Though the Ohio men's basketball team has only signed one player for next season so far, the recruit will have a chance to make an immediate impact.
The Bobcats inked Asown Sayles, a 6-foot-5-inch forward out of Hargrave Military Academy, during the early signing period in April. The future Bobcat said the experience he gained from an extra year of prep school at Hargrave will help him contribute to the 'Cats next year.
Hargrave is a great place to learn a lot
especially around all the D-I prospects the team had Sayles said. Some of the practices are more intense than games. You have to come ready to play everyday and after a year in that environment I think I am ready to help out the Bobcats.
Prep schools offer students an extra year to mature and ease the transition to college both academically and athletically. Sayles chose to attend Hargrave, located in Chatham, Va., to earn a better offer to play basketball in college.
Sayles came off the bench and averaged 6.3 points and five rebounds per game for a team that went 28-2 this season.
Though his playing time and stats may appear a bit low, Ohio coach Tim O'Shea said stats are not a strong indicator of talent when playing on a team with the caliber that Sayles did.
He played on one of the best prep school teams in the country. They have sent players all over the country to play Division-I basketball
and this year they had something like seven kids sign
O'Shea said. When you look at this team
with kids going to Connecticut
Georgetown
Indiana and Florida
the team was so talented it would be a mistake if you try to read too much into statistics.
Statistics aside, the Ohio coaching staff recruited Sayles because of his size and versatility. His 210-pound frame and athletic build allows him to guard a smaller player on the perimeter and someone bigger inside. In the recruiting world, coaches referred to him as a warrior.
Graduate assistant Adam DeMong spent plenty of time with Sayles during his recruitment and agreed with that description. DeMong said Sayles will bring a new dimension to the Bobcats with his size and strength.
He is extremely physical G
rebounder and a total team player
DeMong said. He's a real nice
