Probably now, more than before, Hood is getting Ohio State's full-court press. Although he and Anthony Gill don't play the same position, Gill committing to Virginia will make it an easier sell for Hood.
FWIW, Joe Kotoch, an agent extraordinaire and proprietor of the "Pro Basketball Draft" site, has been very bullish about Ohio State's chances to land Hood. On his Twitter this weekend, he noted Ohio State's chances for Hood were "very real."
If you haven't seen Hood, I surmise you'd be very impressed. He was a 5-star out of high school. He's a very good basketball player that is also a great athlete. Beyond being a good scorer and solid rebounder as a wing, he was also Mississippi State's best perimeter defender. He's long, he's explosive and he would be a sensational fit for the Buckeyes.
was just about to ask what everyone thought about Hood after the Gill beat dropped. Thanks for the input!
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
According to Bob Baptist @ the Dispatch, he's heard very little from Hood or those in the know with him and no visit has been scheduled to OSU yet. Hood does not seem to be in much of a hurry to make this decision. He's still in classes @ Miss. State for now. I'm not sure how this turns out. Reports were that he was homesick in Starkville, where MSU's located and his parents only live 2 hours from there. Obviously Ohio is much farther away.
Thanks for the update Kyle. Loved your work over on scout! So glad to have you over here.
True, tenn, but homesickness sometimes isn't just about proximity but about environment. Some people can get homesick an hour away but feel right at home on the other end of the country.
The expectation all along is that Hood's preference is to stay in the South. We'll see if that materializes, but Ohio State having LaQuinton Ross is enough to keep them in the race (or so it seems). Ultimately it will probably just be a matter of him visiting and being comfortable.
Hood is good friends with Laquinton Ross...watch this one
I agree with much of what you're saying Kyle, the contributing factor for his dislike or homesickness at Miss. State could be that the team was in complete disarray, resulting in the coach leaving and their roster is now decimated. Perhaps it didn't feel like a 'family' atmosphere there.
I'm just not going to get my hopes up on him signing with OSU. The Ross connection helps for sure, and he could very well visit and love OSU and decide the distance isn't as big a deal. But we gotta get him to come to Columbus for a visit first.
If he visits C-Bus, lock him up. The visit usually seals the deal.
Best to be patient and wait on Hood to see if he will visit ater the academic semester. He would have to sit out a transfer year anyway.
^^This^^
From what I've heard and read, Hood has expressed interest in visiting OSU after the semester is over. It'll take a bit, but I think he'll like it here.
Warm weather months at OSU and Columbus are amazing...if he visits then, hes in...Oval Beach is too enticing to turn down
Is Oval Beach where the chicks topless sunbathe?
I was reading that since he is a transfer he doesn't have the same time table for making a school decision as if he was a new student. He supposedly is waiting till his semester ends at Miss. St. and then will take visits and OSU will be one of his visits, and possibly his last visit since the rest of the schools he will visit are on semesters versus quarters. Keep an eye on this one folks.