With one extra day in February’s last week, let’s see what the good folks of the BBN offered up over the past seven days.
While all of our northern “friends” were shooting off guns and blowing the horns of their rusted out 83 Buicks about the “awesome recrootin” that Brady Hoke was accomplishing, Urban’s staff was doing what they do- quietly, methodically going about hand selecting members of another top class. SYR filled us in on the decision made by Ohio’s top offensive lineman candidate to stay close to home:
Evan Lisle is a 6’6″ 265 lbs 4* OT from Centerville, Ohio. He committed to OSU today via phone cal to Coach Meyer and the news was broke by Marc Givler of BuckeyeGrove.com. Evan Lisle is a huge OT recruit and ranked in the top 5 of Ohio recruits by Scouts. He is an ESPNU 150 recruit and ranked as the 83rd best recruit by Rivals. Evan fills a need at position we lack depth at and has the size and agility to play either right or left tackle.
A little chance to toot our own horn this week; Joe leads us off with a look at the 2013 running back targets–
Once again, it has been said that players are being told Ohio State will only take one. If true, that gives Meyer plenty of flexibility to send out feeler offers and continue to go after the best of the best.
Going by talent alone, my top three wish list would be Ty Issac, Derrick Green, and Ezekiel Elliot. I think we land one of Smith/Green- if not both, and we take Issac or another national stud that can be more of a speed guy with the ability to play receiver.
Honestly, it looks like there are going to be some guys that we could land that Ohio State is going to be forced to say no to. All I can say is that Meyer isn’t recruiting a five-star or two and then some okay recruits; this offer list is a who’s who of running backs in the country and each one will have their pick of schools.
Also, WVaBuckeye continues to dream big, and wonders who else should be honored by the University’s new decision to stop retiring numbers, but acknowledge great parts of Buckeye history:
This brings us to quite a difficult place in the decision-making that will go behind who is chosen for the rafters. There have been several members that have expressed an interest to be on a selection committee with THE Ohio State University. If allowed, they would help discuss a great format that allows special players their spot in the rafters, or in an Ohio Stadium “Ring of Honor” for football.
In an article that looked deeper than the boxscore, Michael examined the actions of Jeremy Lin; not on the hardwood, but his decisions regarding statements about him that were often less than well thought out:
One may ask: “Sports is not comparable to politics; what is true for the President, Catholics and Protestants does not apply to athletics.” But what we have seen in history is that overreaction and revenge leads to more trouble while forgiveness leads to peace. This crosses all disciplines, including sports. We are all human and make mistakes; rather than giving in to the emotional inclination of retaliation, we can choose to be like Gordon Wilson and our President. These “teachable moments” can lead us to a better place.
On to college hoops- the team at Buckeye House Call heard the concerns that Ohio State fans have regarding the team’s poor play of late, but pointed all the way back to last year to help folks remember that the season is far from over:
While improbable at this point, watching Ohio State successfully manage their way clear to New Orleans to cut down the nets would be a bit of a surprise considering their recent struggles, but crazier things have happened in March. Last season’s eventual National Champion Connecticut closed out their regular season by losing seven of their final eleven contests before winning eleven straight, against ten ranked opponents, to secure Jim Calhoun’s third national championship in twelve years.
Could Ohio State do the same? A few key factors say yes.
Last week, Charles highlighted Sammy Prahalis’ record breaking night; this week, he showcased both the women’s victory over TTUN in the first round of the B1G tournament and reminded us again why Ms. Prahalis’ time at OSU has been so special:
Today the Big Ten announced its annual women’s basketball awards and Ohio State did very well for itself. The top headline was Samantha Prahalis being named Big Ten Player of the Year by both the coaches and the media. Prahalis led the conference in assists, 6.5 per game, and her 20.4 points per game put her second in the conference in that category. Prahalis has 889 assists in her career and is only four away from becoming the Big Ten’s all-time leader in that category. This is the 8th straight year that a Buckeye has been named Player of the Year, an incredible run for the program.
And finally, Scott reflected on the last second victory against Nerdwestern, and wondered if it proved that the Buckeye’s ship had been righted, or if there were still problems ahead:
The glass half-empty mindset would point out that Ohio State out-rebounded Northwestern 42 to 16 (including an 18-4 advantage on the offensive glass) and still only managed a heart pounding two point win. 42 to 16! Turnovers and poor three-point shooting continue to haunt this squad and will likely be its undoing come March. It would also be nice if freshman Shannon Scott could stay on the floor for more than two minutes at a time without finding himself in foul trouble, so we can finally see if the Craft and Scott combination actually works.
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