'06 SF Wesley Johnson (transferred to Syracuse)

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by ScriptOhio

I wasn't aware that a school could provide stipulations on releasing a player. I had always thought that either you released him or you didn't...period. I can understand why a couch wouldn't want a good player to transfer to another of their conference schools though; however, I thought most coaches just took the position that "if you don't want to play here, we don't want you either, so don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out". Very interesting....

not all conferences have the you cant transfer within the conference and get a scholie rule...

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

May 29, 2008

OSU can contact Iowa State transfer

Iowa State has released 6-foot-7 forward Wesley Johnson from his scholarship and given the release to eight schools, including Ohio State.
Cyclones coach Greg McDermott was suspicious of tampering in Johnson's sudden decision to leave the program May 15 and limited his releases to the eight schools after speaking with Johnson and his mother.
Among the schools that requested Johnson's release and were denied were Cincinnati and Mississippi.
I left a message on Johnson's cell phone seeking further comment but have yet to hear back from him.

[LitlBuck]

Dispatch

With no clear answer at power forward the next two seasons, Ohio State has gotten involved in the chase for Iowa State basketball transfer Wesley Johnson, who left the Cyclones suddenly in May.

Johnson, a springy 6 feet 7, averaged 12.4 points and four rebounds as a sophomore last season, when he was hampered by a foot injury that required surgery in April. As a freshman, he averaged 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, had 11 double-doubles and was voted to the Big 12 all-rookie team. He made 79 three-point baskets in two seasons.

After sitting out a transfer year, Johnson would be a candidate for the position left vacant by Kosta Koufos' early departure for the NBA. There is no ideal replacement on the current roster, and coach Thad Matta might be preparing for the potential loss of junior-college transfer Nikola Kecman.

Continued

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This article states that the coaches might still be concerned about the NCAA's ruling regarding Kecman's "amateur" status and the fact that he might be ruled ineligible for some games.

[crazybuckfan40]

Don't like reading that...Haven't heard anything, but we shall see...

[LitlBuck]

Dispatch

June 4, 2008
Transfer 'considering' Ohio State
I just got off the phone with Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson, who confirmed he is "considering" Ohio State among a number of schools but said he has not decided where to visit. He also said he just received a second release from Iowa State that allows him to be contacted by more than just the eight schools to which he was initially released.

The other seven schools besides Ohio State on the initial release were Arkansas, Connecticut, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova and West Virginia. Johnson said more schools from the Big East and Southeastern conferences are on the second release but he did not identify them. Iowa State will not release him to any other Big 12 teams.

Now that other schools are in the mix along with the initial eight I do not think that things are very good for the Buckeyes.

Johnson said he has played “phone tag” with Matta but has not yet spoken with him or any of the OSU assistants.

The above quote from the article saying that he hasn't really talked to any of the staff is not a good sign either.

[LitlBuck]

Dispatch

Forward who left Iowa State plans to visit Ohio State

Wesley Johnson, a 6-foot-7 forward who was Iowa State's second-leading scorer the past two seasons, plans to visit Ohio State in the next few weeks as he considers where to transfer for his final two seasons of eligibility.

Johnson said yesterday he has not committed to any other visits. He has been released to 17 schools, including eight in the Big East, four in the Southeastern Conference and three in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Ohio State is the only Big Ten school he is considering.

Johnson, from Corsicana, Texas, averaged 12.4 points and four rebounds as a sophomore last season, when he was hampered by a foot injury that required surgery in April. As a freshman, he averaged 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, had 11 double-doubles and was voted to the Big 12 all-rookie team. He made 79 three-point field goals in the two seasons combined.

Nice to see that out of all the schools that he is now allowed to visit he picked Ohio State first. While it would be nice to land him, it would also mean bye-bye to Orton I believe.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Scout.com$ (Kyle Lamb)

Johnson in Ohio State's Plans?..........Johnson will reportedly visit tOSU in the near future and may be favoring tOSU over Arkansas, Connecticut, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova and West Virginia.

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Wesley Johnson down to four?

Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson is ?looking hard? at Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia, Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com reported yesterday. Whether that means they represent Johnson?s final four is not certain.
Johnson, a 6-foot-7 forward who has two years of eligibility remaining, told The Dispatch last week that he plans to visit Ohio State before OSU coaches hit the road July 6 for their annual summer evaluations of recruits at the various camps and team tournaments.
Johnson did not specify any other schools at that time but confirmed that Iowa State had released him to 17, including eight in the Big East, four in the Southeastern Conference and three in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Ohio State is the only Big Ten school he is considering.
Cont...

[LitlBuck]

Dispatch

Finally, Wesley Johnson has gone underground. The first couple of times I called the Iowa State transfer to inquire about his interest in Ohio State, he answered and spoke freely. The past couple of days, all I?ve gotten is his voicemail and no return calls or texts. My guess is he?s getting tired of all the inquiring minds, including mine, wanting to know his next move.

For now, Johnson is on the record as planning to visit Ohio State before July 6. It also has been reported that he?s ?looking hard? at OSU, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Beyond that, stay tuned.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

We have a real shot with Johnson......

[BuckTwenty]

This would be a BIG get. An experienced, athletic forward with a scorer's mentality.

Too bad he won't be able to play until '09.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Having an experienced player with his ability to score reminds me of Ron Lewis.....

[BuckTwenty]

Originally Posted by OSUBasketballJunkie

Having an experienced player with his ability to score reminds me of Ron Lewis.....

I was actually going to say something eerily similar to that in that last post. I think Wes would have the same sort of impact on this team at forward that Ron Lewis had at OSU at guard. Wes didn't put up quite the numbers that Ron did at their past respective school, but Wes played against MUCH stiffer competition.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one. I've got a good feeling about Wes, particularly because he got to experience a gameday at the Schott 1st hand from the opposing sidelines. He's familiar with us, thus why we are the first school to schedule a visit from him.

[BuckeyeNation27]

*gloat*

Syracuse nets Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson - Orange Basketball Blog on syracuse.com

Wesley Johnson, a 6-foot-7 forward who spent the last two years at Iowa State, said in a telephone interview Tuesday night that he intended to transfer to Syracuse.
Johnson visited the Syracuse University campus this past weekend. Johnson picked the Orange over Ohio State, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Well.....best of luck.