On the court, this hasn't been the easiest year for Ohio State basketball.
But, as you're well aware, recruiting never stops in collegiate athletics and the Buckeyes have to continue to try and find the next wave of talent despite a subpar season.
It's a challenging time as coaching staffs across the country have to balance preparing their teams for upcoming games and traveling with recruiting. Getting out to see prospects across the country play high school games while still coaching can be tough.
But it's something every staff deals with and Ohio State's is no different. With that said, let's take a look at what Thad Matta and Co. have been up to on the recruiting trail over the last couple of weeks.
All in the Name
It certainly seemed like it was only a matter of time before 2019 point guard and Ohio State legacy Jeremiah Francis got an offer from the Buckeyes, and following last Saturday's loss to Nebraska, the Pickerington Central product finally got one.
Jeremiah Francis, the son of former Ohio State player Jerry Francis, is a four-star prospect in the 2019 class. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder also already has offers from Purdue, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and others. The Buckeyes are the favorite here to land a pledge from Francis at some point, but he's just a high school sophomore so there is plenty of time for this whole thing to play out.
Right now, Francis is attempting to lead Pickerington Central to a state championship. The Tigers (20-2) are the No. 2-ranked team in the state of Ohio and begin their state tournament run Saturday.
Keep Your Eyes On Them
As mentioned, in-season recruiting is always difficult as coaching staffs have to balance preparing their own teams for upcoming games and traveling with going on the road to check out high school games. But Matta and Co. offered another pair of prospects recently, so here are a couple of names to add to Ohio State's watch list.
The first was 2019 wing Romeo Weems, who was offered by Matta on Feb. 3 when the Buckeyes traveled to play Michigan. Weems is a 6-foot-6 small forward and the No. 2-ranked player in the state of Michigan in the 2019 class. Michigan State is the likely frontrunner here as the Spartans offered Weems just a few days before Ohio State. He also has reported early offers from Creighton, Detroit and Oakland.
The second offer recently extended by Ohio State is a bit more interesting. Over the weekend, the Buckeyes offered a scholarship to Mark Smith, a four-star combo guard in the 2017 class.
It's interesting because Ohio State was thought to be done in 2017 and the fact it offered a guard signals there could be some thought from the staff someone could be moving on. Smith is listed as a point guard, but at 6-foot-5 he could likely play either spot much like JaQuan Lyle. Lyle, C.J. Jackson, Kam Williams and 2017 signee Braxton Beverly are all expected to be in the fold next year, so the offer to Smith certainly raised some eyebrows.
A native of Edwardsville, Illinois, Smith has offers from Nebraska, Indiana, Northwestern, Illinois and others. He's listed as the No. 107 player in the country and is one of the fastest-rising senior prospects in the Midwest.
Matta Watches 2018 PG
Matta and assistant coach Chris Jent were in New Jersey on Tuesday night, according to Twitter, to watch one of the best 2018 prospects in the country.
Jahvon Quinerly is rated as the No. 28 overall player in the class and a four-star point guard. He scored 30 points in front of Matta on Tuesday night and already has a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. Villanova, Connecticut, Maryland and others are also hot after Quinerly.
2018 PG Jahvon Quinerly dropped 30 with Thad Matta watching. https://t.co/PyhlS3iRS4
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) February 22, 2017
Mitchell Visits Ohio State, Will Transfer to Montverde
One of the Buckeyes' top targets in the 2019 class, in addition to Francis, is another local product: Gahanna's Jordan Mitchell. Ohio State offered the 6-foot-6 Mitchell over a year ago to show how big of a priority he is. It was Mitchell's first scholarship offer.
Mitchell was seated behind the Buckeyes' bench for Thursday night's game against Wisconsin so it's clear there is still heavy interest on both sides for the nation's No. 29-ranked player in the 2019 class. Mitchell also has reported offers from Florida, Xavier and Iowa.
He will not be finishing his career at Gahanna, however. According to 270Hoops, Mitchell, who has two years of high school left, will transfer to Montverde Academy in Florida for next season. Montverde is one of the top prep schools in the country that plays a rigorous schedule. Recently, the Buckeyes signed D'Angelo Russell from Montverde and current freshman Micah Potter spent his final high school season there.
What this means for Ohio State and Mitchell, who knows. His recruitment hasn't exactly exploded yet, but with AAU season upcoming — the time a prospect earns the majority of his offers — and then the transfer to Montverde, it certainly could happen soon. If schools the likes of Kentucky, etc. get involved, it could be tough for Ohio State to hold on.
Ohio State Commits, Signees Begin State Runs
The state basketball tournament in Ohio began Thursday and all four players in the 2017 and 2018 classes from the state currently signed with or committed to the Buckeyes are preparing for postseason runs.
We'll start with 2017 signee Kaleb Wesson, who will attempt to lead Westerville South to its second-straight state championship in Division I and third-straight Final Four. Wesson and the Wildcats are the favorites to come out of the Columbus 4 District and they kicked things off Thursday night with a 93-32 pasting of Franklin Heights. The Columbus regional is loaded this year, so should Wesson and Westerville South advance out of districts, a pair of potentially big-time matchups await before advancing to state.
In 2018, Ohio State already has a trio of in-state pledges in Dane Goodwin, Justin Ahrens and Darius Bazley. Like Wesson, Goodwin competes in the Columbus regional, but his Upper Arlington squad is in the Columbus 1 District. The Golden Bears are the No. 6-ranked team in the state, but are in the same district as No. 9-ranked Hilliard Bradley in addition to perennial power Columbus Northland. Upper Arlington was a regional qualifier a year ago and the path back this season is certainly challenging, but things got off to a good start Thursday with a 60-30 victory against Watkins Memorial. Goodwin scored 17 points and had eight rebounds.
Bazley transferred from Finneytown to Cincinnati Princeton this year and as a result had to sit out the first half of the season. Princeton is the No. 5 seed in the Dayton region in Division I, but the Vikings are in a district with second-seeded La Salle and fourth-seeded Sidney. Bazley and Princeton began their postseason with a 69-48 win over Turpin.
Ahrens and his Versailles team are ranked No. 2 in the state in Division III with a 21-1 record on the season. A favorite to get to Value City Arena for the Final Four, Ahrens and the Tigers begin their postseason Friday night against Milton-Union in the Dayton 1 District.
