Ohio State basketball gets commitment from No. 13 ranked player in the country

Its a great day to be a Buckeye.

Especially if you are on the men's basketball team because help has arrived.

Throughout the past couple of season the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team has had its fair share of struggles. In the 2024-25 campaign, the team went 17-15 overall and 9-11 in conference play, and in the 2023-24 stint, they didn't do much better going 22-14 overall and 9-11 in conference play.

Over the course of the last three years, the team hasn't gone above .500 in the Big Ten, marking a need for change.

Well, the Buckeyes have a chance to make a big adjustment in the program's trajectory after five-star recruit Anthony Thompson committed to the program.

The announcement came on Tuesday, Oct. 21, as the No. 13-ranked prospect in the SC Next 100 chose Ohio State over countless other programs around the country.

"My relationship with the coaching staff was different. They recruited me hard and consistently made me a priority," Thompson told ESPN. "Coach [Jake] Diebler really cares about all his players. He is on the court working with his players during individual workouts. He was very consistent in his communication and recruitment of me. I know I can rely on him to help me. I watched the team practice. They had great energy and buy-in."

Thompson decided to join the Buckeyes over Big Ten foe, Indiana, and other major programs including Michigan, Kentucky and North Carolina.

Head coach Jake Diebler took over for the Buckeyes in 2024 after previously serving as an assistant, associate, and interim. His most notable victory as the man at the helm came against No. 2 Purdue to finish the 2023-24 season.

He showed signs of growth for the program in the 2024-25 stint and is obviously starting to turn the heads of high school recruits.

"Their plan is to help me become the best player I can be and prepare me for the NBA. They see me as a versatile shooter and can defend different positions," Thompson said. "They showed me how I would fit on both ends of the floor."

He has an incredibly high ceiling, being 6-foot-8 and already showing a nack for shooting and rebounding. In today's game, a good balance of being able to shoot from anywhere and extend possessions with offensive rebounds is important, and Thompson can do both.

This past spring and summer he was fourth on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, averaging an impressive 22.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and two assists on 59% from the field and 40% from three-point range.

This commitment from Thompson also marks the first time since Ohio State has brought in a five-star recruit since D'Angelo Russell, who played for the team in the 2024-25 campaign. He averaged nearly 20 points a game, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists en route to being named an All-American, All-Big Ten honoree and Big Ten Rookie of the Year.

These are lofty expectations for Thompson to fill, but he has the potential to at least be a reliable contributor from day one.

"I am going there with the intention of improving and winning and making it to the NBA, however long it takes," Thompson said. "I am not focused on being one-and-done. If it happens, that is great."