Have seen him play several times. Smart player, probably needs to develop a consistent 3-pt shot for big time D1 ball. From a recently article I read, he's definitely improved in that area, knocking down 42% so far this AAU season. The Indiana team he plays on has several Top-100 kids on the roster & he's their second leading scorer. Plays in the same high school conference as 2023 signee Austin Parks. Could see him developing into a Dakota Mathias type player from Purdue (who also played in the same high school conference as White)
The staff clearly has their eyes set on some high profile targets, and by all indications, have a solid chance of landing some of this guys. But it’s easy to envision a scenario where White keeps improving to be a top 100 player, then one of two things happen. We miss on some bigger targets and/or the staff knows there will be some (currently) unexpected transfer/draft entries.
Either way, while I don’t want to pass up on premium talent for lower rated players, I would love to add White by the time it’s all said and done. There’s a little something to his game that just makes me think he’ll be one of those tough Big Ten players you hate to go against. Plus playing for your dream school seems to add a little more juice to their game. Hope it all works out!
Seen him play. Reminds me a lot of Kyle Young with more ball skills than Kyle had at this point in his career. 4 year guy who will be a solid foundation.
They need to offer him. There's going to be room. Nothing wrong with having a player that is 6'6, has a high basketball IQ, can run the point, and can create his own shot.
You need to be humble or you will get humbled. - Jocko Willink
I think OSU knows if they offer White, they are in a situation where he might want to commit quickly and before some of their top priority 2024 SG/SF targets.
Kon Knueppel (25th in 247 Composite) just finished a visit to OSU on Monday and Tuesday. VJ Edgecombe (22nd in 247 Composite) is reportedly working on setting up a visit to OSU. I think Ohio State needs to see things out a little bit with those two recruitments before offering White.
If we had more projected room it would be one thing. Currently as it stands, though, we will need a player to leave to take just 3 in the 2024 class.
Key (5th yr Senior) / Okpara (Junior) / Parks (Soph)
On paper, that is space for only one more player. Now, will we have all those guys at that point? Very likely not, but still doesn't give a ton of wiggle room to try to take a bunch of HS guys, which is why OSU is being a little more selective with this class. Right now they seem to be recruiting for two spots, a SG/SF and a bigger forward like Sherrell, Reid, Sutton, Allen, etc. More holes that open up in the roster beyond that are probably best addressed through the transfer portal, anyways.
The other thing with White is his role and who he might have in front of him for a while. If we have a lot of attrition, then he could be in the rotation right away. But at the moment I don't think he would be taking many minutes from who we have lined up at the 2 (Gayle, Chatman, and Mobley), even if we were to lose one of those guys to transfer or the pros, nor do I think he would be getting many minutes at the 3 with Mahaffey and Middleton there. And in terms of college eligibility, those guys ahead of him would have 2-3 years left (and Mobley would have 4). Knueppel and Edgecombe are talented enough to make themselves factors sooner than later, but I am not sure White would be able to do that and might end up a likely transfer candidate to somewhere where he could have a bigger role sooner.
I do like Colin and it's just so hard to project with college basketball rosters, so I do hope that we offer him if it looks like we are going to strike out on both Knueppel and Edgecombe. I think as a skilled and productive T150 Ohio kid, White would be a decent pivot in that situation.
The other thing with White is you have to weigh using the scholarship on him vs. who you want in the next class, which just in Ohio itself is very strong (Peterson, Easter, Jones, Bundalo). Theoretically, if we still have Zed in 2024-2025, Zed is the only guy that we would lose to exhaustion of eligibility. Ultimately, I don't think you should try too hard to look that far ahead with college basket roster projections, but in this case I do think it is something to keep in mind just a bit in the small off-chance that we hang onto a lot of these guys for 3-4 years.
Will be very surprised if Thornton doesn't leave for the NBA next off season. Roster depletion has been an issue the last 5+ years, would hope they get more stability. Not sure if this is the right kid - sounds good - but the small classes make me worry.
Thornton doesn't really have ideal height or athleticism for the NBA; I think it may take him 3-4 years in college to get there. I think best case for Thornton might be a Jalen Brunson type trajectory, and Brunson was with Nova for 3 years (and it's crazy how similar Brunson's and Thornton's first year stats are). Could the NBA happen sooner for Bruce? Sure, especially if Bruce is torching it from outside at a high level & volume this coming season (like Brunson did his last season with Nova).
Aside from using the scholarship space, Colin White doesn't address a Thornton departure whatsoever. White may talk about playing the 1 some in HS or AAU, but he is not a PG at this level, especially on defense. And if Thornton is gone after next season, we are really gonna need to bring in a good transfer PG to help Chatman run the show, so that's kind of where that scholarship spot would need to go.
If Gayle is two and done and/or Chatman or Middleton transfers (Mahaffey unlikely since he would need a waiver for his 2nd transfer), then a wing player like White moves up in the roster depth chart. However, if we're plugging a true frosh into a situation like that, I'd rather it be a T30-type prospect like Knueppel or Edgecombe.
I don't think anyone should worry too much about small classes in the era of free transfer. Building class balance and good roster composition purely through HS recruiting and development, it's just not a thing any more. Holes or space that open up in the spring -- that's exactly what the transfer portal is for.
With NIL$ now available to players the decision to stay or go becomes a bit more clouded. I venture that Thornton being the face of Men's Buckeye Basketball will have multiple NIL opportunities. This could keep him at OSU an extra year (or two). Not only can college players make some decent jack they can improve their draft stock by playing another year of college ball. Also, they can earn more credits towards a degree.
"We're going to give the ball to dumb-ass and grind meat"--Woody Hayes
Thorton is a three-year player, minimum, unless he decides to try playing overseas. While he has the makings of a great college player, he doesn't translate all that well to the NBA but he could surprise.
So the year without fans was considered the covid year? Not trying to be an ass or anything I thought the year the ncaa tournament was cancelled was the covid year thank you for clearing that up for me
They need to offer him. There's going to be room. Nothing wrong with having a player that is 6'6, has a high basketball IQ, can run the point, and can create his own shot.
He is not nor will he ever be a PG. A wing. 2 guard MAYBE
Didn't say he was a PG. I said he could run the point as big man with above average ball handling. Having a 6'6 player who can initiate the offense and see over the defense is a plus.
You need to be humble or you will get humbled. - Jocko Willink
I've seen him a couple of times, and he's interesting. In college, he'll have to make the same adjustment Jon Diebler had to make, where you're going from being the most physically dominant player in almost all your high school games to being just another wing (AAU obviously helps in that regard).
He's a dog. I've seen him play in the biggest moments and he seems to always step up and set himself apart as the best player on the floor. I fully understand the slow-play by OSU on him, but let's hope he doesn't commit to Cincy or Stanford before Coach Holtz calls. He's only going to get bigger and stronger. Hope to see him in S & G in the fall of 2024.
He is definitely an interesting prospect, but could he end up like a Kalen Etzler type? Etzler and White are both very similar high school players, but I do see more upside to White. I think if the coaches knew for sure they'd have more scholarship openings, they'd have already offered him. He's that guy that you don't want to lose out on but at the same time, can you get a much higher rated player out of state? Tough decisions.
Not really much of anything like Kalen Etzler, who is pretty much just a straight-up stretch 4.
Colin White is more of a well-rounded big guard/wing type who can do a bit of playmaking and facilitating. I can't think of a great recent OSU comparison but I think there is some similarity to Purdue's Ethan Morton. Where White looks more promising than Morton is in terms of shooting/scoring -- areas which have never been big strengths for Morton. White has shown improved shooting lately and is scoring well on a pretty loaded Indiana Elite team, so his recruiting trajectory right now is on the up-swing (whereas Morton's ranking kinda fell off towards the end as he didn't show much improvement on offense) and I would expect White to continue to add more high-major offers.
White is on another level from Etzler at the high school level and he is actually a good team guy and leader. Etzler was only about himself at Crestview, though he seems to be a pretty good team guy at OSU.
BrutusBuckeye95 - Champions bleed scarlet and gray
Seen him play several times. Nothing like Etzler or Parks who both are projects. White is the real deal. He is a talented player who make plays, especially in big time situations More than adequate 3 pt. shooter, excellent ball handling and passing skills. Probably the best player out of the WBL since Jamar Butler. Someone is going to get a good player who knows how to win.
Not sure what we are waiting for, this kid should be wearing scarlet and grey if not only to keep him away from Michigan State and Indiana. We already missed on Cupps last year. He is a winner and will only get better.
BrutusBuckeye95 - Champions bleed scarlet and gray
This kid won’t be a superstar but will be a solid contributor as an upperclassman at the Big Ten level. We should have offered him while he was in town.
Spoke with someone close to the situation & White performed extremely well at the Ohio State team camp. OSU coaches were in attendance for every O-G game. Very good competition at the camp & White averaged close to 30 ppg
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Have seen him play several times. Smart player, probably needs to develop a consistent 3-pt shot for big time D1 ball. From a recently article I read, he's definitely improved in that area, knocking down 42% so far this AAU season. The Indiana team he plays on has several Top-100 kids on the roster & he's their second leading scorer. Plays in the same high school conference as 2023 signee Austin Parks. Could see him developing into a Dakota Mathias type player from Purdue (who also played in the same high school conference as White)
Offer him
The staff clearly has their eyes set on some high profile targets, and by all indications, have a solid chance of landing some of this guys. But it’s easy to envision a scenario where White keeps improving to be a top 100 player, then one of two things happen. We miss on some bigger targets and/or the staff knows there will be some (currently) unexpected transfer/draft entries.
Either way, while I don’t want to pass up on premium talent for lower rated players, I would love to add White by the time it’s all said and done. There’s a little something to his game that just makes me think he’ll be one of those tough Big Ten players you hate to go against. Plus playing for your dream school seems to add a little more juice to their game. Hope it all works out!
Seen him play. Reminds me a lot of Kyle Young with more ball skills than Kyle had at this point in his career. 4 year guy who will be a solid foundation.
In other words: the kind of player good programs need to sustain success when one-year players and transfers are coming and going from the roster.
Yes! He won't be a major contributor until mid SO year at best
They need to offer him. There's going to be room. Nothing wrong with having a player that is 6'6, has a high basketball IQ, can run the point, and can create his own shot.
You need to be humble or you will get humbled. - Jocko Willink
I think OSU knows if they offer White, they are in a situation where he might want to commit quickly and before some of their top priority 2024 SG/SF targets.
Kon Knueppel (25th in 247 Composite) just finished a visit to OSU on Monday and Tuesday. VJ Edgecombe (22nd in 247 Composite) is reportedly working on setting up a visit to OSU. I think Ohio State needs to see things out a little bit with those two recruitments before offering White.
If we had more projected room it would be one thing. Currently as it stands, though, we will need a player to leave to take just 3 in the 2024 class.
2024-2025 projected roster
Thornton (Junior) / Chatman (Soph)
Gayle (Junior) / Mobley (Frosh) / Hardman (Junior)
Mahaffey (Junior) / Middleton (Soph)
Royal (Soph) / Etzler (4th yr Junior)
Key (5th yr Senior) / Okpara (Junior) / Parks (Soph)
On paper, that is space for only one more player. Now, will we have all those guys at that point? Very likely not, but still doesn't give a ton of wiggle room to try to take a bunch of HS guys, which is why OSU is being a little more selective with this class. Right now they seem to be recruiting for two spots, a SG/SF and a bigger forward like Sherrell, Reid, Sutton, Allen, etc. More holes that open up in the roster beyond that are probably best addressed through the transfer portal, anyways.
The other thing with White is his role and who he might have in front of him for a while. If we have a lot of attrition, then he could be in the rotation right away. But at the moment I don't think he would be taking many minutes from who we have lined up at the 2 (Gayle, Chatman, and Mobley), even if we were to lose one of those guys to transfer or the pros, nor do I think he would be getting many minutes at the 3 with Mahaffey and Middleton there. And in terms of college eligibility, those guys ahead of him would have 2-3 years left (and Mobley would have 4). Knueppel and Edgecombe are talented enough to make themselves factors sooner than later, but I am not sure White would be able to do that and might end up a likely transfer candidate to somewhere where he could have a bigger role sooner.
I do like Colin and it's just so hard to project with college basketball rosters, so I do hope that we offer him if it looks like we are going to strike out on both Knueppel and Edgecombe. I think as a skilled and productive T150 Ohio kid, White would be a decent pivot in that situation.
the empire never ended
The other thing with White is you have to weigh using the scholarship on him vs. who you want in the next class, which just in Ohio itself is very strong (Peterson, Easter, Jones, Bundalo). Theoretically, if we still have Zed in 2024-2025, Zed is the only guy that we would lose to exhaustion of eligibility. Ultimately, I don't think you should try too hard to look that far ahead with college basket roster projections, but in this case I do think it is something to keep in mind just a bit in the small off-chance that we hang onto a lot of these guys for 3-4 years.
the empire never ended
Will be very surprised if Thornton doesn't leave for the NBA next off season. Roster depletion has been an issue the last 5+ years, would hope they get more stability. Not sure if this is the right kid - sounds good - but the small classes make me worry.
Thornton doesn't really have ideal height or athleticism for the NBA; I think it may take him 3-4 years in college to get there. I think best case for Thornton might be a Jalen Brunson type trajectory, and Brunson was with Nova for 3 years (and it's crazy how similar Brunson's and Thornton's first year stats are). Could the NBA happen sooner for Bruce? Sure, especially if Bruce is torching it from outside at a high level & volume this coming season (like Brunson did his last season with Nova).
Aside from using the scholarship space, Colin White doesn't address a Thornton departure whatsoever. White may talk about playing the 1 some in HS or AAU, but he is not a PG at this level, especially on defense. And if Thornton is gone after next season, we are really gonna need to bring in a good transfer PG to help Chatman run the show, so that's kind of where that scholarship spot would need to go.
If Gayle is two and done and/or Chatman or Middleton transfers (Mahaffey unlikely since he would need a waiver for his 2nd transfer), then a wing player like White moves up in the roster depth chart. However, if we're plugging a true frosh into a situation like that, I'd rather it be a T30-type prospect like Knueppel or Edgecombe.
I don't think anyone should worry too much about small classes in the era of free transfer. Building class balance and good roster composition purely through HS recruiting and development, it's just not a thing any more. Holes or space that open up in the spring -- that's exactly what the transfer portal is for.
the empire never ended
With NIL$ now available to players the decision to stay or go becomes a bit more clouded. I venture that Thornton being the face of Men's Buckeye Basketball will have multiple NIL opportunities. This could keep him at OSU an extra year (or two). Not only can college players make some decent jack they can improve their draft stock by playing another year of college ball. Also, they can earn more credits towards a degree.
"We're going to give the ball to dumb-ass and grind meat"--Woody Hayes
Thorton is a three-year player, minimum, unless he decides to try playing overseas. While he has the makings of a great college player, he doesn't translate all that well to the NBA but he could surprise.
Sani
Zed still has 2 years of eligibility? Wow did not know that
Yes, because his freshman season was "the covid year" that did not count against eligibility.
the empire never ended
Buckeyes can thank him for his time but his scholly is needed.
So the year without fans was considered the covid year? Not trying to be an ass or anything I thought the year the ncaa tournament was cancelled was the covid year thank you for clearing that up for me
The only thing good about Covid here is the fans couldn’t yell directly at the officials in person
He is not nor will he ever be a PG. A wing. 2 guard MAYBE
Didn't say he was a PG. I said he could run the point as big man with above average ball handling. Having a 6'6 player who can initiate the offense and see over the defense is a plus.
You need to be humble or you will get humbled. - Jocko Willink
I've seen him a couple of times, and he's interesting. In college, he'll have to make the same adjustment Jon Diebler had to make, where you're going from being the most physically dominant player in almost all your high school games to being just another wing (AAU obviously helps in that regard).
The most "loud mouth, disrespect" poster on 11W.
Ottawa. My old stomping grounds when a kid. Would be nice to see White in scarlet and gray
He's a dog. I've seen him play in the biggest moments and he seems to always step up and set himself apart as the best player on the floor. I fully understand the slow-play by OSU on him, but let's hope he doesn't commit to Cincy or Stanford before Coach Holtz calls. He's only going to get bigger and stronger. Hope to see him in S & G in the fall of 2024.
Go Bucks!
He is definitely an interesting prospect, but could he end up like a Kalen Etzler type? Etzler and White are both very similar high school players, but I do see more upside to White. I think if the coaches knew for sure they'd have more scholarship openings, they'd have already offered him. He's that guy that you don't want to lose out on but at the same time, can you get a much higher rated player out of state? Tough decisions.
Not really much of anything like Kalen Etzler, who is pretty much just a straight-up stretch 4.
Colin White is more of a well-rounded big guard/wing type who can do a bit of playmaking and facilitating. I can't think of a great recent OSU comparison but I think there is some similarity to Purdue's Ethan Morton. Where White looks more promising than Morton is in terms of shooting/scoring -- areas which have never been big strengths for Morton. White has shown improved shooting lately and is scoring well on a pretty loaded Indiana Elite team, so his recruiting trajectory right now is on the up-swing (whereas Morton's ranking kinda fell off towards the end as he didn't show much improvement on offense) and I would expect White to continue to add more high-major offers.
the empire never ended
Spot on.
White is on another level from Etzler at the high school level and he is actually a good team guy and leader. Etzler was only about himself at Crestview, though he seems to be a pretty good team guy at OSU.
BrutusBuckeye95 - Champions bleed scarlet and gray
This would be 2 WBL players in just 2 years. What is this world coming to?
3 etzler parks and white
Etzler is from the Northwest Conference, same basic geography as the WBL but smaller schools
Yep your right I’m an idiot was thinking van wert but he went to crestview
Seen him play several times. Nothing like Etzler or Parks who both are projects. White is the real deal. He is a talented player who make plays, especially in big time situations More than adequate 3 pt. shooter, excellent ball handling and passing skills. Probably the best player out of the WBL since Jamar Butler. Someone is going to get a good player who knows how to win.
buckjunky
Mathias came out of the WBL and made the NBA.
BrutusBuckeye95 - Champions bleed scarlet and gray
Not sure what we are waiting for, this kid should be wearing scarlet and grey if not only to keep him away from Michigan State and Indiana. We already missed on Cupps last year. He is a winner and will only get better.
BrutusBuckeye95 - Champions bleed scarlet and gray
This kid won’t be a superstar but will be a solid contributor as an upperclassman at the Big Ten level. We should have offered him while he was in town.
Spoke with someone close to the situation & White performed extremely well at the Ohio State team camp. OSU coaches were in attendance for every O-G game. Very good competition at the camp & White averaged close to 30 ppg