The Ohio State basketball team lost Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith Jr. and LaQuinton Ross to either graduation or the NBA this offseason, but Thad Matta has nearly 14’ of reinforcements on the way.
While much of the excitement surrounding the program has understandably come from the No. 6-ranked recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports, Matta addressed a serious area of need through the transfer market. Big men Anthony Lee and Trevor Thompson both recently elected to take their talents to Columbus.
Lee comes via Temple, where he averaged 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds a game in 2013-14. He was a double-double threat every time he stepped on the floor and gave the Owls a formidable rim protector on the defensive side of the ball.
Lee is such an important addition for the Buckeyes because Amir Williams has failed to live up to his McDonald’s All-American potential in his three years on campus.
While Williams has flashed moments of brilliance, Ohio State needs a consistent big man in the physically grueling Big Ten. It was actually the departing Ross who led the team in rebounds per game last year, and the graduating Smith was a close third. The team as a whole was 216th in the country in total rebounds a night with Ross and Smith, so Lee’s prowess on the boards will be absolutely critical.
Lee also fits in nicely with the group of incoming 2014 recruits.
D’Angelo Russell, Jae’Sean Tate and Keita Bates-Diop are the expected impact…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Basketball: What Trevor Thompson, Anthony Lee Will Bring to Buckeyes
