The Front Row

He is better than i initially thought.

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Keita Bates-Diop Ends His Recruitment And Commits To Big Ten School

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

November 18, 2012

10:45 A.M. CST

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In the world of college basketball recruiting there are times when some things just happen. That was definitely the case with respect to the recruitment of Keita Bates-Diop. Simply put, the 6'7 2014 wing forward from University High in Normal, IL decided to end it today by committing to Ohio State University and head coach Thad Matta. Bates Diop's commitment was confirmed by Illinois Wolves head coach and CEO Mike Mullins. He chose the Buckeyes over offers from Illinois, Michigan and Purdue as well as several others in the Big Ten and Big East.

Rumors had been swirling for the better part of the past three months that Bates-Diop could be ready to pull the trigger and commit. However, up until now no one was truly certain as to when it would be or who it would be to. Some believed that Bates-Diop would wait until next Spring (after the upcoming high school season) before committing, as his recruitment was starting to go through the roof after performing in spectacular fashion during the July evaluation period. As a result of his outstanding month, Bates-Diop was named as our Player Of The Summer (http://www.ilprepbullseye.com/Summer_Awards.html).

The bottom line is that while he was extremely grateful for all of the recruiting attention he had received, Bates-Diop had grown tired of the recruiting process and decided that now was the time to put it to rest. The Buckeyes had become an immediate player for Bates-Diop's services from the time that Matta offfered him a scholarship during the July evaluation period.

After totally dominating his competition at both the NY2LA Sports Summer Jam in Mequon, WI and the GRBA National Championships in Ft. Wayne, IN while playing for the Illinois Wolves 16-Under squad Bates-Diop quickly became a household name nationally amongst both recruiting analysts and college recruiters. During July he added scholarship offers from Marquette and Oregon and followed that up shortly thereafter with an offer from Ohio State. Bates-Diop also held offers from Michigan State, DePaul, Northwestern, Kansas State and Indiana.

Bates-Diop visited Ohio State last month and got the opportunity to watch the Buckeyes conduct a full-fledged practice. To make a long story short, Bates-Diop was wowed by every aspect of the visit. He was extremely impressed by the facilities and how organized coach Matta's practices are. To take it a step further, Bates-Diop developed a strong camaraderie with the players as well as the coaching staff at Ohio State. At that point he knew that was the place for him.

What may have sealed the deal with respect to Bates-Diop's decision more than anything else is the Buckeyes' track record under Matta. Simply put, it speaks for itself--reaching the National Championship Game in 2007 and returning to the Final Four last season. Not only will Bates-Diop be a part of a program that consistently wins, but he also knows that Matta is a coach who can prepare him for the NBA--with former Buckeye stars Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger serving as prime examples.

Bates-Diop has the best skill set of any wing player in Illinois from the 2014 class. He is super athletic and possesses tremendous offensive versatility. Not only is Bates-Diop a high-flying and exciting finisher, but his floor game is absolutely outstanding. It includes the ability to handle the ball, face up and consistently convert shots from beyond the 3-point arc. He is also a terrific passer from the wings and the top of the key. We agree completely with Mullins when he says "there are not 20 kids in 2014 (nationally) that are more productive players right now or have more upside than Bates-Diop."

There is no question that Matta and the Buckeyes continue to build off their past success when it comes to recruiting talented players from the state of Illinois. At the present time Illinois-based players on the Buckeyes roster include Lenzelle Smith (Zion-Benton High School) and Sam Thompson (Whitney Young High School).

In addition to Matta, kudos must undoubtedly go out to assistant coach Jeff Boals who was instrumental in Bates-Diop's recruitment. Simply put, Boals has proven to be not only one of the premier assistants in the Big Ten but in the entire nation as well. He has done an absolutely outstanding job of tapping into the state of Illinois and landing elite prospects from the Land Of Lincoln.