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4/29/2008 10:06 AM
 
2008 Junior College Players  (United States) Modified By host  on 3/9/2012 10:18:19 PM
OHIO STATE

Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team adds point guard Jeremie Simmons, expect him to make an impact

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter

For the second straight year, Ohio State is bringing in a junior-college men's basketball point guard. But Jeremie Simmons is no P.J. Hill.

Hill arrived last July after Mike Conley's departure for the NBA as a last-ditch find and was never expected to be more than a little-used, defensive-minded backup. Simmons, who is expected to sign his scholarship papers today, should be much more than that.

"I expect Jeremie to fight for time," Steve Schmidt, his coach at Mott Community College in Flint, Mich., said Monday. "Significant time. They recruited this kid to come in and make an impact. That's what my expectations are and that's what the kid's are."

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Simmons led his team to consecutive junior-college national titles and this season was named the NJCAA Division II player of the year after averaging 21 points and five assists per game. In Schmidt's offense, which didn't require a true point guard, the 6-2 Simmons handled the ball and also played off the ball. With the Buckeyes, he is expected to battle incoming freshman Anthony Crater, a Flint native, for the starting job at point.

"He's very crafty with the ball and he's very unselfish, but he can really shoot the ball," Schmidt said.

Schmidt said Simmons was recruited by midmajor schools out of high school in Chicago but came to Mott after failing to qualify academically.

Schmidt said OSU entered the recruiting battle for Simmons, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, less than a month ago.

Another junior college player, 6-9 freshman power forward Nicola Kecman of Eastern Arizona, will announce his college choice today. Reports had him headed to OSU, but his coach, Tim Walsh, said late Monday that Kecman has not commited but has narrowed his decision to the Buckeyes and Kentucky.

Football adds 13th recruit:

Youngstown Boardman lineman Cory Linsley gave an oral commitment to Ohio State on Monday, according to several reports, including those by Scout.com and Rivals.com. The 6-4, 275-pound offensive lineman is the 13th member of Ohio State's 2009 recruiting class. He is rated as a three-star prospect by Scout.com.

 
New Post
4/29/2008 10:07 AM
 
Re: 2009 Junior College Players  (United States)
Sources: Ohio State Picks Up Pair of JUCOS


Staff
Posted Apr 26, 2008

After losing a pair of freshmen, one to the NBA draft and a transfer, Ohio State looks like it's re-tooling just a bit for next season. Sources say the Buckeyes picked up a pair of junior college commitments on Saturday afternoon, both were on official visits. Kyle Lamb has more.

Just when Ohio State's depth looked a little bleak for the 2008-09 season, the Buckeyes might be in luck.

Saturday, sources close to BuckeyeSports.com indicate Ohio State picked up a pair of junior college commitments after hosting them on 48-hour official visits.

Reportedly, Jeremie Simmons, a 6-2 guard from Mott Community College in Michigan and Nicola Kecman, a 6-9 power forward from Eastern Arizona College gave verbal commitments to Matta on their trips to Columbus this weekend.

Simmons, a sophomore, is a native of Chicago and averaged 21 points per game for the Division II NJCAA National Champions. Kecman, meanwhile, averaged 13.3 points and would have three seasons left of eligibility.

Simmons reportedly has selected Ohio State over Dayton and heavy interest from Alabama - where he was tentatively expected to visit. Kecman drew interest from Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska and Kansas State among others.

Both Simmons and Kecman are able to sign letters-of-intent with Ohio State. However, the letters are not official until their legal guardians sign off.

In the past week, the Buckeyes learned that 7-1 freshman Kosta Koufos entered his name into the NBA draft. More recently, 6-6 freshman Eric Wallace announced his intentions to transfer.

BuckeyeSports.com will have more on the situation as it develops.

 
New Post
5/7/2008 2:15 PM
 
Re: 2008 Junior College Players  (United States)
Men's Basketball: Buckeyes Add Depth to 2008-09 Roster
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
          Release: 05/07/2008

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Junior college transfers complete recruiting class

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Jeremie Simmons, a 6-foot-2-inch sophomore guard from Mott Community College in Flint, Mich., and Nikola Kecman, a 6-9 freshman forward from Eastern Arizona College, signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to play for the Buckeyes starting with the 2008-09 season, Thad Matta, head coach of the Buckeyes, announced Wednesday.

“We are excited with the addition of another frontcourt and backcourt player,” Matta said. “Nikola gives us size with the ability to step out on the perimeter and shoot the ball. Jeremie gives us another playmaker that also shoots well from behind the 3-point line. In addition, both players come from winning programs.”

Simmons will have two years of eligibility with the Buckeyes and Kecman (KETZ-man) will have three seasons in Scarlet and Gray.

Simmons led the Bears to Division II National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships each of the last two seasons with a 35-3 record in 2007 and a 35-2 mark in 2008.

As a sophomore, Simmons, who played as a prep for Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center in Chicago, averaged a team-leading 21.2 points per game with 268 of 555 (.483) made field goals, 122 of 289 (.422) 3-pointers and 125 of 139 (.899) free throws made for a total of 783 points. He rated No. 2 on the team with 185 assists and 110 steals. He finished No. 11 nationally in scoring last year.

As a freshman in 2006-07, Simmons averaged 16.6 points a game in 34 appearances. He knocked down 182 of 388 field goals (.469), including 91 of 225 (.404) 3-pointers. He also made 111 of 135 (.822) foul shots on his way to 566 points, second on the team. He led the squad with 145 assists and rated third among the Bears with 73 steals.

Simmons, a first team NJCAA All-American last season, was a 2007-08 All-Michigan Community College Athletic Association selection as a sophomore and was named the league’s player of the year.

Mott defeated Columbus State Community College 83-73 for the NJCAA national title March 22 of this year. Simmons led the Bears with 23 points to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Mott defeated Monroe Community College for the 2007 title, 75-61. Since 2001, Mott has claimed the national title three times (2003, 2007, 2008) and finished as the national runner up twice (2001, 2004) under head coach Steve Schmidt.

Simmons played for Vince Carter at Von Steuben.

Kecman, is a native of Belgrade, Serbia. He was named the Arizona Community College Athletics Association tournament MVP in 2008 with 21 points in a 69-58 win over Arizona Western in the Region I Championship in Yuma, Ariz.

The Gila Monsters finished fifth in the 2008 Division I NJCAA National Tournament with wins over Walters State CC (69-53), SE Illinois (70-53) and Indian Hills (70-63). Eastern Arizona fell to Three Rivers CC 75-73 in the second round of the event, annually held in Hutchinson, Kan.

Kecman was recognized in the tournament with the Sesher Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to the player demonstrating the best sportsmanship throughout the tournament.

Kecman averaged 13.4 points as a freshman at Eastern Arizona. He scored 428 points, the second-highest scoring total on the squad. He made 170 of 301 (.565) field goals and 35 of 80 (.438) 3-pointers. In 32 games, he grabbed 120 rebounds (3.8 rpg) for the 30-6 Gila Monsters.

2008-09 Ohio State Men’s Basketball Recruiting Class

No. Name Ht. Wt. Pos. Elig. Hometown High School/Last School
44 William Buford 6-6 190 G Fr. Toledo, Ohio Libbey
10 Anthony Crater 6-1 170 G Fr. Flint, Mich. Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Acad.
24 Nikola Kecman 6-9 215 F So. Belgrade, Serbia Eastern Arizona College
32 B.J. Mullens 7-0 260 C Fr. Columbus, Ohio Canal Winchester
3 Walter Offutt 6-3 180 G Fr. Indianapolis Warren Central
2 Jeremie Simmons 6-2 170 G Jr. Chicago Von Steuben (Ill.)/Mott Community College
 
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