Men's Basketball
Matta Inks Two Recruits
By the-Ozone Staff
Thad Matta filled the Ohio State roster for the 2005-06
men's basketball season with the addition of junior college guard
Sylvester Mayes and high school center/forward Brayden Bell, the first-year
head coach of the Buckeyes announced Tuesday.
Mayes, a 6-foot-2 inch, 195-pounder from Redlands Community College
in El Reno, Okla., and Bell, a 6-10, 240-pound native of Salt Lake
City, Utah, both signed national letters of intent to play for the
Buckeyes during the fall national signing period.
Mayes will have two years in an Ohio State uniform. He averaged 14.4
points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists a game as a freshman at Redlands,
where he was the first player off the bench for head coach Steve Eck.
Mayes helped lead the Cougars to a 35-2 overall record and runner-up
spot in the national
junior college championship.
Mayes was ranked as the nation's 19th-best prospect by Hoop Scoop
coming out of Fort Wayne (Ind.) Wayne as a senior in high school.
Mayes was an underclassman at South Bend (Ind.) Clay. He transferred
to Wayne as a senior, where he averaged 26.9 points per game.
Last year Mayes shot 58 percent from the field, 46 percent from
the 3-point range and 71 percent from the foul line. The Cougars are
currently ranked No. 5 in the country in NJCAA Division I. He scored
14 points in their season opener in a 105-63 win at home over the
Newman JV.
Bell averaged 17 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two assists
as a junior at Brighton High School.
The center/power forward prospect has the ability to play the post
as well as step out and score from the perimeter, Lyndon Johnson,
his coach at Brighton, said.
"It's a great opportunity for him to play in the Big Ten,"
Johnson said. "The Ohio State program is on the rise. I know
Coach Matta will quickly get Ohio State where it needs to be."
"Brayden is 6-10 but his best attribute is his ability to shoot
the ball," Johnson said.
"He faces the basket and shoots it well from 20 feet in. He
shot 40 percent from 3-point range and averaged about two 3-pointers
a game last year. He can do a lot of things facing the basket."
Matta anticipates Bell will contribute early in his career because
of his developed frame and skill level.
"We really like his scoring and shooting ability," Matta
said. "At 6-10, 240 pounds he has the ability to score from distance
and post up inside.
Bell and Mayes join Bowling Green transfer Ron Lewis as the newcomers
to the Ohio State roster next year. Lewis is sitting out the 2004-05
campaign at Ohio State. He is eligible to practice but not to participate
in games per NCAA transfer rules. He will have two years of eligibility
at Ohio State beginning with the 2005-06 season.
Lewis averaged 14.6 points per game in two seasons at Bowling Green.
He made 81 percent of his foul shots (340-420) and recorded 164 assists
for the Falcons.
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