Amedeo Della Valle is headed to Ohio State.
The 6-foot-5, 183-pound combo guard from Findlay Prep chose the Buckeyes Saturday over Arizona and Texas A&M.
“Probably the level of competition and the kind of guys they have,” the 19-year-old Italian guard said of why he chose Ohio State. “They are great guys and they have great coaches. Coach [Thad] Matta is a great coach.
“Those are the things that made me decide.” (more…)
Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger is headed to the NBA.
After guiding the Buckeyes to the Final Four, the sophomore opted to end his college career and declare for the draft.
Sullinger is the No. 6 prospect among the Top 100 on DraftExpress.com.
“Going to the Final Four with a team that many people said we weren’t good enough, weren’t strong enough, weren’t mentally tough enough, and still being able to get to the Final Four with all the ups and downs we had, I think that was tremendous for this basketball team,” Sullinger said, flanked by his parents and coach Thad Matta in Columbus, Ohio, according to the AP. (more…)
Ohio State coach Thad Matta said Jared Sullinger will play when No. 2 Ohio State hosts Lamar on Tuesday night.
Sullinger left Saturday’s win at South Carolina in the first half and had to be taken to a hospital for tests after hurting his left foot. He reappeared later on the bench with crutches. He tweeted after the game that he would practice the next day, but he didn’t.
Sullinger also missed two recent games with back spasms, but Matta says he will play.
“I’m expecting him to play, just from what he’s saying, how much better it felt yesterday than it did on Saturday and how much better it feels today than it did on Sunday,” said Matta, who picked up his 200th Ohio State win in Saturday’s game.
(The AP contributed)
Ohio State star Jared Sullinger remains sidelined with back spasms and it is unclear when he will return.
“It’s the progression we’re trying to take in terms of step by step,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta told reporters. “As opposed to running the full marathon, we’re going to warm up with a 5K and then get to a 10K.”
Sullinger missed No.2 Ohio State’s loss Saturday at No. 13 Kansas, and he has yet to be cleared for Wednesday’s game against South Carolina-Upstate.
The Buckeyes next play at South Carolina Saturday. (more…)
Ohio State freshman LaQuinton Ross has been cleared to play for the Buckeyes.
“Laquinton Ross @qross2011 is officially a Buckeye!!!!,” assistant coach Jeff Boals tweeted.
The 6-foot-8 Ross did well on his recent SAT and his former high school coach, Wilson Arroyo of Burlington Life Center, confirmed the good news Thursday.
Arroyo said he believes Ross will becomes eligible Dec. 10 after the semester ends.
Ohio State visits Kansas Dec. 10.
“Just got the news that he has been cleared to play and join his teammates,” Arroyo said by text.
In September, Ross was declared ineligible while the NCAA looked into his grades from his ninth and 10th grade years at Jackson (Miss.) Murrah High School, Arroyo said. Since then, he has been at home working out and taking courses online.
Ohio State signee LaQuinton Ross did well on his recent SAT and could be cleared to play “within the next 2-3 weeks,” Wilson Arroyo, his former high school coach at Burlington (N.J.) Life Center, told SNY.tv.
“According to NCAA rules, we are working within the guidelines to get him reinstated within the next 2-3 weeks,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo said nothing was official yet, but that the 6-foot-8 Ross “got the results from his SAT test from November and did real well.”
“Just gave the good news to the staff,” Ross tweeted in reference to his SAT result. (more…)
Ohio State recruit LaQuinton Ross was ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA and hopes to join the Buckeyes by December.
“He will be returning home [to Jackson, Miss.] to take a math class and an English class,” Wilson Arroyo, his former coach at Burlington (N.J.) Life Center, told SNY.tv. “Most likely he will take NCAA-approved on-line courses. He will also be studying to retake his SAT to improve his score.
“The plan is for him to take those courses and retake the SAT and/or ACT. Once he receives his eligibility he plans on returning to Ohio State in early December.”
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward originally chose Ohio State over West Virginia and Baylor.
The Buckeyes, who open practice Oct. 14, play their opener on Nov. 11 at home against Wright State.
NEW YORK — It’s not hard to imagine several of the players in Saturday’s Franchise Classic playing professionally down the road.
Kyle Anderson, Archie Goodwin, Shaq Goodwin and Omar Calhoun are all potential pros.
But of all the players in the game, perhaps none has more pro potential than 6-foot-9 Chris Walker.
Although Walker has to continue to develop his shot and his face-up game, his physicality, athleticism and ability to score near the basket are virtually unmatched at the high school level.
The 2013 star from Bonifay (Fla.) Holmes County is still mulling his college options, but says he plans to visit several powerhouses unofficially in the coming weeks. (more…)
DaJuan Coleman, one of the premier centers in the Class of 2012, plans to visit Kentucky for Big Blue Madness Oct. 15.
“He wants to go to Kentucky for Midnight Madness,” said a source with direct knowledge.
Coleman, who left today for the adidas Nations event in Los Angeles Aug. 5-8, was not immediately available for comment.
The source said Kentucky, Syracuse and Ohio State currently lead for the 6-foot-9 big man from Jamesville DeWitt High, and that Ohio State has made a big push into what was previously a two-team race. (more…)
NEWARK – Everywhere you look here, there are potential one-and-done freshmen starring in the East Regional.
Of the Top 10 players on Chad Ford’s Big Board, three were sent to the “Brick City”: No. 3 Harrison Barnes of North Carolina, No. 4 Jared Sullinger of Ohio State and No. 10 Brandon Knight of Kentucky.
Kentucky forward Terrence Jones is also a potential lottery pick, and fellow frosh Doron Lamb could get drafted as well. (more…)
“Adam Zagoria sees the story behind the daily happenings.”
~ St. Anthony Coach Bob Hurley
Zagoria covers the New York Knicks and Big East hoops for NBA.com and SNY.tv. He also appears as a Big East Basketball Insider on SNY and 1050 ESPN Radio.
He is an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, SI and Basketball Times.
