Ohio State Roster Preview: Daniel Giddens

Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports The 4-Star Center from Oak Hill should be an immediate starter. It’s been awhile since Thad Matta has had a defensive anchor in the middle. Failed projects like Amir Williams were preceded by offense-first players such as Jared Sullinger. With the arrival of 4-star  center Daniel Giddens out of Oak Hill, that will change. Though he is an excellent defender, don’t think that Giddens is an offensive liability. There’s a reason he is rated as the #10 center in the Class of 2015 by ESPN. Giddens has incredible athleticism, and can already finish with authority. But it is his defense that makes him stand out. At 6’10” and 240 pounds, Giddens is long enough that he can be an elite shot blocker and big enough that it is nearly impossible to move him off the block–let alone score on him. Oak Hill is always close to a high school all-star team and Giddens played with a veritable who’s-who of Division I prospects during his senior year. With Giddens manning the middle, the Warriors won their first 46 games before falling to Ben Simmons and Montverde in the finals of the Dick’s National High School Tournament. Dwayne Bacon (Florida State), Andrew Fleming (Iowa), Terrence Phillips (Missouri), and Joshua Reaves (Penn State) all will be joining Giddens at the next level. Prior to his season at Oak Hill, Giddens played at Wheeler (Ga.) with 5-star recruit Jaylen Brown (Cal). In his junior season he was already dominant enough to average a double-double, tallying 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks per game…

Continue Reading: Ohio State Roster Preview: Daniel Giddens