Hoops Recruiting Notebook: The Value of Ohio State's Assistant Coaches

Assistant coach turnover is more commonplace in football than basketball. Thad Matta had to replace a few assistant coaches in his time as the Buckeyes' head coach, however.

Offensive coordinator Tom Herman carries the cachet of building Ohio State's up-tempo offense and the ability to recruit in The South. Comparatively, it's difficult for a basketball coach to stake their reputation on one aspect of the game quite like a football coach can. Perhaps Matta will allow one of his assistants to take credit for implementing a zone defense, although he previously acknowledged Eastern Michigan coach Rob Murphy – a former Syracuse assistant – as the inspiration behind OSU's new-ish defensive philosophy.

Matta's staff is vital in the day-to-day practice routines and in-game play calling, where the head coach allows his assistants to take the lead during certain situations. How hands-on they are in the player development area is key for the program, but they're more indispensable in recruiting.

Herman earned the nickname "Texas Tom" for his ability to recruit Texas. He also had success in Georgia – escaping the state in good physical health after getting stuck in the snow for 19 hours can be considered a success.

Coincidentally, the Ohio State hoops staff plucked four-star recruits out of the same two states. Assistant Dave Dickerson established a relationship with signee Austin Grandstaff (Rockwall, Texas) before he committed to his original choice, Oklahoma State. Grandstaff did some recruiting of his own, spending time with Mitchell while he temporarily decommitted from OSU.

Dickerson also helped sway Daniel Giddens (Marietta, Georgia) to the Buckeyes.

"The trust I built with coach Matta and Dickerson was big," Giddens told HoopSeen.com, shortly after he committed. "They will try anything to help their players get to the next level. Coach Matta - he's one of the biggest names in college basketball."

Perhaps Dickerson can take control of Herman's nickname after Herman makes the bold move back to Texas?

So, while former coaches such as Chris Jent – who recently mutually departed the Sacramento Kings – are crucial in the team's jump-shooting abilities or, as another example, John Groce – who helped steer a five-star recruit to Ohio State – are no longer part of the staff, the Buckeyes have found excellent replacements. In addition to Dickerson, Jeff Boals and Greg Paulus have played large roles in the recruiting process over the last two seasons in particular.

King Still HIgh on Buckeyes

As many of you out-of-state readers can attest to – especially you, LeBron –  the pull of home can be quite persuasive. 

Five-star 2016 recruit V.J. King recently transferred from LeBron James' alma mater, St. Vincent - St. Mary, to Paul VI in Farifax, Virginia. Like the Cleveland Cavaliers' star did, King yearns for home despite being in a different state. 

"We consider ourselves lifelong residents of Northeast Ohio, which makes us lifelong residents of the state of Ohio," Vincent King, V.J.'s father, told Cleveland.com. "The relationships with Thad Matta, his staff, which we formed in the beginning, haven't changed because of location."

One thing has changed since his move to Virginia, however:

VJ King has really improved his ability to finish through contact in paint.Playing lot stronger inside than during his days in Ohio.

— Rodger Bohn (@rodgerbohn) December 14, 2014

Early Season Highlights

Recent video of 2018 commit Dane Goodwin finally emerged, this month. 

While it was a 71-49 loss to Dublin Jerome, Goodwin put up 17 points and six rebounds. He wears No. 23 for the Golden Bears and hits this three early in the first quarter:

Last week's notebook featured 2015 signee Daniel Giddens' MVP performance at Marshall County Hoops Fest in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville native and Buckeye target Braxton Blackwell also participated in the event with his Christ Presbyterian Academy squad: