Ohio State Basketball: Chris Holtmann Must Recruit These States Hard
- Lenzelle Smith Zion, Illinois
- Jared Sullinger Columbus, Ohio
- Deshaun Thomas Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Jordan Sibert Cincinnati. Ohio
- Aaron Craft Findlay, Ohio
- J.D. Weatherspoon Columbus, Ohio
What can you say about this group of guys? They were the winningest class ever at Ohio State.
First there was the big man Jared Sullinger. He was a star player from the first time he stepped on the court for Ohio State. Sullinger could have headed for the NBA after his freshman year.
Instead, he decided to come back for one more season because he was a local boy who loved the Buckeyes. During Sullinger’s sophomore season he led Ohio State to the Final Four.
Deshaun Thomas was an outstanding scorer who averaged 19.8 ppg his junior season before turning pro.
Lenzelle Smith was a fine all-around player who was important to the team’s success during his four years at Ohio State.
Then there was Aaron Craft. No player in recent memory has thrilled Buckeye fans with his outstanding plays on both ends of the court and with his late game heroics like Craft.
The things he accomplished during his four years were amazing. They include becoming the all time Big Ten leader in steals with 337, third in assists with 694, the Big Ten defensive Player of the Year twice and an Academic All-American.
Not too bad for a guy who Thad Matta didn’t want in his recruiting class. It took Jered Sullinger begging Matta multiple times to offer his little buddy Craft a scholarship before he relented. I think the former Buckeye head coach was glad he finally decided to heed Sullinger’s advice.
Now let’s take a look at what happened when Thad Matta decided to load his classes with players outside of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.