Thad Matta and the Ohio State men’s basketball team are already in the process of assembling a strong class for 2014, less than two months removed from this year’s National Signing Day for men’s basketball recruits. That class became stronger Friday night, when D’Angelo Russell verbally committed to the Buckeyes.
Russell confirmed the commitment, which was first reported by Rivals.com, on his Twitter.
Russell, a native of Louisville, Ky., is a shooting guard from Montverde Academy (Fla.). He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds by Rivals.
Russell is ranked as the nation’s No. 11 overall recruit by Scout.com, No. 22 by Rivals and No. 24 by ESPN.com. Russell is rated as a 5-star recruit by Scout and a 4-star recruit by both Rivals and ESPN.
With Russell’s commitment, the Buckeyes already have four verbal commitments in the class of 2014. Keita Bates-Diop, a forward from Normal, Ill., is rated as a 5-star recruit by both Rivals and ESPN. The Buckeyes also have commitments from Jae’Sean Tate, a 4-star forward from Pickerington, Ohio, and David Bell, a 3-star center from Garfield Heights, Ohio.
The Buckeyes have two incoming recruits, both rated as 4-star recruits by Scout, Rivals and ESPN, for the 2013 season. Power forward Marc Loving is a two-time state Division I Player of the Year from Toledo, Ohio, while shooting guard Kameron Williams comes to the Buckeyes from Baltimore, Md.
Sophomore guard Amedeo Della Valle was the only member of the Buckeyes’ 2012 recruiting class.
