Caleb Troop

*  November 30th

-  There is a Rivals.com three-star tailback looking for a home.  Walnut Ridge  High School (Columbus) RB Brandon Rice (5-8, 176) is rated as the 44th best prospect in the 2009 class for the state of Ohio and is the 25th best all-purpose back in the country.  “Hopefully Ohio offers me,” Rice said Saturday.

-  Rice had offers from Miami (OH) and Eastern Michigan, both schools who are now looking for new head coaches.  “And due to differences in our schedules I did not have the opportunity to get over to Ball State, and they had two running backs commit,” Rice added.

-  Will the ‘Cats go after Rice?  Or is his lack of size going to keep the talented tailback away from Athens?

-  Ohio University is recruiting Roger Bacon H.S. (Ohio) TE Cody Parker (6-4, 240).   “Yeah, I hope Ohio is still in the mix,” Parker said Sunday.  “I enjoyed my visit at Ohio. I have not officially made visits yet but I plan on doing so really soon.”  Parker noted he has not received any D-I offers yet, but hears from Louisville every week.

-  What a horrific day for MAC basketball yesterday.  Eleven teams were in action and just one (Buffalo over Temple) came away victorious.  Let’s break down some of the MAC teams.

-  Akron, one of the younger teams in the nation, just does not have any fire power.  And despite some size in the front court, their inability to rebound has hurt them thus far.  In their loss to Eastern Kentucky yesterday the Zips had 17 rebounds, and they have continually gotten pounded on the offensive boards.

-  Ball State shot a pitiful 30% as a team in a one-point loss to Arkansas State yesterday—a game in which freshman forward Jarrod Jones went 0-8 from the floor.

-  Northern Illinois freshman guard Mike Dinunno matched Jones’ 0-8 shooting in a four-point loss to Western Carolina.

-  Speaking of the Catamounts, Newark High School product Greg Avery is off to a nice start (8.4 ppg, 4 rbg) as the sixth man in his freshman campaign.

-  If you are a Bobcat fan, here’s to hoping Kent State’s free throw shooting woes hurt them once conference play opens up in January.  The Golden Flashes are shooting 56% from the charity stripe as a unit (322nd nationally), though it did not cost them the game against Texas A&M yesterday.

-  Sticking with free throws, Tim O’Shea’s Bryant University Bulldogs are 339th of 344 D-I teams averaging just 51.8% from the foul line through four games.

-  Teams in the East need to start paying attention to Buffalo, the best rebounding team in the league.  Much like the undersized Jerome Tillman, 6-3, 225-pound guard/forward Calvin Betts (10, 8.4) is physical down low despite his size disadvantage.  Plus, guard Andy Robinson is back from a suspension, and maybe having him come off the bench is an ideal spot for the Bulls.

-  Miami (OH) is still somewhat of a mystery in terms of how good they really are.  They’ve lost three road games to Top 25 teams (UCLA, Pitt and Xavier) but played well in all three.  They nearly upset the Bruins out on the west coast and had to travel out to Pitt four days later earlier this month.  All the traveling showed against the Panthers as the Redhawks, who were down just five at the break, simply wore out in the second half of that game.

-  What has to be disturbing for Miami fans is the production from G/F Michael Bramos.  It is not so much the scoring output (14 ppg thus far compared to 16.3 ppg last season) but more so how he is scoring.  Bramos is shooting just 30% from the floor compared to nearly 44% last year.  Granted, some of that may be due to the level of competition and how much more defenses are squaring in on the senior.

-  On to the Bobcats.  First-year head coach John Groce came in to this season promising an offense that would attack and really try to run the floor.  True to his word, that has played out thus far in three games.  Ohio is 39th in the nation averaging nearly 74 possessions per 40 minutes.  The ‘Cats averaged about 9 less possessions per contest last year (244th nationally).

-  The ‘Cats knew rebounding would be a problem, and it has been and probably will continue to be.  Ideally Ohio should find a way to pound the offensive glass, but they just don’t seem to have the personnel or depth to do so.  It’s hard to really go after second chance points with a true playing roster of only about eight guys.

-  I’m told three of the following schools will probably be at the same site for Ohio volleyball when the tournament bracket is revealed tonight on ESPNU: Louisville, Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, or Purdue.

-  2009 signee James Kinney led his Champaign Centennial H.S. team to a Thanksgiving Tournament title.  He scored 23 points in the final over host Lincoln High School and was named to the All-Tournament team.

-  More to come.

* November 26th

-  There are some pretty cool photos of Ohio Volleyball’s MAC Tournament win up at matchpointohio.com.  Check it out.

-  Central High School (Neb) two-star quarterback Daryle Hawkins (6-4, 190) is still being recruited by Ohio but no offer has come his way.  “I got an offer from Northern Iowa, and I’ve also been talking to schools like Yale and North Dakota, and I also sent some tape to a couple places and got a call from the Florida Gators,” Hawkins said.

-  North High School (Neb) two-star offensive lineman James Davis (6-2, 310) took an official visit to Athens earlier this week and came away impressed.  “I really loved it, I had a great time,” David said.  “The coaches were cool (and) so (were) the players. I really felt welcomed and comfortable.  As to where I’m standing at right now, I still got just a little bit left to decide but Ohio is very much at the top and I am just about ready to commit.”

-  Davis is ranked as the 6th best prospect in the state of Nebraska.

-  Keep an eye on in-state three-star DT prospect Trae Tiller (6-2, 255).  Ohio Dominican is the only school to offer Tiller, but Ohio is on the radar.  Rivals.com ranks Tiller as the 68th best prospect in the state, but I get the feeling grades have caused a few schools to back off.

-  Brian and I are off for “The Sears Sports Fan” this week.  We’ll resume on Thursday, Dec. 4 with “The Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan.” where broadcaster and Ohio alumnus Thom Brennaman will join us.

-  To hold you over while we are away, check out a new podcast just posted on thesportsfan.mypodcast.com.  You’ll hear the Bobcat Take 5 interview Brian had with backup quarterback Brandon Jones in truly one of the best off-the-wall interviews we’ve had all season on the “Bobcat Insider” pre-game show.  It’s definitely worth a listen.

-  ‘Cats head coach Frank Solich will probably have a grueling next couple of weeks as a voting member for the USA Today Coaches Poll.  Solich is good friends with Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and Texas’ Mack Brown and will play a part in deciding which one of his buddies gets a shot at the national championship.

-  Kent State’s overtime win over St. Louis University a week ago looks even more impressive after Rick Majerus’ squad handed Boston College a three-point loss on Saturday.

-  Speaking of BC, new women’s hoops coach Sylvia Crawley is off to a 3-1 start with the Eagles.  BC, however, lost to Notre Dame 102-54 on Sunday.  Like Ohio, her squad will be in Cancun for a separate tournament over Thanksgiving.

-  How many new MAC football coaches will there be next fall?  Eastern Michigan’s Jeff Genyk has already been fired, Miami (Ohio)’s Shane Montgomery is the lowest paid coach in the FBS and isn’t exactly getting a strong backing from his A.D., J.D. Brookhart may need to beat Temple on Friday to keep his job at Akron and Buffalo’s Turner Gill is destined for a new job (possibly Syracuse) after what he has done with the Bulls program.

-  I wouldn’t be completely surprised if the MAC West Player of the Year in hoops is a freshman.  Sure, returning scorers like Toledo’s Tyrone Kent, Western Michigan’s David Kool and Ball State’s Anthony Newell will be there, but don’t count out 6-8 frosh Jarrod Jones (18 ppg, 10.7 rbg) from the Cardinals or NIU’s Mike Dinunno (21 ppg).

-  Among the schools that have shown interest in former Bobcats hoops forward Maurice Pearson include Tennessee Tech, Georgetown College in Kentucky, American University and a few other DII and NAIA programs.

-  More to come.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

* November 19th

-  Ohio hoops has offered a scholarship to 2010 Rivals.com three-star forward Griffin McKenzie (6-9, 205) out of Moeller High School in Cincinnati.  McKenzie, who is currently out until January with an injury, said he has offers from Miami (OH) and Cincinnati and is still wide open in his recruitment.

“I talk to (assistant) coach (Chris) Holtmann often.  I will probably take a visit to Ohio at some point, not exactly sure yet,” McKenzie said.  “The recruiting process certainly slowed down from me after the spring when I suffered a stress fracture in my back. At the moment I’m still recovering from it, but there is no permanent damage or surgery necessary.”

-  More to come.

* November 18th

-  Frank Solich has added a pair of Fork Union Military Academy (VA) athletes to his 2009 football recruiting class.  Defensive back Jamil Shaw (6-1, 184) and Rivals.com two-star offensive lineman Skyler Allen (6-4, 265) both gave their verbal word to Ohio this weekend.

-  Shaw, who reportedly runs a 4.5 40-yard dash and is rated by Scout.com as a one-star recruit, chose Ohio over Eastern Michigan after taking an official visit to Athens this weekend.  Allen chose Ohio over offers from Eastern Michigan, Alcorn St. and Gardner-Webb.

-  Shaw was recruited as a corner, but with his side he could make the switch to safety much like true freshman Travis Carrie did earlier this season.

-  Kadre Pinder (6-3, 310), who signed with Ohio as part of its 2007 class, will now be a part of the ‘Cats’ ’09 class after attending Fort Scott Community College, he confirmed Monday.  As a senior at Everglades High School (FL), Rivals and Scout ranked Pinder as two-star recruit.  Pinder recorded 18 tackles and one sack at FSCC in ’07.  He is currently attending Ohio.  After redshirting this season, he will have three seasons left to play for the ‘Cats.

-  John Groce and the ‘Cats are recruiting 2010 Rivals.com three-star prospect Jordan Manuel (6-8, 190) out of Pike High School in Indiana.  Manuel has offers from Dayton and St. Bonaventure and is getting looks from Xavier and Southern Illinois among others.  He has not been offered by Ohio.

-  I had a chance to watch the Xavier-Toledo contest on FSN Ohio last night.  The Bobcats will have to find a way to effectively double down on Musketeers 7-0, 265-pound reserve freshman center Kenny Frease, who ran the floor and dished it out well during 16 minutes in the Musketeers’ 81-65 win over the Rockets last night.

-   Kent State transfer Tyree Evans is academically ineligible for his first semester at KSU, which obviously hurts the depth of the Golden Flashes’ back court but it should not prevent them from still being the clear front runner in the MAC East.

-  Our apologies in regards to the “Sears Sports Fan” podcast.  The website is having some downloading difficulties, but we hope to get the last couple of shows up here shortly.

-  Tonight, Russ Eisenstein and Rob Cornelius will join us on the program.

-  More to come.

 

* November 14

-  New 2009 Ohio hoops signee D.J. Cooper said he will be in Athens this weekend and will take in the Bobcats’ game against William and Mary.

-  Cooper will be accompanied by his buddy Jordan Walker (6-6, 175).  While a Division I prospect, Walker is not being recruited by the ‘Cats.

-  Fork Union Military Academy 2009 cornerback Jamil Shaw (6-1, 184) will visit Athens this weekend after taking in Eastern Michigan last week.

-  Dublin Scioto High School defensive back Deji Olatoye (6-2, 180) committed to Colorado yesterday.  ESPN.com reports Olatoye had an offer from Ohio.

-  Expect to see something different this season inside The Convo for hoops games.  The Ohio athletics marketing department has knocked off the dust to the old white Bobcat blimp, which will be flown around inside the arena during games starting back up this winter.  Dan Hauser, Associate A.D. for External Operations, said he hopes to have first launch this Sunday against William and Mary, but technical issues and flight lessons could push back its re-installment to the Dec 3 game against Tulsa.

-  More to come.

* November 12th (4:45 p.m.)

-  Three of Ohio’s four 2009 recruits (combo guard James Kinney, F Marquis Horne and PF Reggie Keely) signed their National Letters of Intent already today.  PG D.J. Cooper is expected to sign at an event this afternoon at his high school.

-  Cooper was rated the top point guard while Horne was rated the top small forward in the Mid-American Conference for the ’09 class.

-  Waterford High School big man D.J. Cunningham (6-9, 250) from the 2009 class is still looking for a college home.  He has to be on Ohio’s radar at this point.

-  One player Ohio does not seem to be looking at is Middletown’s Bill Edwards (6-5, 240).  According to his All-Ohio Force AAU coach Gregg Brown, Edwards recently picked up an offer from Penn State, but is being advised by his parents to sit on it and wait for a better offer.  Edwards, though, is running out of options at this point, and it doesn’t look like being a Bobcat is one of those options.

-  In case you missed it: 2009 Illinois hoops prospect Conrad Krutwig (6-6, 210) committed to South Dakota State in late October.  Krutwig had interest but no offer from Ohio.

-  Sticking with hoops, 2010 swing player Josh Sewell out of Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, appears to be on the Bobcats’ radar.  Sewell picked up an offer from Ohio in mid-July and recently took an unofficial visit to Athens a few weeks ago.  “I really enjoyed my visit,” Sewell said Sunday.  “They have a really good coaching staff, and that’s a place where I could possibly mature as a player right away.” 

-  Sewell has eight offers to his name right now (Akron, Bradley, Western Kentucky, Marshall, Miami (FL), Wright State and Virginia Commonwealth).  Sewell is hearing from bigger schools as well, but he said he doesn’t have a top list right now and appears to be nowhere close to a decision.  He did note that his home state school Kentucky isn’t recruiting him hard, but he frequently goes up to Wildcats games.

-  It appears Sewell is going to wait it out and hope to land a big time offer.

-  WBNS radio broadcaster and recent Ohio grad Tony Castricone has founded a charity called Music Loves Ohio.  Check it out at www.musiclovesohio.org

-  To football now.  The ‘Cats should start recruiting this high school kicker right now.  Sophomore Tanner Wright plays for Division VI River High School out of Hannibal, Ohio.  He is perfect on PATs this season and hit a 32-yarder as a freshman in 2007.  He was seen kicking a 45-yarder in warm ups Friday night.  He takes care of the punting as well for the 12-0 Pilots, who beat Trimble H.S. 45-15 Friday in the playoffs.

-  Had to of been a nice weekend for Ryan Theis and the volleyball squad.  A five-set thriller over Miami (OH) on Friday, a four-set win over Bowling Green on Saturday, and a commitment from 2010 prospect Marah Farage.  Farage (6-2) plays for the ACE Volleyball Club out of the Akron area.

-  We’ve got a solid “Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan” lined up tomorrow.  Bobcat basketball great Walter Luckett will join us, as will Assistant A.D. for Academic Services Jason Kelly.  Again, send the questions and comments to ctroop@TroopSports.com. E-mail the show live at 740-592-6646.

-  More to come, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Filed under: 2008 Bobcat Blog, November '08 Blog Notes |