Buckeyes strike again, Lighty headed to Columbus

When Daequan Cook committed to Ohio State a month ago, he said he was going to play recruiter for Thad Matta. Target number one for all parties involved was David Lighty, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound shooting guard from St. Joseph High School in Cleveland. A month later, the budding Big Ten program landed the state's best available player, according to Lighty's AAU coach Tim Hewitt.

"He made his decision and it's definitively going to be Ohio State," Hewitt told Rivals.com

Lighty will officially announce his decision on Monday at a 3 p.m. EST press conference at his high school. Lighty, the No. 17 ranked player in the country, is the second five-star prospect to commit to the Buckeyes. He and Cook already form a formidable duo for Matta. Hewitt believes this pair with a couple more home grown products could push the Big Ten program to the biggest game in college hoops.

"It's a great step in the right direction," Hewitt said. "Coach Matta has been persistent but not over kill. He's been here from the beginning and you know he's doing a good job of making it a program on the rise.

"If they can get a couple more kids just in state, I really believe they'll win a National Championship. There is just a plethora of talent in Ohio. I may be biased but I think they really got the two best juniors in the state of Ohio. I've coached David and I know what kind of player he is and will become and I've coached against Daequan. They are going to be very good together."

Lighty is out of commission as he rehabs a torn ACL. However, when he's fully healthy, he'll be one of the top incoming wing players in the country.

"He's going to be a terrific player for them," Hewitt said. "He's a guy that's not going to score 24 points but at the end of the game you look at the box score you're going to see him down with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He just makes everyone around him better. He's long and athletic and his body is a lot like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's at this age as a 17-year-old.

"David will find the open man and get them the ball because he's such a great passer but when it's crunch time and the game is on the line, he's calling for the ball. I wants it in his hands."

Now the recruiting ball is in Lighty's hands. Can he convince Mike Conley or Thaddeus Young to Columbus now?