choosing the Mountaineers over Clemson and Indiana. Culver comes in at No. 54 nationally by 247Sports and never received an Ohio State offer, mainly due to the logjam that exists in the front court for the Buckeyes.
- Ohio State extended an offer to 2018 five-star shooting guard Keldon Johnson on Sunday. Johnson, who is ranked at No. 19 nationally by 247Sports, is the fourth shooting guard that Ohio State has offered in the 2018 class, joining the likes of Dwayne Cohill, Tim Finke and Dane Goodwin, who is the lone commit for the Buckeyes in the class.
