With an announcement by 4-star small forward recruit Mickey Mitchell, Ohio State Basketball found out the hard way that a verbal pledge is meaningless in college sports until the prospect puts pen to paper on national signing day.
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Mitchell was originally elected to be part of head coach Thad Matta’s impressive 2015 recruiting class as an early member.
He decommitted via Twitter on August 21:
While Mitchell seemed rather definitive in his statement—even taking the time to thank the coaching staff—all hope may not be lost for the Buckeyes.
Mitchell visited its campus Saturday for the football game against Virginia Tech with Ohio State commits A.J. Harris and Austin Grandstaff, and logic would dictate that if he made the trip from Texas, there is still some lingering interest.
While the outcome on the field wasn’t ideal for the Buckeyes, you would be hard-pressed to find a more impressive recruiting atmosphere in all of sports.
From the pregame pep rally and skull session—which draws thousands more fans than some schools get at their actual football games—to Ohio Stadium’s record crowd of 107,517, Ohio State likely made an impression on Mitchell.
What’s more, none other than LeBron James himself was on the sidelines, decked out in scarlet and gray gear.
Grandstaff commented on the experience, per Jeremy Birmingham of ElevenWarriors.com:
It was great. What really stood out to me was the…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Basketball: Breaking Down Buckeyes’ Chances to Land Mickey Mitchell
