The July evaluation period is fast-approaching and the Ohio State is rather busy before it hits the road next month.
July 6–31 is a dead period in college basketball — no face-to-face contact with prospects on or off campus — with the exception of three live evaluation periods: July 12–16, July 19–23 and July 26–30. Some of the biggest AAU events of the summer — like Nike's Peach Jam — are during those periods.
So, before the staff hits the road for nearly the entire month of July, Chris Holtmann and Co. have been busy this week getting top prospects to campus for visits.
According to Andrew Slater of 247Sports, here is who Ohio State hosted for unofficial visits early this week:
The new Ohio State staff have been very busy:
— Andrew Slater (@ASlater247) June 28, 2017
Sunday - Jerome Hunter
Monday - Robert Phinisee
Tuesday - Torrence Watson#Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/sSCvUiQXGE
Additionally, according to 11W contributor and 270hoops.com's Zach Fleer, former commit Dane Goodwin began his official visit to Ohio State on Wednesday. Goodwin will visit through Friday.
Dane Goodwin is taking an official visit to Ohio State this evening through Friday. Important visit for Goodwin and the Bucks
— Zach Fleer (@ZachFleer270) June 28, 2017
We'll begin this list with Jerome Hunter, a four-star wing from nearby Pickerington North, who has emerged as a top priority for Holtmann in 2018. Hunter was offered by Indiana on Saturday (more on that later) and narrowed his list to a final five that includes the Buckeyes, Hoosiers, Michigan, Xavier and Pittsburgh.
Robert Phinisee is a relatively new name on the Ohio State radar. He's a four-star point guard from Lafayette, Indiana, who has offers from both Purdue and Indiana. So, it feels like this might be more of an outside shot.
Torrence Watson is another name that's been tied to Ohio State since Holtmann arrived as Holtmann recruited Watson heavily at Butler before taking the job in Columbus. Watson is a 6-foot-4 guard from St. Louis ranked as the No. 101 overall prospect in the country. He has offers from Creighton, St. Louis, Missouri, Michigan, Vanderbilt and more.
Finally, we get to Goodwin. The four-star guard from nearby Upper Arlington is a former Ohio State pledge. Goodwin has had a wild last couple of weeks, which included his decommitment from the 2018 class. He wanted to take a step back and look around after the coaching change — which is his right — and visited both Notre Dame and Villanova in the process.
Since those visits, the Irish picked up a commitment from fellow four-star shooting guard Robby Carmody, a pledge that gave Notre Dame two commitments at Goodwin's position. This now feels like it could be a battle that comes down to Villanova and Ohio State, so it's vital this week's visit with Holtmann and Co. gets knocked out of the park if Goodwin is going to return to the fold.
Here Comes Archie
Indiana and Ohio are two talent-rich states in the Midwest, so it's hardly a surprise when either the Hoosiers or Buckeyes cross over and try to recruit prospects from the other state.
New Indiana head coach Archie Miller was rather busy in extending scholarship offers to three top Ohio prospects of late: two in the 2018 class and one in 2019. The Hoosiers recently offered Hunter and Darius Bazley in 2018 in addition to Jeremiah Francis in 2019.
Blessed To Say I've Received An Offer From Indiana University ! #IUBB pic.twitter.com/FyodezVsrU
— Jeremiah Francis (@JFrancis30_) June 25, 2017
Bazley isn't a likely option for the Buckeyes in 2018 after the fallout with the previous coaching staff. As noted above, however, Hunter certainly is.
And Francis is arguably Ohio State's top in-state target in 2019. This offer from the Hoosiers is a big one for the four-star point guard; the Buckeyes have some work to do.
Ohio State in Top-Six For Eric Hunter
The Buckeyes need multiple guards in the 2018 class and another name that has come up a bit since Holtmann and Co. took over is Eric Hunter.
A four-star guard out of Indianapolis, Hunter recently included Ohio State in his top-six schools along with Nebraska, Butler, Purdue, Xavier and Minnesota.
Top 6.(Open) pic.twitter.com/AukxywH8QI
— Eric Hunter Jr. (@ebuckets13) June 26, 2017
The in-state Hoosiers have not yet offered Hunter, but if they were to do so it'd likely change the trajectory of his recruitment. A 6-foot-3 shooting guard, Hunter is the No. 135-ranked prospect nationally and the fifth-ranked recruit in the state of Indiana.
