Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports LaQuinton Ross declared for the NBA Draft after his junior season. What could have happened had he stayed for one more season? LaQuinton Ross, a four star recruit out of Jersey, was a part of a top ten recruiting class for Ohio State in 2011 that also included Sam Thompson, Shannon Scott, Amir Williams and Trey McDonald. While Ross didn’t play much in his freshman season (35 minutes total), he became a key contributor during his sophomore season. By the time his junior season came around Ross was a key staple on a team that had lost leading scorer DeShaun Thomas. Ross took advantage of being the offensive leader for the Buckeyes in 2013-14, leading the team in scoring (15.2 points per game), as well as leading the team in rebounds (5.9 per game). Ross was a major component of the Buckeyes offense, even more so as the team struggled to score heavily outside of Ross, with only Lenzelle Smith hitting double digits per game. At the end of the year Ross ended up earning third team All-Big Ten honors, though the season ended on a sour note with an opening round NCAA Tournament loss to Dayton by a single point. When everything was said and done the team’s leading scorer decided to not stick around for his senior season, declaring early for the NBA Draft. Ross’s stock took a big hit heading into the draft, though, when he came into the combine considerably overweight and out of shape, also struggling heavily in a number of different drill tests. The end result was Ross went undrafted and forced to try to earn a camp invite by participating in the summer league…
Continue Reading: 96 Days to Big Ten Basketball: Did LaQuinton Ross Make A Mistake Declaring Early in 2014?
