Welcome to the Full Court Press, your weekly destination for offseason Ohio State basketball recruiting updates.
Ohio State has taken its basketball team to Spain for a 10-day trip that will include three games in three different cities, but not before getting some work done on the recruiting trail.
Before shipping off for Spain, Ohio State offered a pair of four-star guards, one in the 2019 cycle, and one in the 2020 class.
Lester Quinones was the first of the two to earn an offer from Chris Holtmann's staff, announcing his offer July 30.
Blessed to receive an offer from Ohio State #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/sjnYT8KXIa
— Lester Quinones (@Effort_les) July 31, 2018
A shooting guard out of Brentwood, N.Y., Quinones has more than 20 offers from schools all over the country including the likes of Arizona and Xavier. He is ranked as the No. 76 overall prospect in the 2019 cycle and the No. 10 overall shooting guard.
The Buckeye offer was his seventh that came in just in the month of July alone, as he stood out on the AAU circuits throughout the summer.
One day after Quinones was offered, 2020 prospect Nimari Burnett, a four-star guard out of Napa, Calif. was offered by Ohio State.
Blessed and thankful to receive an offer from Ohio State #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/5rmfItRAbg
— Nimari Burnett (@NimariBurnett) August 1, 2018
Much like Quinones, Burnett is a shooting guard with elite scoring ability. He is ranked by 247sports as the No. 48 overall prospect in the 2020 class, and showed off his quick release and ability to drive the basketball this summer, especially at the Peach Jam Invitational.
You can watch some of his highlights below.
With the amount of guards Ohio State is offering, it appears Holtmann is trying to build a roster that can get up and down the floor in a hurry, while also defend multiple positions. The Buckeyes have yet to heavily recruit a true big man in the upcoming classes, and bigs like Jaedon LeDee figure to be the prototype post players this staff is looking for.
E.J. Liddell remains Ohio State's top target, but if Buckeyes were to miss out on Liddell, it is possible they would shift their concentration on a premier scoring guard to compliment DJ Carton, who committed in mid-July.
Alonzo Gaffney Transfers, Invited to EYB Camp
On Wednesday, it was reported that Ohio State's first commit in the 2019 class, Alonzo Gaffney, is transferring high schools for his final year of high school basketball.
Gaffney will play at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire this season, leaving Garfield Heights near Cleveland, where he played for Sonny Johnson. Johnson, whose team was gearing up for a state title run with Gaffney before his transfer, did not respond to Eleven Warriors when asked for comment on Gaffney's departure.
In addition to his transfer, Gaffney was invited to the Nike EYB Skills Academy following a successful summer showing on the AAU circuit.
Congrats to @OhioStateHoops commit & @BrewsterHoops F @alonzo_gaffney on his invite to the @NikeEYB Skills Academy!!! #2018EYBL #AOR pic.twitter.com/yr3mOpjyzk
— All Ohio Basketball (@all_ohio) July 31, 2018
Gaffney committed to Ohio State in April, the first verbal in the 2019 class for the Buckeyes. He and Carton remain the lone two commits for 2019, with one more spot open in the class.
Bucks Miss Out on Pair of 2019 Prospects
Ohio State has gone national with its recruiting since Holtmann arrived, offering players from New York to California. The Buckeyes have also attempted to form a footprint in the south as well and experiencing some success, landing Jaedon LeDee in the 2018 class.
The Buckeyes however, missed the top-10 cut for 2019 forward Drew Timme on Thursday, the No. 48 overall player in his class out of Richardson, Texas.
As one chapter ends another begins @TiptonEdits #BCB pic.twitter.com/CEDchkDOjU
— drew timme (@drewtimme2) August 2, 2018
Timme earned an Ohio State offer in early May, but seemed to be a backup plan in case the Buckeyes missed out on Liddell. He is considered to be a slight lean towards Michigan State, who offered him in mid-July.
Another 2019 prospect, Samari Curtis, announced his commitment to Cincinnati on Wednesday, just two months after decommitting from cross-town rival Xavier.
Thank you god for every blessing pic.twitter.com/oDQjyCKsH8
— Samari (@samari41_) August 1, 2018
Curtis was on Ohio State's radar, but never earned an offer from Holtmann's staff. He took an unofficial visit to Columbus when the Ohio State football team hosted Penn State in October, but was never offered a scholarship. A Xenia, Ohio native, Curtis' only offers were from Cincinnati, Xavier and Dayton.
Curtis is rated as a four-star guard in the 2019 class and the No. 114 overall prospect.
2021 Ranking Released by 247sports
A new batch of player rankings were released on Thursday, as 247sports released their top-15 for the 2021 recruiting class. No players currently offered by Ohio State cracked the list, however the No. 1 overall player in the class, Terrence Clark, is set to be a teammate of Gaffney's at Brewster Academy this season.
You can see the list here.
