{"id":571792,"date":"2010-05-20T12:00:35","date_gmt":"2010-05-20T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com\/?p=4976"},"modified":"2010-05-20T12:00:35","modified_gmt":"2010-05-20T16:00:35","slug":"way-too-early-look-at-the-basketball-bucks-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/571792","title":{"rendered":"Way too Early Look at the Basketball Bucks, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this second part of my incredibly early look at the Basketball team I will focus my attention on the Buckeyes highly regarded incoming recruiting class.\u00a0 The first three new guys I feature won\u2019t have any stats to their name as their coaches chose not to release them to the internet.\u00a0 That said, High School Basketball stats always tend to be a little on the ridiculous side so make sure to take the ones I do have with a grain of salt.<\/p>\n

I can’t wait to see these guys suit up for the Scarlet and Gray.\u00a0 They all look like tremendous athletes and are going to be a joy to watch during the season.<\/p>\n

Videos of their high school exploits are included after each player.\u00a0 As per usual, I don’t get to choose the music so be careful when viewing the videos.<\/p>\n

Aaron Craft (6-1, 170, Liberty-Benton HS, Findlay OH)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Aaron Craft<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Craft is a prototypical Floor General style Point Guard.\u00a0 He\u2019s a particularly good passer and reportedly one of the best defenders in the class, suggesting that there\u2019s a good chance we\u2019re going to see him on the floor early and often.\u00a0 His perimeter shot needs some work, though, so his production on offense will primarily be through distributing the ball to his teammates and getting into the paint.\u00a0 He reads defenses well, and seems to have a knack for taking a leadership role.<\/p>\n

Craft is a traditional PG through and through.\u00a0 He\u2019ll likely be told to work on his shooting a bit during the offseason, but don\u2019t expect him to be a primary scoring option for the Buckeyes during his career.\u00a0 Do expect him to be a big name on the defensive side of the ball early and often much like Lighty has been for much of his time in the Scarlet and Gray.<\/p>\n

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Lenzelle Smith (6-3, 215, Zion-Benton Township HS, Zion IL)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Lenzelle Smith<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Smith and Craft are quite similar in their skill sets, though Smith isn\u2019t likely to score off the dribble drive as well as Craft may be able to.\u00a0 Smith will lead the offense from beyond the arc and is reportedly a very good passer.\u00a0 The Buckeyes will find him particularly handy in getting the ball down low to Lauderdale and Sullinger during the season.\u00a0 He also appears to be quite adept at the 3 ball.\u00a0 He gets great arc on his deep shot, seems to follow through well and can hit a long shot even with a hand in his face.\u00a0 This should give the Buckeyes another shooting dimension to compliment Buford and Diebler during the season.<\/p>\n

Smith, like Craft, is clearly a 1 position style of player due to his ball distributing skills.\u00a0 In order to see lots of time, though, Smith will have to work on his ball-handling or the Big Ten teams will simply press him into plentiful turnovers.\u00a0 We may also occasionally see him at the 2 given his 3 point shooting skills.<\/p>\n

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Jordan Sibert (6-5, 180, Princeton HS, Cincinnati OH)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Jordan Sibert<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sibert is coming to Columbus as a SG, probably to be the guy who will fill Jon Diebler\u2019s shoes in the future.\u00a0 He\u2019s not as prolific a three point shooter as Diebler is (honestly, who is?<\/em>), but he has developed an inside game that Diebler seemed to lack his first two seasons which should help make him a little more dangerous early in his career.\u00a0 Jordan is a particularly versatile player overall, but may function better in motion away from the ball rather than leading the offense, so don\u2019t expect him to suddenly transition to PG.<\/p>\n

Sibert will likely play the 2 spot during his time in Columbus, but he has the size and versatility to switch to the 3.\u00a0 His versatility will also be a huge advantage in those times when Matta wants to go small and play a fast paced game.<\/p>\n

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JD Weatherspoon (6-7, 190, Northland HS, Columbus OH)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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JD Weatherspoon<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Weatherspoon is not your prototypical power forward.\u00a0 While he clearly plays his best game under the hoop, he\u2019s a lot quicker than your typical PF and can surprise defenders with his speed.\u00a0 His videos suggest that he\u2019s a bit of a dunk artist, so expect to see some high-flying acts while he\u2019s in the game.\u00a0 In fact, I can hear the \u201cCraft to Weatherspoon\u201d or \u201cSmith to Weatherspoon\u201d dunk calls already!<\/p>\n

Weatherspoon\u2019s dribble looks a little awkward, but he seems to be able to do things while putting the ball on the ground so that may not hamper him too much.\u00a0 While watching him dribble, I got the impression that it will be ripe for a steal at the college level, so we may see Matta command him to never put the ball on the deck.\u00a0 Such a command certainly wouldn\u2019t hurt his game any considering it seems to center around throwing the ball through the hoop as often as he possibly can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/td>\nPPG<\/td>\nFG%<\/td>\n3P%<\/td>\nFT%<\/td>\nFGM<\/td>\nFGA<\/td>\n3PM<\/td>\n3PA<\/td>\nFTM<\/td>\nFTA<\/td>\nAPG<\/td>\nBPG<\/td>\nRPG<\/td>\nSPG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
JD Weatherspoon<\/td>\n13.5<\/td>\n0.735<\/td>\n0.429<\/td>\n0.559<\/td>\n119<\/td>\n162<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n52<\/td>\n93<\/td>\n1.4<\/td>\n0.5<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n0.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Weatherspoon looks to be a perfect fit for the 4 position, especially since he\u2019s already spent time working with Mr. Sullinger sitting at the 5 and has likely developed a rapport with him.\u00a0 He may be able to play the 3 if the Buckeyes choose to go big with his speed, or play the 5 if the Bucks choose to go small, so there are plenty of options that can be explored with some of his skill sets.<\/p>\n

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DeShaun Thomas (6-7, 215, Bishop Luers HS, Fort Wayne IN)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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DeShaun Thomas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Of all the players coming to Columbus this year, DeShaun Thomas has to be the one that I\u2019m most excited to see hit the hardwood.\u00a0 I spoke of previous players on the list having some versatility to their game, but DeShaun Thomas seems to perfect the word.\u00a0 Scout.com<\/a> lists Thomas as a Power Forward, which with his size he could easily play.\u00a0 That said, though, Maxpreps.com<\/a> lists Thomas as a Guard.\u00a0 I want you to think about that for a moment.\u00a0 He could conceivably play anywhere from the 2 to the 5, and possibly even play the 1 depending on how good he is at directing traffic.\u00a0 Am I hyping a little?\u00a0 Sure, but this kid seems worth it.<\/p>\n

Thomas is a threat from anywhere on the court, including from beyond the arc (despite Scout.com\u2019s claim that his 3 point shot is weak).\u00a0 His shot does tend to be a little flat which is not conducive to a high shooting percentage, but that doesn\u2019t mean he can\u2019t do it \u2013 his 30.8% shooting from three suggests that quite well.\u00a0 Is he going to shoot lights out from downtown?\u00a0 No, but he will hit a fair amount of the time, and his 208 attempted 3 pointers (out of 583 total shots \u2013 35.7% of his shots) suggest that he\u2019s not afraid to take a crack at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/td>\nPPG<\/td>\nFG%<\/td>\n3P%<\/td>\nFT%<\/td>\nFGM<\/td>\nFGA<\/td>\n3PM<\/td>\n3PA<\/td>\nFTM<\/td>\nFTA<\/td>\nAPG<\/td>\nBPG<\/td>\nRPG<\/td>\nSPG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DeShaun Thomas<\/td>\n30.3<\/td>\n0.484<\/td>\n0.308<\/td>\n0.762<\/td>\n282<\/td>\n583<\/td>\n64<\/td>\n208<\/td>\n189<\/td>\n248<\/td>\n2.7<\/td>\n2.5<\/td>\n15.1<\/td>\n1.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

I have a hard time deciding where Thomas would be best suited.\u00a0 His skill sets and video suggest that he would probably best fit at the 2 or 3 spot, especially the 3 considering his size.\u00a0 Ultimately, I think he\u2019ll end up playing at the three not unlike Evan Turner did in his first two years in the program.<\/p>\n

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Jared Sullinger (6-9, 265, Northland HS, Columbus OH)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Jared Sullinger<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sullinger is the guy that everyone else is most excited to see on the floor \u2013 and for good reason.\u00a0 Buckeye fans have already seen him play in several games, including high school games televised on the world-wide leader and in games at Value City Arena.\u00a0 So far, Sullinger has done nothing but impress with his tenacity and power down low.\u00a0 He seems almost unstoppable in the paint, especially once he gets the ball in his hands.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s accused of being slow and of being unable to run the court effectively.\u00a0 Given what I\u2019ve seen so far of his play, I\u2019m not certain who the experts were watching or on what basis they were evaluating his talent.\u00a0 One of my favorite plays on the video linked to below is the one starting at about 33 seconds in where Sullinger picks up a pass down low for a layup and starts to move back to play defense, realizes that the opponent is pushing the ball down the court and hustles down to get the huge block without fouling.\u00a0 In one play, Sullinger showed the kind of desire, hustle and self control that coaches want in a player.\u00a0 Plus, being able to get down the court that quick is a bonus too.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that knocks on his speed and ability to get down the court have a lot more to do with fast breaks down the court, but for a big man I\u2019m not too surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/td>\nPPG<\/td>\nFG%<\/td>\n3P%<\/td>\nFT%<\/td>\nFGM<\/td>\nFGA<\/td>\n3PM<\/td>\n3PA<\/td>\nFTM<\/td>\nFTA<\/td>\nAPG<\/td>\nBPG<\/td>\nRPG<\/td>\nSPG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jared Sullinger<\/td>\n23.1<\/td>\n0.756<\/td>\n0.385<\/td>\n0.723<\/td>\n217<\/td>\n287<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n115<\/td>\n159<\/td>\n2.1<\/td>\n1.7<\/td>\n11.6<\/td>\n1.3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Don\u2019t make too much of the three pointers he takes in that video.\u00a0 He only shot 13 total and made 5, so you saw almost the entirety of his mid-range to outside shooting in that one video.\u00a0 Those three pointers were almost certainly a gimmick \u2013 though the fact that he can hit them on occasion is a nice way to keep defenses on their toes once in a while.<\/p>\n

Sullinger will play the 5 spot for the Buckeyes almost without question.\u00a0 I would be surprised if Matta decided to move him to the 4, even if that meant putting Lauderdale and Sullinger on the floor together.\u00a0 If anything, Lauderdale may move to the 4 before Sullinger does.<\/p>\n

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Come back tomorrow for a look at what the Buckeyes depth chart might look like next year given what we know now.<\/p>\n

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