Already the biggest name associated with Ohio State basketball recruiting of
anyone not named Malik, Dominic James is finding life pretty rough these days.
Or maybe that’s just his opponents.
“It’s really been heating up lately,” an exhausted James said Saturday
morning. “A lot of teams are trying to get involved.”
James had just completed a 15-point performance in his team’s 70-64 victory
over the Martin Brothers Select at 8 in the morning Saturday at Spiece
Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne after finishing a 21-point outburst less than 10 hours
the night before.
Despite playing the entire game because his team only had five players
available for the morning stanza, James was still going strong. He does want to
work on conditioning, however.
“I’ve been on the road so much, I’ve not really had a chance to work on
that,” he said. “I haven’t had time to work out a lot, but I need to stay
in shape.”
James is a 5-10 point guard from Richmond, Indiana who you wouldn’t pick
out in a gymnasium full of players-unless of course you saw him jump.
James’ incredible athleticism combined with great court sense makes him
clearly one of the top point guard prospects in the nation for the 2004-2005
season. Teams are getting in line to sign him.
“Marquette, Notre Dame, Florida, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue
have all been in to see me,” James said. “I’m looking for the best
situation to go into. I definitely want to relate with the coach well wherever I
go.
Much like Hairston, whose recruitment sometimes seems like it will never end,
James says the Buckeyes were one of the first schools to get in on him, and he
appreciates that.
“It means a lot to me that they have been in on me the longest and they
have been the most consistent in recruiting me,” he said. “They were the
first Big Ten school to offer me. It is definitely special.”
Unlike Hairston, however, don’t look for James to drag this out until next
April.
“I will really start to wind down my list in July,” he said. “I will
probably make a decision in the fall.”
The Buckeyes will stand a very good chance of getting an official visit from
James, who termed the chances as “very likely.”
James spoke about some of the things that has impressed him the most about
the Buckeyes.
“Coach O’Brien is great,” he said. “My family likes him an awfully
lot. Ohio State is close to home, it’s a great place, and the staff is as good
as it gets. I like them a lot.”
Until James begins his college career, he will continue to make life tough
for his opponents. Once he’s in college, Ohio State fans hope he will make
life tough for their opponents.