Buckeyes land highest hoops recruit since '14

Five-star elder Anthony Thompson has committed to Ohio State, becoming the Buckeyes' highest-ranked men's hoops enlistee successful much than a decade.

Thompson chose the Buckeyes implicit Indiana, giving Jake Diebler a monolithic recruiting triumph implicit Big Ten foes. Texas was heavy successful the mix, portion Michigan, Kentucky and North Carolina besides received visits.

"My narration with the coaching unit was different. They recruited maine hard and consistently made maine a priority," Thompson told ESPN. "Coach Diebler truly cares astir each his players. He is connected the tribunal moving with his players during idiosyncratic workouts. He was precise accordant successful his connection and recruitment of me. I cognize I tin trust connected him to assistance me. I watched the squad practice. They had large vigor and buy-in."

Given his lofty ranking and the expectations that volition travel with him erstwhile helium arrives successful Columbus, being successful assemblage for conscionable a fewer months is simply a possibility, but Thompson is consenting to beryllium diligent and Diebler showed him a improvement plan.

"I americium going determination with the volition of improving and winning and making it to the NBA, nevertheless agelong it takes," Thompson said. "I americium not focused connected being one-and-done. If it happens, that is great.

"Their program is to assistance maine go the champion subordinate I tin beryllium and hole maine for the NBA. They spot maine arsenic a versatile shooter and tin support antithetic positions. They showed maine however I would acceptable connected some ends of the floor."

A 6-foot-8 left-handed guardant who plays astatine Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), Thompson is ranked No. 13 successful the SC Next 100 -- the top-ranked subordinate successful the Midwest.

The operation of his shooting -- Thompson has high-level interaction from anyplace connected the level -- and his assemblage power with a 7-4¼ wingspan makes him apt to beryllium an contiguous interaction player. He's besides an above-average violative rebounder and crafty scoring enactment from the elbow, mid-post oregon connected either block. In transition, you privation Thompson sprinting down the 3-point enactment arsenic helium is simply a existent level spacer.

In the half-court, his multi-dimensional skills and instincts let him to play antithetic roles successful ball-screen actions. He tin grip the shot arsenic a shotmaker, operator oregon playmaker with the consciousness and endowment to halt and sprout erstwhile defenders unbend oregon spell nether the surface oregon helium tin beryllium a large menace arsenic the screen-setter to popular retired and abstraction the level oregon rotation to the rim for overgarment points.

He was 4th connected the Adidas 3SSB circuit successful scoring during the outpouring and summer, averaging 22.8 points to spell with 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Thompson was incredibly businesslike connected the violative end, shooting astir 59% from the field, 87.5% from the free-throw enactment and 40% from 3-point scope -- making astir 2 3s per game. He was astatine his champion successful July, scoring 30-plus points 4 times successful a five-game agelong astatine the Palmetto Road Championships, past scoring 35 points aboriginal successful the month.

Thompson becomes Ohio State's ...