With Ohio State football just around the corner, we don’t want to forget about the Buckeye Ballers. The Buckeyes once again will have an intriguing team on the hardwood. Whether that team can be just intriguing or a true title contender will depend on the play of junior forward LaQuinton Ross. After a strong tournament showing, it is now time for him to take on a leadership role.

When Deshaun Thomas decided to skip his senior season, to go to the NBA, many of us rightfully felt that the team took a huge hit. Yes, any time you lose your leading scorer and All-American candidate, it stings. Ross is capable of being a great replacement for Thomas though.

In his final three tournament games of 2012, Ross averaged over 17 points per game. During that time, he morphed into a true go-to scorer when times were tough. He was mostly a perimeter-oriented playmaker last season, but this upcoming season, he could have a bit more freedom in the offense to create while attacking the rim.

Ross has all the makings of a strong defender as well, but with Aaron Craft, Shannon Scott and Sam Thompson already on the team and scheduled to get a lot of minutes, Ross will probably not draw an offense-oriented matchup. His long arms can cause havoc as a help defender though, and he can provide more value on that side of the court than Thomas ever could.

He’s come a long way since the skinny SF committed to Thad Matta. After an up and down freshman campaign in Columbus, Ross waited until the end of his sophomore season to really showcase his potential as a legitimate college and fantasy basketball star and future NBA player. It remains to be seen if he can carry that over in a starring role this season, but he has all the physical tools to do so. Ohio State might not get as much hype as they did in the preseason last year, but they could very well make a Final Four run with the talent they have.

Aaron Craft is definitely the defensive leader of this team. Can LaQuinton become the leader on offense?

With the 2013 NBA Draft in the rear view mirror and the NBA Summer League in full swing, it’s time to take a look at the next wave of potential NBA talent. The Ohio State Buckeyes are no stranger when it comes to players being selected in the NBA draft. After all, the Buckeyes have had at least one player drafted every year since 2007. Some have been successful (Mike Conley) and others (Greg Oden & Byron Mullens) have just been tall.

The streak may be in jeopardy this year. Most experts believe LaQuinton Ross has the best chance of any current Buckeye to get drafted. He showed great flashes late in the season, most notably in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Others believe senior to be point guard Aaron Craft will be the next to walk across the NBA Draft stage. Only time will tell.

Regardless of how a player’s career unfolds, getting to the league is a special accomplishment. It’s certainly one that player and coach can celebrate together. Year after year, Coach Matta and his staff have had the pleasure to celebrate with at least one drafted Buckeye. It really speaks volumes for their recruiting ability as well as honing and developing the talent that is brought in.

Enter 2012 signees Marc Loving of Toledo, OH (St. John’s Jesuit) and Kameron Williams of Towson, MD (Mount Saint Joseph). Loving is a silky smooth 6-7 small forward with range and Williams is a 6-2 shooting guard with range and the ability to slash. Both will be welcome additions to the Ohio State roster.

Neither player is a “one and done” type of recruit. With that being said, both are national top 100 recruits that have a chance to impact Buckeye basketball for the next several years. Lets take a more in depth look at both of them.

Marc Loving

This talented 6-7 swingman can do a little bit of everything. Loving’s decorated high school career was capped off when he won Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 2012 (where he averaged 22 points and 9 rebounds a game).He has been in Ohio State’s 2012 class for what seems like an eternity. Loving also played for one of the Midwest’s most talented AAU programs in All-Ohio Red. The chance to showcase his talent on that type of stage made him a national name. See highlights here.

Loving brings great versatility with his game when he is on the floor. Essentially, he can be a two guard, small forward or power forward depending on the style of play during any particular game. Coach Matta will be able to create mismatches on the offensive end of the floor for the opposing team. Loving is known for his outside shooting at this point in his development. He still needs to develop a stronger lower and upper body for high level Division I basketball. Undoubtedly, that will come with time and a lot of hard work.

The outside shot of Loving’s also allows him to be an effective driver of the basketball. He can finish with either hand but will need to continue to develop this part of his offensive game. Loving is not known for his defense but will need to prove he can play great defense in order to play for Coach Matta at Ohio State. We’ve seen guys (LaQuinton Ross) with an explosive offensive repertoire not get off the pine because they can’t play defense. I see Loving contributing this season. How much, is still unknown. It all hinges on his ability to play on the defensive side of the floor and develop some strength.

Kam Williams

The 2nd commitment in the 2012 class was Baltimore, MD product, Kam Williams. The 6-2 Williams can flat out score. He will be an instant scoring threat off the bench this season for Coach Matta. Whether it is from behind the three point arc or off penetration, Williams will be a big time scorer in the Big Ten before his career is over.

Much like Loving, he will need to gain strength once he steps foot in a college weight room. His lack of size can be compensated for a quick first step and an uncanny ability to finish at the rim over taller players. 247 sports basketball recruiting expert Jerry Meyer has tweeted, “Ohio State commitment Kameron Williams is a scoring machine”. I hope Meyer (hey, we know that name) is right with his assessment. Check out some highlights here.

During the recruiting process, many experts thought Miami (FL) would land the services of Williams. However, once Williams stepped foot in Columbus all bets were off. It took him less than a week to commit to the program once he visited. “Ohio State is a big time basketball school,” Williams told Bucknuts.com. “It is a big time atmosphere. I love the people, I love the coaching staff and I love Coach Matta. It just seemed like a really good fit.” We couldn’t agree more Kam!

It remains to be seen how long Loving and Williams will be at Ohio State and how successful they will be. They’ve got tremendous upside and more importantly great attitudes and appreciation for the program they are entering. Coach Matta will make sure he puts them in the right position in order to be successful. The rest is up to Loving and Williams. If I was a betting man, I’d say both will have successful careers at Ohio State. They may even have a chance to walk across the NBA stage on draft day and look back at the rear view mirror, celebrating the place that helped them accomplish their dreams.

(This is a guest post by Chris Kuhner, a future motsag basketball blogger)

While many Buckeye fans are anxiously awaiting the upcoming football season, Buckeye men’s Head Basketball Coach Thad Matta has his eyes set toward the future. After rounding out his coaching staff last week because of the departure of Chris Jent to the NBA (Sacramento Kings), all the focus now is on recruiting.

Matta’s 2014 class is already one of the nation’s best, with four commits on board. While the 2014 success has been great so far, Matta and his staff are not resting. They are already aggressively pursuing some of the nation’s elite prospects in the 2015 class.

At the top of that list is none other than Carlton Bragg, the super athletic 6-9, 220 pound power forward. Bragg hails from Villa Angela-St. Joseph in Cleveland, Ohio. He helped bring home the Ohio IV state championship after the school had not won it in 18 years. This is the same high school that also produced Buckeye greats Clark Kellogg and David Lighty. Not only is Bragg on the top of Ohio State’s wish list, he’s also on the wish list of schools from coast to coast. Most recruiting services have him as a national top 25 recruit in the class of 2015.

It’s easy to see why. As the game continues to move toward the perimeter, stretch fours and fives are becoming more valuable. Bragg is your quintessential stretch four. His ability to shoot the three pointer (shot over 50% last season) and put the ball on the floor makes him extremely difficult to guard. This is the kind of all-around offensive game coaches salivate over.

By nature, Bragg is reserved off the court. But on the court, his game speaks for itself. In a recent interview with 247’s Blue Devil Lair ($) , Bragg talked about his game and where he is at in the process:

BlueDevilLair: For those who haven’t been able to see you, give a scouting report to the fans.

Carlton Bragg: I just play like a big man and run the floor. I love to run the floor.

To read more of Carlton Bragg’s interview, please visit 247’s Blue Devil Lair ($).

Bragg has already been to Ohio State’s campus and is surely to make return visits as the process continues. His next scheduled event will be this upcoming week in Indianapolis at the Adidas Invitational. 2014 verbal commit Dave Bell (Garfield Heights HS) is also scheduled to attend. Hopefully Bell has a chance to let Bragg know how he feels about Ohio State.

Stay tuned, with a ton of major events in the coming month, Buckeye basketball recruiting is sure to pick up.