-  Steve Stanard, who served one season as Ohio’s Defensive Line coach, will be named the new defensive coordinator at Tulane, TroopSports.com has learned.

-  A former coordinator at Colorado State for five seasons and New Mexico State for three seasons, Stanard spent 11 months as the D-Line coach with the Bobcats.  When reached by phone Saturday, Stanard declined to comment.

-  More to come.

* December 24th

-  Just a quick note on former Ohio forward Maurice Pearson (6-9, 220).  Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com reports Pearson is transferring to Georgetown College in Kentucky.  The Tigers (10-1) are currently ranked the 9th best NAIA team in the nation.
 

* December 21st

-  A four hour flight delay from Columbus to Chicago (and then hopefully St. Louis) allows me to catch up on some Bobcat news and notes.

-  I’m hearing the chances Armon Bassett commits to John Groce and Ohio are looking “very good” right now.

-  “Haven’t decided anything yet but Coach Groce is like family,” Bassett told me earlier today without getting in to specifics.  Expect a decision to come within the next 10 days, he added.

-  “The Sears SportsFan” is off for the rest of 2008.  Brian and I will be back Monday, Jan. 5.

-  I quickly asked Nelsonville-York H.S. football coach and A.D. Dave Boston about junior tailback Derrick Arnold on Friday night.  Boston said it is still early, but a few schools have become interested in Arnold, including a ring from Cincinnati.  Arnold is a good athlete, but probably too small to stay at running back.

-  Listening to the Dan Patrick show podcast, he brought up an interesting question surrounding college football.  Does the sport need a “Rooney Rule” just like the NFL, requiring programs to interview minority head coaching candidates?

-  Ohio could hit a home run with its 2009 quarterback recruiting class.  After getting Iowa State transfer Phillip Bates, Willoughby South H.S.’s Patrick Nicely, the state’s top high school gunslinger, will visit Ohio the first weekend in January.  Nicely de-committed from Bowling Green following the firing of head coach Gregg Brandon who is now the new offensive coordinator at Virginia.

-  More to come.

* December 18th

Bates Officially a Bobcat

Ohio has received a commitment from former Iowa State quarterback Phillip Bates.  After a standout prep career at North High School in Nebraska, Bates (6-2, 190) saw action as a wide receiver as a true freshman for the Cyclones.  He left the team mid-season of his sophomore year after being delegated to the backup quarterback role.  He will sit out the 2009 season per NCAA transfer guidelines and will begin taking classes Jan. 5.

“It seems like a pretty good fit overall,” Bates told TroopSports.com Thursday afternoon. “I just like coach Solich and everything he is doing there. I thought I could fit into his offense and help out a lot.  I thought it was a really nice campus actually.”

Bates’ decision came down to Central Michigan and Kent State, but he says a visit to Ohio helped sway his mind.  He noted an open quarterback position following the 2009 season made his choice easy.

Labeled a quitter by Cyclones fans after bailing on ISU this past season, Bates tried to clarify what went wrong in Ames, IA.

 “The thing that happened at that point was a business decision. I thought I had to make a decision early so I could get my name out there to other schools. From my freshman year to that point, I felt like it was time for me to leave and go somewhere else.”

Does Bates feel he handled the situation with the Cyclones well?

“Yeah.  All the guys, we are all good friends. We still hang out and everything, so I think I left on good terms.”

A Rivals.com three-star recruit out of high school, Bates was ranked as the 16th best dual-threat QB in the nation and reportedly runs a 4.48 40-yard dash.  He was offered and heavily recruited by Ohio while in high school but chose ISU over Kansas, Kansas State and Nebraska among others.

-  Tonight on “The Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan” the Ohio A.D. and I will talk with Associate A.D. for Compliance and Student Services Tricia Turley and former Ohio hoops coach Danny Nee will join us.  Shoot your comments and questions to ctroop@TroopSports.com.

-  Want to know a big difference between John Groce and Tim O’Shea?  On one hand, Groce refuses to play Thad Matta and Ohio State, and did not enjoy facing off against his friend in Sean Miller at Xavier.  Tim O’Shea, meanwhile, was chatting it up with Al Skinner before a recent contest against Boston College.  Click Here to read the article in the Providence Journal.

-  Bryant, by the way, played some really good basketball against B.C., and O’Shea appears to be doing a solid job jump starting that program.  As I’ve said before, his new gig is a win-win opportunity for him with low expectations.

-  Speaking of O’Shea, his Bulldogs square off against Rutgers this Saturday.  Nee is the Director of Player Development for the Scarlet Knights.

-  I’m still up in the air about Ohio recruiting former Indiana Hoosier Armon Bassett.  I get the impression the ‘Cats see Bassett as more of a combo guard, not a point guard.  While I understand the Bobcats probably feel they need to increase the talent level at the shooting guard position—especially given the fact that freshman Stacey Waters hasn’t surfaced as a reliable player thus far—I just hope Groce and company don’t begin to start to stoop to the recruiting level of a Kent State.

-  As for the chances fans will see Bassett in Green and White in 2009, I’d say it is way too early to tell.  Let’s just hope Groce and his staff do their homework on Bassett and any other transfer that might make his way to Athens.

-  More to come.

* December 17th

-  As first reported by Jeff Goodman on FoxSports.com, it appears the Bobcats have interest in former Indiana point guard Armon Bassett.  The 6-1 junior transferred from IU to UAB this season, but has now left Alabama where he was sitting out in 08-09 per NCAA transfer guidelines.

-  In 2005, Bassett committed to Missouri under then-head coach Quin Snyder in August.  He backed out two months later, citing a desire to be closer to home in Indiana.  He then signed with the Hoosiers in 2006 after a standout prep career at South Vigo High School in Terre Haute, IN., and one year at Hargrave Military Academy (VA). 

-  In Bloomington, he averaged 9.4 ppg and 3.0 apg his freshman campaign.  Last season under Kelvin Sampson and then interim head coach Dan Dakich his numbers increased to 11.4 ppg and 3.1 apg.  He led the Big 10 in three-point field goal percentage and was a third-team All-Big Ten selection.

-  His departure at Indiana is cloudy. He was suspended three games during his sophomore season for a violation of team rules.  Bassett was later dismissed Mar. 31 by Dakich following a missed appointment then a failure to show up to run laps as a punishment.  All of this was just days before Tom Crean was hired to take over the program.  When hired, Crean chose to not retain Bassett.

-  What’s the connection to Ohio head coach John Groce and Bassett?  Travis Steele was Bassett’s Indiana Elite AAU coach in high school and a former video coordinator at IU.  He and Groce are stepbrothers.  Steele, once a student manager at Ohio State, is currently the Director of Basketball Operations at Xavier.

-  Much more to come.

* December 12th

-  Former Ohio Bobcats football player Josh Abrams, who just signed with the Packers and joined their practice squad, will be a guest on “The Sears Sports Fan” Friday night.

-  That was Frank Solich, Jim Schaus and President Roderick McDavis and his wife sitting behind Ohio’s bench Wednesday night at Xavier.

-  Swimming and diving coach Greg Werner and former Ohio hoops great Walter Luckett were great interviews during “The Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan” last night.  Definitely worth a listen.

-  I’m told ‘Cats assistant Chris Holtmann went to check out Cincinnati State Community College ’09 forward prospect Marquis Mathis on Wednesday before the game against Xavier.

-  After four games in five days, including two blowout losses to Top 10 teams, what was in store for the Bobcats during practice on Thursday?  A game of wiffleball.

-  My co-host Brian Boesch tells me ‘Cats forward Asown Sayles practiced for the first time Thursday.

-  2009 wide receiver prospect Travis Reynolds (6-0, 156) from Boyd Anderson High School (FL) took an official visit to Central Michigan Dec. 5, and is set to visit Western Michigan Jan. 16.  He says Ohio is not recruiting him even though Rivals.com reports the ‘Cats have offered him.  Buffalo has also offered.

-  More to come.

* December 8th

-  Checking in with 2009 hoops signee James Kinney out of Centennial H.S (IL):  “Just came off a 15-point win Friday night—15 points, 4 boards, 10 assists versus Bloomington H.S.  We are ranked #5 in Class 3A. We’re 6-0 with wins over the top 2A team (Peoria Manual) and the 10th ranked 4A team (East St. Louis).”  Kinney is averaging 21 points, four rebounds and eight assists per game through those six wins.

-  Ohio University is recruiting 2009 JUCO tight end Matt Carter from Butte Community College in California. Carter was on campus this weekend.  View a video highlight package on Carter by Clicking Here.

-  The ‘Cats are not going after Rivals.com three-star Hutchinson Community College DE Tyran Melvin (6-2, 240).  Rivals.com reports offers from Ohio and Arizona, but Melvin says that is not the case.  “I was getting some calls from them, but they didn’t offer me,” he said.  Arizona, N.C. State, S.C. State and Middle Tennessee have offered Melvin, among other programs.

-  Says HuskersIllustrated.com and WOWT/KOLN-TV’s Sean Callahan out of Lincoln, Nebraska on recent ’09 offensive line commits Jon Lechner and James Davis:  They are both Big 12 good, but a lot of people were hesitant to offer for academic reasons. However, I’m told both should qualify.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they were key players for Ohio by their second years in the program.”

-  ’09 football prospect, Oakton H.S. (VA) quarterback Chris Coyer (6-3, 208), will be in a neck brace for the next six weeks after suffering a posterior fracture in his C-7 vertebrae in a playoff football game, Rivals.com reports.  Coyer has offers from Temple and Ohio.

-  To basketball recruiting quickly.  Rivals.com released their Top 20 mid-major signing period rankings a few days ago.  Ohio did not make the list, but three other MAC teams did—Akron (8th), Miami (17th) and Western Michigan (20th).

-  The one thing people thought might hold down the talented Kent State Golden Flashes this season has, as David Carducci explains.

*  December 4th

-  Ohio University is recruiting 2009 Vincennes Community College (IN) forward DeAntre Jefferson (6-8, 225).  Rivals.com reports offers from Valparaiso and Eastern Kentucky.  ‘Cats assistant Jamall Walker was in Indiana visiting Jefferson on Tuesday night. 

-  Jefferson played his prep ball at Bloomington H.S. in Illinois.  Somewhat of a mystery, he has attended four junior colleges in the last two years.

-  Last week Ohio University offered 2011 Gahanna Lincoln H.S. point guard Stevie Taylor (5-7, 150), his dad said Wednesday.  Hoop Scoop claims Taylor is the 17th best prospect in the nation, coming in second in the state of Ohio.  As a freshman starter last year, he averaged 12.1 ppg, 3.5 apg and 2.5 spg.  “We really like OU, so (the) bigger (offer) is not always better,” his father, Robert, said Thursday. “Right now, of the offers he has, OU is right there. Good school, good coach and close to home.”

-  Taylor has also been offered by Akron and James Madison, with interest from Virginia Tech, West Virginia, St. Joe’s, Dayton, Tennessee, Xavier, and Cincinnati among others.

-  The Bobcats are in the process of finalizing a deal to play a guarantee game at Pittsburgh in 2009, Ohio A.D. Jim Schaus said earlier this week.  It is not known how much the Panthers would pay Ohio.

-  In terms of scheduling for men’s hoops, Xavier and Cincinnati won’t play home and home games with the ‘Cats, but Ohio should take a look at possibly getting one-and-one deals with Dayton and Cleveland State.

-  It was a lot of fun to get to chat with broadcaster and Ohio alumnus Thom Brennaman tonight on The Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan.  You can tell Brennaman truly cares and still follows his Bobcats.

-  More to come.