Ohio State women's basketball head coach Kevin McGuff pays attention to the football program and Urban Meyer's domination on the recruiting path. Meyer is on his way to yet another top class, with this one being perhaps the best recruiting class of all time.
While women's basketball doesn't quite get the exposure and excitement that football does around Columbus, McGuff has been successful in his own right on the recruiting trail. He's not only brought in top freshmen year after year, he's earned the services of proven players from top programs around the country who have opted to transfer to Ohio State.
Is McGuff, not Meyer, the best recruiter at Ohio State?
Kevin McGuff doesn't think he's the best recruiter in Columbus. I respectfully disagree. pic.twitter.com/iiPeT1DwTx
— Kevin Harrish (@Kevinish) September 29, 2016
"I wouldn't go that far," McGuff said with a laugh. "I think I've assembled a great staff, I'll say that."
He may not admit it, but there's an argument to be made. Since taking the reigns at Ohio State, McGuff has amassed an absurd amount of talent, collecting commitments from the nation's top freshmen as well as transfers from top programs throughout the country.
This season, the Buckeyes add three former McDonald's High School All-American transfers in Stephanie Mavunga (North Carolina), Linnae Harper (Kentucky) and Sierra Calhoun (Duke). The team also adds three five-star freshmen in Tori McCoy, Kierra Lewis and Jensen Caretti – all of whom McGuff expects to contribute this season.
They join Kelsey Mitchell, who is arguably the nation's top player, as well as players like Shayla Cooper, Asia Doss and Alexa Hart who've helped the Buckeyes become a national powerhouse over the past few seasons.
Quite simply, Ohio State is loaded. The Buckeyes will enter the 2016-17 season as one of the top two or three teams in the nation, likely trailing only Connecticut in the preseason polls.
According to Cooper, the team's lone senior, the goal this season is a Big Ten Championship and a trip to the Final Four – neither of which are out of the realm of possibility.
"I feel like the team we have this year is very capable of making it to the Final Four if not the finals," Cooper said.
The Buckeyes begin their quest Nov. 11 when they open the season with a home matchup against Duquesne before an immediate test in a power-house matchup with South Carolina.
