OSU Hoops Recruiting Back On
Cowboys coach Travis Ford must get busy on the recruiting trail.
By John Helsley
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The news that Travis Ford and Co. were cutting ties with Juco forward Karron Johnson came as no surprise. And it shouldn’t be regretted.
The Cowboys chased Johnson a long time and there was promise when he signed a letter of intent with OSU back in February. But Johnson couldn’t steer clear of a familiar trail of trouble that traced from school to school to school — five schools in all, in five years.
His season at Midland had barely begun when he had a run-in with Chaps head coach Ross Hodge, who booted Johnson from the team after just nine games. It was the same story a year ago, when clashed with coach Jeff Spoonhour at Moberly Area Community College in Missouri and was dismissed from the squad there.
Nobody doubts that Johnson is a rare talent, an NBA talent. But there’s no doubting his track record for trouble, either. Needing a focused direction going forward from this season of struggle, the Cowboys don’t need any distractions of this sort.
So the Cowboys are moving on. And moving out, now scrambling to find some new pieces for the 2011-12 season. And they’ve got their work cut out for them.
OSU will be lacking a proven presence in the post next year, especially if Darrell Williams doesn’t return from his legal issues. Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim are seniors. That leaves Roger Franklin and Jarred Shaw as experienced forwards. Mike Cobbins, a redshirting freshman, still draws raves from the coaching staff. But there’s a noticeable lack of muscle.
Trouble is, there’s little unsigned talent left in the prep ranks. And getting in late on what is available won’t be easy. Maybe the Cowboys can have some luck with some other Juco players.
Here are a few names to monitor as the Cowboys re-start their recruiting efforts:
PG Cezar Guerrero. A 5-11 prep point man in California, Guerrero is the best point guard still unsigned. A number of schools are involved and the Cowboys are late to the dance. But don’t count them out.
SG Tony Kimbro. A 6-4 prep shooter out of Louisville, Kimbro has been on the Cowboys’ radar for some time. The Cowboys need shooters, clearly.
PG Sam Grooms. At the Juco level, Grooms would likely be the top target — of several teams. The 6-1 guard, who plays for the nation’s No. 2 JC in Florida, is garnering interest from Florida, North Carolina and Kansas as well.
PG Anthony Hickey. The Cowboys are the most prominent program on the 5-10 point man out of Kentucky, but they may be aiming higher.
SF Anthony Norris. A lot of familiar names are in on this 6-7 forward from Houston, including Baylor, Oklahoma, Colorado and others.
SG Zeke Chapman. More like a combo guard at 6-2, Chapman may answer dual needs for the Cowboys.
SG Josh Richardson. An under-the-radar prospect from Edmond Santa Fe, the 6-5 Richardson is picking up some late interest.
PG Kevin Amayo. A 6-4 guard from New Jersey, Amayo would offer size the Cowboys currently lack at the position.
SG Ben Dillard. Another prep option out of Texas.
SF Ahmad Ibrahim. A 6-5 prep player out of Houston.
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Comments
Some excellent reporting today from Alex Bozich at Inside the Hall shows that Indiana coach Tom Crean may be out recruiting a player or players from Huntington (W.Va.) Prep.
Bozich was told by a source that Crean was in the area and checked flight records to see if there was any truth to it. He found this flight on what would appear to be a jet available to IU (It was at Purdue on Feb. 8 and Gary for the La Lumiere-Lew Wallace game) that would have landed in Huntington at 3:22 p.m. and bring him back at 6:42 p.m. (giving him time to make tonight’s radio show).
There are apparently two uncommitted prospects at Huntington Prep, 6-foot-5, 220-pound combo guard Maurice Anieifiok and Ibrahima Djimde, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound center.
According to recruiting guru Adam Zagoria, Maurice Aniefiok’s mentor is Joe Boncore, the guardian of former IU target Moses Abraham. After visiting IU as part of a bizarre recruiting process last spring, Abraham signed with Georgetown. Now listed on the Georgetown roster as Moses Ayegba, he has played in just four games this year and scored a total of 10 points in 17 minutes
I would like to see a few bigs on that list. But hopefully we can still land some guys who can compete for spots, regardless of position.
I agree with Larry and Brad about seeing a little size being recruited, although, if the players that OSU is after have the proper classroom credentials I can live with it.
there are always some taller/bigger kids that develop late. coordination, desire, etc. not there until Seniors–Scout lists a few 3 stars with size uncommitted (may be grade issues, may be looking for D-1 offer). a 6 9 195 kid in NJ, a 6 11 230 kid in NC, a 6 9 240 kid in Maine, etc. sure hope ford et al scouted through the bayous and the back alleys and found someone with potential to last longer than 5 min to get his 5 fouls and taller than 6 5 to fight in the post.
WOULD LOVE TO RECEIVE ALL O S U NEWS AND SPORTS UPDATE–ALL MY ANCESTORS WENT TO SCHOOL THEIR IN STILLWATER
need post help for next year. get real–if ford cannot cobble together a back court “point guard” from gulley, page, penn,and dowell, one more midget won’t help. brown is improving and should be able to handle 2. tall 1, scoring options at 3-4-5 and page can really help at 2. JPO, cobbins and the new guy should be able to handle the 3. so you are dying at the 4-5. refusing to play shaw for significant minutes until now is going to really bite ford next year. franklin can only play the 4 against small teams–any questions, please replay a&m tape–and appears uncomfortable with offense (as in, doesn’t score), but is an excellent defensive 3 (now ford has 4 at that position). if they sign another small pg, deserve to have terrible season next year. yeah, tough to find bigger player now; however, there are usually several later bloomers AND ford has known since last fall that KJ was not going to make it. better have been scouting.