UA’s Goodwin decommits from Buckeyes
When he committed to Ohio State as a freshman in high school, Dane Goodwin wasn’t just making a pledge to the Buckeyes. The shooting guard from Upper Arlington was picking his top school that also was led by his favorite college basketball coach: Thad Matta.
As time progressed and Goodwin developed into a four-star prospect, that connection with Matta and his staff grew to the point where his father, Damon Goodwin, said it “surpassed” that of a normal coach-recruit relationship.
So even though the Goodwin family has had good interactions with new Ohio
State coach Chris Holtmann since he was named Matta’s successor June 9, it’s why Goodwin has opted to back off his verbal commitment to the Buckeyes and reopen his recruitment.
“When you commit in that situation, you’re committing to two things,” Damon Goodwin, the longtime coach at Capital University, told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “You’re committing to a place but you’re also committing to people, and when the people are different and you don’t know those people, it’s hard to remain the same. We’re not saying it’s worse or better or anything, it’s just different.”
Goodwin verbally committed to the Buckeyes on Dec. 1, 2014, and has since stayed off the recruiting radar. In its rankings, ESPN lists Goodwin as the Damon Goodwin, longtime coach at Capital University nation’s No. 71 overall prospect and No. 4 in Ohio.
He initially remained committed to the program in the wake of Matta’s firing that was announced June 5 but withheld judgment until he got to know the new coach. “We didn’t have any relationship before (with Holtmann at his previous job at Butler) because he didn’t have any real reason to recruit Dane,” Damon Goodwin said. Holtmann, he added, “seems like a good guy and a good coach. They’ve been very upfront and very honest, and we’re looking forward to continuing to get to know them.”
Goodwin already has taken two official visits, his father said while declining to name the schools. Multiple reports have listed Notre Dame and Villanova, the latter of which recruited him prior to his commitment, as the two schools.
Ohio State will get an official visit, and there is no timetable on when Goodwin will make a final decision. Had Matta remained the coach, Goodwin’s father said he might not have needed to take an official visit to check out the Buckeyes.
Damon Goodwin played for Dayton and was teammates with Anthony Grant, who was named Archie Miller’s replacement as UD’s coach this offseason.
As of the end of
the 2016- 17 season, Ohio State also had commitments from small forwards Darius Bazley of Cincinnati Princeton and Justin Ahrens of Versailles. Bazley decommitted during the spring while Matta was still the coach, and Ahrens followed suit after Matta was fired.
As it now stands, the class of 2018 is wide open. The Buckeyes have five scholarships available for the class, even after Massillon Jackson small forward Kyle Young flipped from Butler to Ohio State this week.
Goodwin’s decision has not been easy, his father said, but it allows Holtmann to recruit his guys — whether his son is among them or not.
“It’s a tough situation for everybody — the previous coaches and the new coaches coming in,” Damon Goodwin said. “We’re just trying to handle it honestly and in the best way.”