Let’s be perfectly honest—Thad Matta and his Ohio State basketball program would be absolutely fine if it didn’t land another recruit from now until national signing day.
That may not be what fans who are always looking for the next star or a No.1 class want to hear, but the Buckeyes currently have the No. 7 class in the country, according to 247Sports, for 2015 and just landed the No. 8 class in 2014, according to 247Sports. Between the 2014 and 2015 groups alone, the Buckeyes have eight different players.
That is a lot of young incoming talent, and that’s not even mentioning Marc Loving and Trevor Thompson, who will both have multiple years of eligibility remaining after the 2014-15 basketball season is over.
Yes, the Buckeyes have some seniors this year, including Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson and Amir Williams, but between Loving, Thompson, D’Angelo Russell, Jae’Sean Tate, Keita Bates-Diop, Kam Williams, David Bell and the four 2015 commits, the immediate future looks rather bright.
With that in mind, it is hard to justify the idea that a remaining prospect or two could “make or break” the 2015 class.
However, you could make the argument that losing out on Carlton Bragg, Esa Ahmad and Luke Kennard was a significant blow. Kennard is a 5-star shooting guard, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, who committed to Duke, Ahmad is a 4-star power forward who committed to West Virginia and Bragg is a 5-star power forward and potential superstar who will go elsewhere as well.
That is some significant in-state talent leaving Ohio’s borders, which is difficult for Buckeyes fans to see after Ohio natives Trey Burke and Adreian Payne made life particularly difficult for them in the Big Ten the past few years.
Ibby Ahmad, Esa’s father, discussed the decision, via Bill Landis of Cleveland.com, “[Ohio State] wasn’t there as long as Maryland and West Virginia, but when they did come on they showed a lot of love. Ohio State came in, gave it their shot.”
Matta may have lost out on that significant in-state talent, but he has responded with a potentially dominant class that includes two Texans, a Georgian and one Ohioan. It is more important that he keeps those verbal pledges intact than actually signing anyone else at this point, especially since Mickey Mitchell already de-committed once before joining the group again.
Shooting guard Austin Grandstaff, center Daniel Giddens, point guard A.J. Harris and small forward Mitchell are all 4-star prospects, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, and give Matta an elite option at basically every position on the floor. Sure, there’s no power forward, but there are a number of versatile young guys already on the roster who could take care of that if needed.
These four recruits are the ideal complement to each other because Harris is always looking to set up teammates to score, Grandstaff can light it up from behind the three-point line, Mitchell can both shoot and slash to the rim and Giddens is capable of anchoring a defense down low with his strength, rebounding ability and shot-blocking athleticism.
Pairing this class with the loaded 2014 group down the road should have Buckeyes fans thrilled about the future.
Even though Matta’s class can’t really be “broken” if he strikes out on any remaining outside prospects, there are a few remaining players who would solidify this class as one of the nation’s best.
However, it is important to note that it is looking all the more likely that Matta and his coaching staff may be done adding 2015 commits. At one point or another, they were in on the recruitment of Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, Cheick Diallo, Thomas Bryant and Isaiah Briscoe.
Considering all five of those players are 5-star recruits, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, landing even one of them would be a significant boost to the 2015 class. Still, they are all listed as “cooled” on Ohio State on 247Sports and will in all likelihood be taking their collective talents elsewhere.
Of course, if any of them came knocking on Matta’s door saying he wanted in, the coach would be happy to take him. But Ohio State is likely turning its attention toward laying the foundation for the future with the 2016 class already.
The Buckeyes are targeting small forward Braxton Blackwell, point guard Kobi Simmons and center Derek Funderburk, which would give them some depth across different positions yet again.
It is also worth keeping an eye on prospects like Tyus Battle, V.J. King, Mario Kegler and Omari Spellman, who are all listed as potential Ohio State targets for 2016 on 247Sports. Buckeyes fans should be quite encouraged that every single one of the 2016 prospects mentioned here is either a 4- or 5-star recruit, so it is clear Matta is looking for a dominant class for a third straight year.
Ultimately, it is difficult to say a given player or two will make or break the Buckeyes’ 2015 class because it appears to be as close to set in stone as it can be at this time of year. Ohio State landed an impressive 2014 group and has another formidable one coming down the pipeline next season.
Now it’s time for the Buckeyes to turn their attention toward even more 4- and 5-star prospects in 2016.
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Continue Reading: Ohio State Basketball Recruiting: Make or Break Players for 2015 Class
