Head coach Thad Matta and his Ohio State men’s basketball coaching staff are off to a quick start in their 2014 recruiting class with four commits, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any questions surrounding the process.
The Buckeyes have had a couple of lackluster recruiting efforts the past two years because of scholarship uncertainty, but they will be back among the nation’s elite come national signing day.
Will Thad Matta Land a Big Man?
If there is a pressing need for Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class at this point, it is landing another big man.
Dave Bell is considered a long-term project and both Amir Williams and Trey McDonald will be gone by 2015.
The Buckeyes are still dark horses for the services of Jahlil Okafor, but with each recruiting update, it seems like a longer and longer shot (hint: It’s not going to happen). That means Thad Matta will have to look elsewhere for a center/power forward.
Ohio State has shown interest in Myles Turner, Elbert Robinson, Goodluck Okonoboh and Payton Dastrup among others.
There are some concerns from the Buckeyes’ standpoint in terms of landing one or more of these players. Turner is very high on going to Kansas and will be making an official visit there soon for Midnight Madness, while Matta joined the party a bit late with Okonoboh and Dastrup.
As for Robinson, the Buckeyes are one of his three finalists (with Georgetown and Louisville). That being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Matta saw the writing on the wall for a few of the other centers (most notably Okafor) and started pursuing Robinson with even more vigor.
Continue Reading: Ohio State Basketball: 5 Biggest Questions About Buckeyes’ 2014 Recruiting Plans
