Eleven Warriors

The Defector

Various outlets including The Dispatch are reporting 6'8" PF Luke Babbit has backed out of his commitment to play for Thad Matta in 2008. All accounts indicate Nevada's Player of the Year had a change of heart because he wants to play closer to home. I'm sure some folks will bang on the guy but I say it's better to find out now than have him get here and want to transfer to Nevada down the road. He's certainly not the first and won't be the last 17 year old to change his mind. The 2008 class is still solid with the likes of BJ Mullens, William Buford, Noopy Crater and Walter Offutt expected to remain in the fold. So whaddaya think? Big loss? I'd be lying if I said I was familiar with his game.

In other bad Buckeye news, those not as lazy as I am noted last week that freak of nature DeShaun Thomas also backed off his verbal commitment to join Matta in 2010. Thomas is considered the next Lebron in many scouting circles so losing him would be a major blow however I don't think it means he definitely won't play in Columbus. Plus, it's not like a verbal agreement from a freshman can ever be considered firm, especially if that player is deemed the next Lebron AND plays in the same state Kelvin Sampson coaches in. You know Sampson's probably been climbing up to Thomas' window blowing sweet nothings ever since the original verbal based on his sketchy recruitment of Eric Gordon.

Fast on any level

Just a mere two days after defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday's derisive quotes about Ted Ginn appeared in an SI article, he has started the backtrack two-step. After Ginn hit the practice field for the first time all season on Friday, Holliday sought out the rookie:

Ginn said teammate Vonnie Holliday met with him to clear up any potential misunderstanding between the two as a result of the defensive tackle's comments in an SI.com report on Thursday, in which he appeared to criticize the Dolphins for taking Ginn over quarterback Brady Quinn. Holliday said the quote was misconstrued.

Jason Taylor said the quotes turned into something as ridiculous as the Paris Hilton stuff and while Holliday didn't claim that he was misquoted, he did complain that his quotes were taken out of context:

"He turned it into me bashing the organization. I'm not criticizing the organization and Ginn. That's not what I did. It was my initial shock of the selection. I'm a player. I have no idea about Ginn. There were quarterback concerns and Brady Quinn is just sitting there and I think we're picking him with the ninth pick and we don't."

Could have something to do with Holliday seeing that speed up close for the first time. Ginn declared himself pain-free and connected with fellow rookie John Beck on a touchdown strike during the afternoon session. Team owner Wayne Huizenga summed up what Dolphin fans and Ginn teammates can look forward to: "He looked fast."

Ted Ginn's only play in the BCS Championship game

Dolphin players are talking about the team's first round draft selection and from the sounds of things, Ted Ginn has a lot of fellow teammates to impress. Defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday, with his 0 Pro Bowl appearances in 10 seasons had the most venom:

"Needing a young quarterback for the future, you'd think picking Quinn would've been a no-brainer. I mean, the setup was perfect. It's hard enough to get the fans (in South Florida) to come to the games, and now you piss them off? But hey, they must have a plan."

And:

"Ginn Jr. needs to call up Hester and thank him. I guess that's what they're hoping he'll be."

Reigning NFL Defensive MVP Jason Taylor was also quoted as being in disbelief with the selection, while Jason Taylor offered perhaps the most encouraging words about Ginn:

"You don't know about drafts till they play out, anyway. Hell, there were 20 teams that passed on Brady Quinn -- even his own team (the Browns, who picked him 22nd overall after bypassing him at No. 3) passed on him -- and we're the bad ones?"

Holliday sounds like a real team player, doesn't he? Sure it's fine for guys to think these things, but going to the press with statements like these shows a real lack of class. The comparisons to Hester are out there, but Hester can only do one thing and that's return kicks. Ginn, while not the greatest route-runner, has shown that he can play some ball at wide receiver and he's also an excellent down-field blocker. The guy was the freakin USA Today Defensive player of the year as a senior in high school.

Ginn was the single largest factor in Troy Smith's Heisman campaign with the way that he stretched the field, changed momentum with quick touchdowns and created loads of space for guys underneath such as fellow first-round selection Anthony Gonzalez.

So, Mr. Holliday, we'll be checking back with you in a few months.

ESPN's Bruce Feldman breaks down the top 5 games he's seen in person ($) and he appears to like watching Ohio State win. That and we're fortunate to have been fans during the past decade as two Buckeye classics, both victories, make his top four. The 2002 Fiesta Bowl earned the #2 spot behind the 2006 Rose Bowl epic between Texas and USC:

2. Ohio State-Miami, 2003: The Canes were a big favorite against a scrappy 13-0 Buckeyes team when they met to decide the 2002 national championship. While the 2003 Fiesta Bowl had as much drama as the UT-USC game, the quality of the play in the first half wasn't the same caliber. However, the tension mounted as Miami rallied in the second half. Roscoe Parrish's late punt return set up a Todd Sievers 40-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. UM scored first in overtime and appeared to have won another national title after CB Glenn Sharpe broke up a pass in the end zone. Fireworks went off. UM players ran onto the field. Only there was a late flag. OSU got another shot and scored, snatching away momentum. This time, UM couldn't answer, failing to convert on a first-and-goal at the 2.

While the 1997 Rose Bowl victory over Arizona State checked in at #4 (ah.. memories of the two-headed quarterback featuring Joe G and the Q-Dawg):

4. Ohio State-Arizona State, 1997: This Rose Bowl matchup pitted a second-ranked ASU team that was in the hunt for the national title against No. 4 OSU. The Sun Devils, led by Jake Plummer, already had pulled off three last-minute wins during the year and it looked like they had snatched their fourth after Plummer scored with under two minutes remaining to give his team a 17-13 lead. But Joe Germaine answered, leading OSU to the game-winning TD with just 19 seconds left.

Feldman's complete top 5:

1. Texas-USC, 2006
2. Ohio State-Miami, 2003
3. USC-ND, 2005
4. Ohio State-Arizona State, 1997
5. Cal-USC, 2004

I think if anything else, it's a real testament to how awesome the 1997 Rose Bowl was as there's a trend towards recency when evaluating greatness. Just check the results of any ESPN poll asking voters to compare contemporary athletes with all-time greats. It's also probably fair to say that Bruce wasn't at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl because that Boise State victory was pretty sick and easily cracks my top 5 games that I never saw in person list.

Cook to Houston at #26?

After struggling mightily at the beginning of camp, Daequan came up big in his last game scoring 22 points on 9-15 shooting to hopefully convince a team he's worthy of a first round pick. Even with the lackluster start, Cook averaged 12 points on 47% FG shooting including 43% from downtown in three games. DraftExpress listed Cook as a Third Team selection but didn't list any true 2 guards ahead of him, instead hyping the performances of PG's Ramon Sessions, Jared Jordan, Zabain Dowdell and Taurean Green. Even better, Aran Smith of NBADraft.net rates Cook as the top player in camp.

Buckeye teammate Ron Lewis didn't draw as much praise, though he did average 11.3 points and 2 steals per game. Lewis failed to wow the scouts shooting just 30% from the floor as he struggled to get his own shot off the bounce. He'll get a shot to make a team somewhere, but it looks like he could be on the outside looking in on draft night.

The WWL's Andy Katz is reporting that Billy Donovan has informed both the Orlando Magic and the University of Florida that he is having second thoughts about accepting the job with the Magic. Donovan signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract with Orlando just this past Friday, and the decision to let him out of the contract is in the hands of Magic management. Meanwhile, former Donovan assistant and current Virginia Commonwealth coach Anthony Grant sits in limbo.

I'm sure Gator nation is saying their nightly prayers to Crocodile Dundee or whoever their deity of choice may be, but you have to wonder if Donovan came to the same conclusion the rest of the sports world did over the weekend -- the Eastern conference is owned by LBJ for the foreseeable future.

Donovan returning to the Gators would add a little more juice to the regular season rematch between Ohio State and Florida in Columbus next season, with the Gators bringing the season's number #1 recruiting class into the matchup this time.

In case you haven't seen it yet, Greg Oden started a Yardbarker blog last week. He writes he was actually on a plane during the lottery and didn't find out Portland won the #1 pick until he landed. So far, no entries about Darius Miles and Zach Randolph taking him out to shoot up a strip club or burn some green. Keep your fingers crossed until both are off the roster.

Anyway, welcome to the blogosphere, Greg. Wanna wear an 11W t-shirt at the draft instead of the conventional 9-button tux?

Oh Noes

Daequan got off to a shaky start at the NBA Pre-Draft camp today in Orlando according the the scouts writing for Draft Express and Andy Katz over at the WorldWide Leader. DraftExpress noted Cook showcased his poor ball-handling and lack of concentration throughout the day but gave him a bit of a reprieve since he's the youngest player in camp while Andy Katz reported Cook shot 3-10 from the floor with 4 rebounds and 8 turnovers in 20 minutes. Sound familar? Even with today's typical 'Quan performance, it appears he's still going to be a late first rounder with zero chance of returning to Ohio State. At the very least, his words don't indicate a lack of confidence:

"I'm committed to this game and I love to play and want to play at the highest level," Cook said. "This is my opportunity to show that I can play. I'm confident that I'm going to play and be a dominant player."

I hope he's right because I'm sure his posse is out test driving Escalade's as we speak.

Ohioans understand momentum

The Lantern, Ohio State's fine student paper, had a great article about how dominant the Buckeyes were this year in the Big Ten. While the story is a little on the rah-rah side, the facts are compelling:

Of the nine sports teams that were conferences champions, five (football, men's and women's basketball, tennis and men's gymnastics) all defended their championships from one year ago, creating a dynasty in their respective sports.

Yes, Florida still stings (twice), but to have the Heisman trophy winner and the #1 pick in the NBA draft during the same season? That's pretty sick. Toss in the fact that Jessica Davenport went #2 in the WNBA draft and there's good reason for every Buckeye fan to step back and appreciate what the class of 2006-07 accomplished in competition.

Buckeye Commentary points out that the Buckeyes are also rising up the standings of the Sears Director's Cup as well (also known as Stanford's bitch).

Good times, indeed.