It has been quite a while since the Ohio State basketball program has been relevant on a national scale. When Thad Matta was leading the program, the Buckeyes were competing for Big Ten titles and even played for a national championship. That game was almost 20 years ago at this point.
Now, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been struggling to even make the NCAA Tournament. Jake Diebler is in charge of turning things around and getting the program back to those heights. He even mentioned that when he was given the full-time job after being the interim head coach.
Diebler knows that the best way to do that is to land big-time recruits on the recruiting trail. He already has two four-star recruits coming in next season. Now, he has landed one of the best recruits that the Ohio State basketball program has ever had.
The Ohio State basketball program lands five-star recruit Anthony Thompson
Five-star small forward recruit Anthony Thompson has committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Thompson is listed as the eighth-best recruit in the country and the top recruit in the state of Ohio. He chose the Buckeyes over Indiana, but also had Kentucky, Texas, and Michigan in his top five.
Being able to keep a recruit like Thompson home is a massive win for Diebler and his coaching staff. Thompson is 6'8 but has a 7'3 wingspan, making him a menace on both ends of the court. He's 205 pounds, so he can effortlessly switch between the three and the four position.
His ability to score is what will make the Buckeyes so dangerous right away. He is going to start for Ohio State as soon as he steps on campus next season. His physical tools make him an enticing prospect that Diebler can mold into whatever he wants.
Thompson is the seventh-best recruit in the history of the program since recruiting services started tracking how good prospects were. He truly is a program-changing recruit as Diebler tries to pull this program back into national relevancy in the age of NIL.