Division II and NAIA recruiting update from Ohio’s 2023 class

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've spent a lot of time focusing on the recruitment of Division I bound prospects but there's some high level talent already committed to Division II and NAIA programs. In this article we're going to take a look at which schools are making the biggest splashes already.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>West Liberty grabs guard duo</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='976070' first='Kyler' last='D'Augustino'] and [player_tooltip player_id='976076' first='Terrance' last='Pankey Jr'] were two of the most sought after guards in Ohio by scholarship programs. Both players had a lot of interest but West Liberty grabbed the pair early in the recruiting cycle for Division II programs and has their backcourt of the future locked up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Hillsdale takes three from Ohio</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hillsdale has made a big mark recruiting in Ohio and has already secured the commitments of three Ohio prospects in the 2023 class. Those prospects are [player_tooltip player_id='867930' first='Logan' last='Beaston'], [player_tooltip player_id='1419893' first='Connor' last='Stonebraker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1163459' first='Mikey' last='McCollum']. Hillsdale has been one of the top Division II programs in the Midwest recently and these players will only make them stronger in the next couple years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Guards committing early</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the number of guards looking for scholarship offers, some offers will be tough to come by as the recruiting cycle gets closer to teams looking in the transfer portal. Some class of 2023 guards who jumped on scholarship offers include [player_tooltip player_id='1090160' first='Jack' last='Kronauge'], [player_tooltip player_id='1467907' first='Jordan' last='Edwards'], [player_tooltip player_id='1201839' first='Anthony' last='Ruffolo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1203995' first='Brady' last='Hardewig'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>GMAC powers grab wing studs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pair of wings with numerous offers made their decisions to commit to GMAC powers as [player_tooltip player_id='1183906' first='Ayden' last='Carter'] is off to Walsh and [player_tooltip player_id='1419902' first='Will' last='Aljancic'] announced earlier today he is headed to Findlay. Both of these prospects will likely average around 25 PPG this winter and have the talent to make immediate impacts at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Taylor grabs SW Ohio duo</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pair of prospects from southwest Ohio are headed to Taylor as [player_tooltip player_id='1225049' first='Julian' last='Mitchell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1419904' first='Izaiah' last='Day'] both committed early in the recruiting cycle. Mitchell was a top performer from the Prep Hoops Circuit while Day has the chance to break out for a Middletown squad looking to make a leap in the GMC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Two more wings staying in state at NAIA programs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final two prospects committed to NAIA programs are both staying in state as [player_tooltip player_id='1419891' first='Germain' last='Marshall'] will be going to Wilberforce and [player_tooltip player_id='1090155' first='Cyan' last='Ervin'] to Rio Grande. Look for both of these programs to continue to be active in recruiting Ohio prospects in the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>What about Division III recruiting?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Division III recruiting typically takes the longest as most players wait to commit until midway or after their high school season. One prospect from Ohio has already committed to a Division III program and that's [player_tooltip player_id='954767' first='Justin' last='Wypasek'] from Strongsville. A tough but undersized guard, Wypasek has the physical profile and work ethic that many successful small college guards have had.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->