Connor Lemons
Guest
Will Roddy Gayle’s move to Ann Arbor intensify the Ohio State-Michigan basketball rivalry?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
The former Buckeye made the rare and unprecedented decision to transfer to Michigan on Monday morning.
Since the day Roddy Gayle Jr. announced that he’d be transferring away from Ohio State, Michigan — led by new head coach Dusty May — was one of the leading candidates for the services of the 6-foot-4 junior guard from New York. May was hired on March 24 and was looking at a roster that had just three scholarship players remaining on it, which meant he had 10 available scholarships to use on uncommitted 2024 recruits and transfers. A blank canvas, if you will. Gayle quickly became a priority for May, who found success at Florida Atlantic by using big, athletic guards such as Gayle.
Gayle took visits to Creighton, Georgia, and Michigan, and was photographed at the Michigan football spring game this past weekend, alongside Auburn transfer — and now Michigan teammate — Tre Donaldson, who was wearing a large Michigan puffer jacket. Gayle appeared to have passed on the maize and blue jacket at that point, but nonetheless was on the field at the Big House, taking in the spring game of the reigning Big Ten and national champions. It wasn’t long until Gayle allowed himself to be embraced by the coaches and fans in Ann Arbor, opting to jump state lines and continue his career as a Michigan Wolverine.
The reaction from Ohio State fans has been, well, about as expected. Internet comments directed towards Gayle have largely been “NSFW” after one of the expected core pieces of Jake Diebler’s first Buckeye team made an unprecedented decision to flip to the opposite side of the rivalry.
Just over a month ago on March 19, a stoic but emotional Gayle sat in front of the media after Ohio State’s 88-83 win over Cornell in the NIT and described how the biggest motivator to keep winning was the simple fact that he “was not ready for this family to be over with.” Gayle, a soft-spoken guy who challenged himself to be a more vocal leader this past season, was reportedly also one of the Ohio State players most vocally adamant that the Buckeyes needed to accept the NIT invitation after falling short in the Big Ten Tournament.
That, paired with the fact that Gayle’s lead recruiter to Ohio State was just recently named the head coach of the program, made his decision to leave a stunner to the Ohio State fan base. The fact that he’s now handing in his scarlet and gray uniform in favor of a maize and blue one? Unfathomable.
But as scorned as so many feel, this unforeseen and stunning move might be exactly what the rivalry needs to re-energize it. The football version of this rivalry has never needed any extra juice — it’s a way of life around here. The games leading up to The Game are simply warming up for The Game. The day after The Game, both sides begin counting down the days until The Game next year.
It’s not that way on the hardwood — at least, it hasn’t in quite some time. But whether he knows it or not, Gayle just turned the heat up on this rivalry to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ohio State vs. Michigan will always be one of the better-attended home games for each school, regardless of how each program is doing. That’s even more evident recently, as neither program made the NCAA Tournament the past two years. Even with both teams out of NCAA Tournament contention, over 16,000 people showed up to watch Ohio State dispatch the Wolverines on March 3 to the tune of an 84-61 shellacking. The rivalry brings people out, and it always will. But the pure venom and hatred that players, coaches, and fans have in their hearts for that chilly November showdown on the gridiron will never quite carry over to the hardwood.
The next time you get the chance, take a look at a viewership map of any Michigan football game. Naturally, the highest concentration of TV viewers will be in the Detroit market. But the second? You guessed it — Columbus. Ohio State fans will gladly turn on and watch the Wolverines play UNLV, for example, just for the off-chance the ‘Runnin Rebels make it interesting.
But do Ohio State fans lock in to watch the Michigan men’s basketball team take on Central Michigan in early December on Big Ten Network, hoping to see the Chippewas pull off the upset in Ann Arbor? Absolutely not. Hell, a good chunk of Ohio State fans probably haven’t even checked in on the Ohio State men’s basketball team by that point of the season.
Roddy Gayle may not realize it, but he just took a metaphorical defibrillator to the rivalry.
Andrew Dakich jumped sides in 2017, but he was a former walk-on who largely played an insignificant role for the Wolverines from 2013-2017. Michigan fans turned away from Dakich, who is now an assistant coach at Illinois State, but it’s not the same as Gayle flipping sides.
Gayle knew exactly what he was getting into, spending two years at Ohio State. He certainly knew what the backlash would be like when he was spotted at the Big House that weekend, and he knows how he will be received in Columbus when Michigan travels there this season. He will be booed every time he touches the ball for the entire 40 minutes. The consensus opinion of Ohio State fans when he left was “Please, anywhere but Michigan.”
Well, so much for that!
From Evan Turner’s buzzer-beater in the Big Ten Tournament in 2010, to Tim Hardaway’s block of Aaron Craft at the buzzer in 2013, to Xavier Simpson grabbing and tearing Kyle Young’s jersey apart in 2020, there’s been no shortage of high-voltage moments in this rivalry. But the tenor of this ongoing feud between two bitter programs seems to have mellowed over the last few years. People just don’t have the same disgust for that basketball team up north as they used to.
Gayle has inserted himself as the perfect spark to make this rivalry nasty again. The perfect villain to bring the juice back to the rivalry. Any goodwill from Ohio State fans that remained when Roddy first entered the transfer portal is gone now, and Gayle is even leaning into the villain role a bit, it seems.
On April 10, Gayle simply couldn’t resist snapping back at an Ohio State fan who was talking a little trash about Michigan’s newest star — well before he was committed. While Gayle will be close with Ohio State teammates for a long time, it looks like his affection for the school and its fans is quickly fading.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25411659/Screenshot_2024_04_21_at_9.39.08_PM.png)
Looking back through years and years of rosters for the two programs, you really won’t find any impactful, “star” level players who decided to jump to the other side of the rivalry. That’s probably why so many people are shocked, hurt, and bewildered by Gayle’s decision. It’s just not something you do.
Roddy Gayle could’ve transferred to 360 other Division-I programs. He chose Michigan. Ohio State lost a very good player, but the rivalry between two storied programs just escalated tenfold.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
The former Buckeye made the rare and unprecedented decision to transfer to Michigan on Monday morning.
Since the day Roddy Gayle Jr. announced that he’d be transferring away from Ohio State, Michigan — led by new head coach Dusty May — was one of the leading candidates for the services of the 6-foot-4 junior guard from New York. May was hired on March 24 and was looking at a roster that had just three scholarship players remaining on it, which meant he had 10 available scholarships to use on uncommitted 2024 recruits and transfers. A blank canvas, if you will. Gayle quickly became a priority for May, who found success at Florida Atlantic by using big, athletic guards such as Gayle.
Gayle took visits to Creighton, Georgia, and Michigan, and was photographed at the Michigan football spring game this past weekend, alongside Auburn transfer — and now Michigan teammate — Tre Donaldson, who was wearing a large Michigan puffer jacket. Gayle appeared to have passed on the maize and blue jacket at that point, but nonetheless was on the field at the Big House, taking in the spring game of the reigning Big Ten and national champions. It wasn’t long until Gayle allowed himself to be embraced by the coaches and fans in Ann Arbor, opting to jump state lines and continue his career as a Michigan Wolverine.
The reaction from Ohio State fans has been, well, about as expected. Internet comments directed towards Gayle have largely been “NSFW” after one of the expected core pieces of Jake Diebler’s first Buckeye team made an unprecedented decision to flip to the opposite side of the rivalry.
Just over a month ago on March 19, a stoic but emotional Gayle sat in front of the media after Ohio State’s 88-83 win over Cornell in the NIT and described how the biggest motivator to keep winning was the simple fact that he “was not ready for this family to be over with.” Gayle, a soft-spoken guy who challenged himself to be a more vocal leader this past season, was reportedly also one of the Ohio State players most vocally adamant that the Buckeyes needed to accept the NIT invitation after falling short in the Big Ten Tournament.
That, paired with the fact that Gayle’s lead recruiter to Ohio State was just recently named the head coach of the program, made his decision to leave a stunner to the Ohio State fan base. The fact that he’s now handing in his scarlet and gray uniform in favor of a maize and blue one? Unfathomable.
But as scorned as so many feel, this unforeseen and stunning move might be exactly what the rivalry needs to re-energize it. The football version of this rivalry has never needed any extra juice — it’s a way of life around here. The games leading up to The Game are simply warming up for The Game. The day after The Game, both sides begin counting down the days until The Game next year.
It’s not that way on the hardwood — at least, it hasn’t in quite some time. But whether he knows it or not, Gayle just turned the heat up on this rivalry to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ohio State vs. Michigan will always be one of the better-attended home games for each school, regardless of how each program is doing. That’s even more evident recently, as neither program made the NCAA Tournament the past two years. Even with both teams out of NCAA Tournament contention, over 16,000 people showed up to watch Ohio State dispatch the Wolverines on March 3 to the tune of an 84-61 shellacking. The rivalry brings people out, and it always will. But the pure venom and hatred that players, coaches, and fans have in their hearts for that chilly November showdown on the gridiron will never quite carry over to the hardwood.
The next time you get the chance, take a look at a viewership map of any Michigan football game. Naturally, the highest concentration of TV viewers will be in the Detroit market. But the second? You guessed it — Columbus. Ohio State fans will gladly turn on and watch the Wolverines play UNLV, for example, just for the off-chance the ‘Runnin Rebels make it interesting.
But do Ohio State fans lock in to watch the Michigan men’s basketball team take on Central Michigan in early December on Big Ten Network, hoping to see the Chippewas pull off the upset in Ann Arbor? Absolutely not. Hell, a good chunk of Ohio State fans probably haven’t even checked in on the Ohio State men’s basketball team by that point of the season.
Roddy Gayle may not realize it, but he just took a metaphorical defibrillator to the rivalry.
Andrew Dakich jumped sides in 2017, but he was a former walk-on who largely played an insignificant role for the Wolverines from 2013-2017. Michigan fans turned away from Dakich, who is now an assistant coach at Illinois State, but it’s not the same as Gayle flipping sides.
Gayle knew exactly what he was getting into, spending two years at Ohio State. He certainly knew what the backlash would be like when he was spotted at the Big House that weekend, and he knows how he will be received in Columbus when Michigan travels there this season. He will be booed every time he touches the ball for the entire 40 minutes. The consensus opinion of Ohio State fans when he left was “Please, anywhere but Michigan.”
Well, so much for that!
From Evan Turner’s buzzer-beater in the Big Ten Tournament in 2010, to Tim Hardaway’s block of Aaron Craft at the buzzer in 2013, to Xavier Simpson grabbing and tearing Kyle Young’s jersey apart in 2020, there’s been no shortage of high-voltage moments in this rivalry. But the tenor of this ongoing feud between two bitter programs seems to have mellowed over the last few years. People just don’t have the same disgust for that basketball team up north as they used to.
Gayle has inserted himself as the perfect spark to make this rivalry nasty again. The perfect villain to bring the juice back to the rivalry. Any goodwill from Ohio State fans that remained when Roddy first entered the transfer portal is gone now, and Gayle is even leaning into the villain role a bit, it seems.
On April 10, Gayle simply couldn’t resist snapping back at an Ohio State fan who was talking a little trash about Michigan’s newest star — well before he was committed. While Gayle will be close with Ohio State teammates for a long time, it looks like his affection for the school and its fans is quickly fading.
Looking back through years and years of rosters for the two programs, you really won’t find any impactful, “star” level players who decided to jump to the other side of the rivalry. That’s probably why so many people are shocked, hurt, and bewildered by Gayle’s decision. It’s just not something you do.
Roddy Gayle could’ve transferred to 360 other Division-I programs. He chose Michigan. Ohio State lost a very good player, but the rivalry between two storied programs just escalated tenfold.
Continue reading...