Ahmad to West Virginia

Esa Ahmad

One of the Midwest’s top available seniors came off of the recruiting board on Wednesday, midway through the first week that college coaches are allowed to visit high schools for their fall recruiting period. Along with that commitment, many of Ohio’s top seniors received visits from college coaches this week already, with more scheduled to come in soon. Here are some of the top stories going around the news wire in the Buckeye State….

• Esa Ahmad – ’15 Cleveland Shaker Heights PF: West Virginia swooped into the Buckeye State on Wednesday and hit the recruiting home-run of the year for Mountaineer’s fans, landing Cleveland area star Esa Ahmad. A top-50 recruit nationally, Ahmad chose WVU and head coach Bob Huggins somewhat unexpectedly early, as his family was still scheduled to make trips to Wisconsin and Oregon, as well as hear more from Maryland and Ohio State. This latest commitment shows that Huggins has continued to prioritize high-motor Ohio forwards who can score, as Ahmad will likely see early time in the Big XII as a rebounder and versatile scorer. With Ahmad now off the board, attention in Ohio will likely shift more heavily to Carlton Bragg, another Cleveland forward who is highly regarded nationally.

• Isaac White – ’15 Ashland PG: One of the most solid floor generals in Ohio’s 2015 class, White came off the recruiting board on Wednesday as well, when the Ashland guard committed to Division II program Malone, an in-state school. After three years running the floor for Team Work on the AAU circuit, White had attracted Division II interest from a number of Ohio and West Virginia schools before deciding that Malone was the best fit for him.

• MaCio Teague – ’15 Cincinnati Walnut Hills SG: Teague is continuing to attract both Division I programs and high academic institutions, as the Cincinnati Walnut Hills senior has received visits from Bryant and Yale this week. Additionally, Teague, who is one of Ohio’s top shooters, is scheduled to take an official visit to Yale before the end of this month.

• Jalen Avery – ’15 Cincinnati Shroder PG: The top guard in the Cincinnati area played host to several schools this week as Kent State and Ohio University came in on Wednesday, and Maryland is expected in on Thursday. After working out for the two MAC schools at his high school on Wednesday afternoon, Avery also allowed Kent State coach Rob Senderoff to conduct an in-home visit with his family, and also plans on taking his official visit to Kent State this week.

• Ohio State was busy checking out in-state kids this week, as multiple coaches made appearances in Cleveland and Columbus. Head coach Thad Matta was at Cleveland St. Edward looking at 2016 power forward Derek Funderburk (who has an OSU offer) as well as 2015 forward Kipper Nichols. With Esa Ahmad off the board to West Virginia, look for Nichols to potentially emerge as an OSU target.

• Ashon Riggins – ’16 Hamilton PG/SG: A combo athlete who stars on both the basketball court and the football field, Riggins received a major boost to his recruiting stock this week when the combo guard received visits from both Wright State and Belmont. Speaking of Belmont, they also made another stop in the greater Cincinnati area, crossing the river to Newport (KY) to check out 2016 combo guard Ethan Snapp.

• Jarron Cumberland – ’16 Wilmington SG: It was a busy week in Wilmington as Cincinnati, Iowa State and Butler all stopped by the local high school to check out Ohio’s top 2016 shooting guard. While these three schools have yet to offer a scholarship, these visits prove that Cumberland is a top target of several high-majors in the 2016 class.

• Cleveland State offered two juniors out of Cleveland Garfield Heights this week when they extended scholarship opportunities to both Willie Jackson and Frankie Hughes. Jackson is a 6’5 combo forward with great athleticism and physical abilities, while Hughes is a skilled shooter with size and athleticism, both of whom have drawn tons of interest from mid and high major schools.