Hoops recruiting: Kinney to Ohio, Johnson to Purdue

HAMPAIGN — John Groce and his Ohio University basketball staff might have been latecomers to the recruitment of James Kinney, but that didn’t keep the Bobcats from quickly moving to the head of the line.

Barely three months after the Centennial senior guard first heard from Groce — a former Ohio State assistant who was named Bobcats coach on June 27 — Kinney decided he need look no farther for his future college home.

On Monday night at Centennial High School, the two-time News-Gazette All-Area first-teamer announced he had made an oral commitment to the Mid-American Conference school in Athens, Ohio.

“I was thinking the other day, man, this has come quick, quicker than I expected,” Kinney said afterward. “When they first started recruiting me, I liked them the first time I talked to the assistants. We clicked, but I didn’t think it was going to be like that.

“I think it was just the relationships. My relationship with Coach Groce, that was probably the biggest thing.”

Also Monday, Purdue  landed one of the nation's top junior guards with a verbal commitment from Whitney Young (Chicago) guard Anthony Johnson. The 6-foot-3 guard is the Class of 2010 prospect to verbal to Purdue, joining Indiana prospects Travis Carroll, a 6-foot-9 center, and Terone Johnson, a 6-foot-2 point guard.

"I think it's a good fit," Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels said. "They had two solid players, and now they've added Anthony Johnson who I consider one of the better guards in this class. So that's a nice little step up for their class."

Daniels said Johnson, Scout.com's 32^nd-rated junior prospect, will bring versatility to the Boilermakers backcourt when he settles down in West Lafayette in two years.

"Purdue recruited him to be a combo guard and that's what he does best," Daniels said. "He's a really versatile guard prospect because he can fly to the one. He handles it well enough and sees the court well enough to play that position efficiently. But he's also a talented scorer. He shoots the ball very well and knows how to get to the rim."

Johnson's decision came down to Purdue and Ohio State. But Zion-Benton guard Lenzelle Smith commitment to the Ohio State two weeks ago completing a five-man class for the Buckeyes, Johnson's decision became clear.

"There wasn't a scholarship on the table from Ohio State anymore, and Purdue was his other favorite school so I think it kind of made sense," Daniels said. "I don't think he did it just to kind of race to get that spot. I think this was something he had been thinking about for a while and kind of went with that other favorite."

Johnson becomes a part of a Purdue program on the rise. The Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten with a 25-9 overall record last season and made their second-straight NCAA tournament appearance under head coach Matt Painter. With solid recruiting classes and All-Big Ten freshmen Robbie Hummell and E'Twaun Moore returning, Painter looks like he has the Purdue program on the rise.

"He started it two years ago when he got Robbie Hummel and E'Twaun Moore...That was really the start to this whole building process at Purdue, and (Painter) has continued that. He's definitely building that program in the right direction, there's no doubt about that."

Kinney said he became completely sold on Ohio after making his official campus visit Sept. 26-28.

“My parents loved it, I loved it, my little brother loved it, so it was the right place for me,” he said.

On the trip, Kinney became better acquainted with Ohio’s Sport Management program — his intended major — which has a track record of sending graduates to jobs in the pro and college ranks. He also spent time with current Bobcats basketball players at that weekend’s homecoming football game and a couple of volleyball matches.

“I bonded with the guys right away,” Kinney said. “It was like I was already on the team.”

The 6-foot-2 Charger is the fourth recruit to commit to Ohio, a group that includes point guard D.J. Cooper of South Holland Seton Academy.
Kinney also took an official visit to Evansville, and had been considering Penn State and George Mason.
 

Comments

Add a Comment