We are in Good Hands

[pup]

Is there a college in this country in better shape in terms of coaches than The Ohio State University? Thad Matta and Jim Tressel are two of the best coaches in the country and we have them both.

Not only are they great game managers, which is critical when dealing with 18-22 year olds, look at what they have coming in to Columbus next year. #1 basketball recruit in the country, 7 footer Greg Oden. #1 running back in the country, Chris Wells. I am watching Oden right now and amazed by his footwork and athleticism at his size. Got to watch Wells play in the Army All Star game and I thought he was the best player in the game.

[swerb]

I couldn't agree more. I was elated with the Matta hiring at the time, and have been even more impressed with what I've seen since.

Can't wait to see the trio of talented freshman take the floor for the Bucks next year. Got a chance to finally see Oden, Cook, Conley play on ESPN about a month back. Hopefully my Buckeye hoosps writer Kyle Lamb chimes in ... hes seen all three play live a number of times. Oden is likely to get picked for the Olympic team, and would have been the #1 pick of this years NBA Draft if allowed. Hes said he will play 2 years at tOSU, I hope he lives up to that. Cook also would have been a high pick if allowed to enter the draft and is a talented winger. Conley is the most talented PG the Bucks have landed since Scoonie.

Wells ... I've heard he has character issues. I too saw the Army HS All * game. Kid looked great. Bucks still got two more years of Pittman as well.

[lynch011]

Now if they could just learn to educate their athletes, they may be able to compete with Michigan and other highly touted schools in academics.

[swerb]

http://coachtressel.com/success_stories ... =1/14/2006

The 2005 Ohio State football team wound up the season with a glittering 10-2 record, including a Big Ten co-championship and its fourth victory in as many tries in a BCS game. The Buckeyes closed out the year with seven consecutive wins and wound up No. 4 in the final rankings, their third top five finish in the past four years.

Coach Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes also graded a winning performance in the classroom, where a record 56 members of the team recorded a grade point average of 3.00 or better during fall quarter. As a result of that effort, the team’s overall GPA now stands at 2.81.

Wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, for one, isn’t surprised by the team’s success in either arena.

“There is an emphasis here on doing well in both areas,” says the Cleveland native. “The coaches stress it all the time. We know we are not just football players. Doing well in the classroom gets a lot of play.”

Gonzalez has enjoyed more than moderate success in both areas. In addition to hauling in a career-best 28 receptions this past year, including an acrobatic 26-grab at Michigan to set up the winning touchdown for the Buckeyes, he also has recorded three consecutive 4.00s in the classroom and has a 3.42 GPA in philosophy.

Gonzalez, a third-year sophomore, is being mentioned as a possible Rhodes Scholar candidate. Ironically, if he were to receive that honor, he would join another Cleveland product, Mike Lanese, in a very select academic stratosphere. Lanese, who is best remembered for a diving catch against Michigan in 1984 that up until the Gonzalez grab was the most talked about reception in series history, was a 1985 Rhodes Scholar.

“It is definitely something I am thinking about and would like to pursue,” said Gonzalez. “But it is a very competitive process, so there are no guarantees. Still, I would like to try.”

[consigliere]

In regard to this year's OSU recruiting class for basketball.....they got Oden, and in the NH this past weekend they mentioned they also landed the #1 and #2 Ohio recruits.

The class for next year has already been dubbed as "The Thad Five".....that is great.