The Ohio State hoops team and its recruits heated up over the holidays.
Both Micah Potter and Kaleb Wesson participated in the City of Palms tournament last week, eventually meeting in the fifth-place championship game. Potter continues to see an increase in minutes since the notebook covered his performance on ESPN2 earlier this month.
He even earned a starting role during the tournament:
6'10 Micah Potter having his best game of the tourny for Montverde. Got the start today. Big fella with a shooting stroke. #CityofPalms
— Tariq Sbiet (@Tariq_NPH) December 22, 2015
Sbiet's tweet refers to Montverde's win over Daniel Giddens' former school, Wheeler (Georgia). Potter hit five of his eight field goal attempts, three of which came from beyond the arc.
Throughout the tournament Potter showcased the range that made him an enticing recruit for the Buckeyes. He also has the ability to finish in transition:
Ohio State commit Micah Potter (@BigJam_23) threw down a dunk today in his #CityofPalms debut pic.twitter.com/5ifgPRYbFu
— NextUpRecruits.com (@NextUpRecruits) December 20, 2015
After beating Wheeler, Montverde took on Wesson and Westerville South. Both Potter and Wesson reached double figures and had at least five rebounds. Potter's team won by 29 and he outscored Wesson, but the 2017 OSU commit had a strong tournament.
Wesson recorded a double-double in his team's win over Norland (Miami) and had four steals in the loss to Montverde. If you're wondering about Wesson's defensive capabilities, he appears to be sound footwork-wise much like he is on the other end of the court:
Kaleb Wesson draws the charge & Porter picks up his 5th. @SouthBasketball wins 80-66 #CityofPalms @Elite_Hooper99 pic.twitter.com/VatuNw74Od
— Jonathan Hemingway (@CoachHemi) December 20, 2015
Overall, Westerville South is positioning itself to be a potential state Final Four squad again. The Wildcats are 8-2 and No. 1 in both 270 Hoops' area power rankings and JJ Huddle's statewide poll.
Potter vs Simmons
Potter's team also took on Kobi Simmons' St. Francis (Georgia) team, Tuesday.
Montverde took it to St. Francis in the same way they did Westerville South, winning 81-55. Potter only scored two points, held back by foul trouble throughout the game. Simmons committed five fouls himself, but still scored 18 points.
The uncommitted five-star recruit is having a strong all-around senior season:
Word is Kobi Simmons had a strong showing at Beach Ball today. 5-star guard is averaging 28 points, 8 reb. & 7 assists a game as a senior.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) December 27, 2015
We've all been waiting for the answer as to how the Buckeyes would fit Simmons in their 2016 class with Potter and Derek Funderburk Jr. Austin Grandstaff's transfer opened a roster spot, so that issue solved itself.
As far as when Simmons could commit, he's still looking at a spring-time decision. Arizona is now in the mix, plus Kentucky and UNLV aren't going away. Wildcat fans seem to be convinced Tyler Ulis and Isaiah Briscoe are bound to leave, plus Jamal Murray looks like the best pro prospect on the team. So, maybe UK is the most formidable threat to land Simmons.
OSU Still after johnson
If the Buckeyes don't land Simmons, chances are they'll roll that scholarship over to 2017.
Gary Trent Jr. is certainly still a target in that class. If the Buckeyes want to add another point guard, however, Markell Johnson may be that guy.
The Cleveland native is a four-star recruit and already has an offer from Louisville. Matta's staff has been recruiting Johnson since April of 2014 and Johnson visited Columbus this fall.
Last week, Matta and two assistants scouted Johnson when his East Tech squad played Dublin Jerome:
Thad Matta joined by assistant coaches Jeff Boals and Dave Dickerson. Ohio State throwing the full court press at Markell Johnson
— 270 Hoops (@270Hoops) December 24, 2015
