From: News-Herald.com — Longtime Ohio State baseball coach Bob Todd announced that this will be his last year in the Buckeyes’ dugout. Todd, 61, has guided OSU for 23 years.

That kind of news seems like it would only be interesting in this area to rabid Buckeyes baseball fans or relatives of Todd. But, there is another group of folks that probably stepped back a step when word of the retirement got out.

Incoming recruits.

And, Mayfield senior center fielder Tim Wetzel is one of the Class of 2010 high school players who is headed to Columbus next year to wear the scarlet and gray for the baseball team. Wetzel said the news wasn’t totally shocking and that Todd’s decision in no way affects his commitment to Ohio State.

In fact, in a way, Wetzel said it might work out for the incoming recruits that Todd will be gone before they get there so there is no bond or connection with the head coach prior to his retirement.

“If we had built a long relationship or developed a bond with Coach Todd, this might have been harder to take, but I really didn’t know him too well,” Wetzel said. “I think no prescription drugs we all kind of expected it. He’s a great coach and he’s been doing it for 23 years or something like that.

“I’m sticking with Ohio State. I never wanted to pick a school based on just one person.”

The recruiting process is almost always a long, bumpy, touchy road for a lot of reasons. This kind of situation just adds to the drama, the thought process and the potential potholes for high school student-athletes to deal with when choosing a college to continue their education and their athletic endeavor.

What if the coaches and assistants you formed a relationship with during the recruiting process aren’t there when you actually arrive on campus?

Isn’t that sort of like getting very comfortable with a car salesman, then when the car arrives that salesman is with a different dealership and you don’t know if the vehicle is going to be the black Cadillac you ordered or a lime green Yugo with bald tires and a cracked windshield.

And please, before rushing to your computer to e-mail a complaint, I am not saying OSU baseball will now be a lime green Yugo in the Cadillac-filled Big Ten because Todd will be gone. I am making an analogy for somewhat dramatic purposes. (Sad that I have to point that out, but you never know.)

Back to business. I think Wetzel could — and will — be successful at the next level no matter who the coach at Ohio State is. Just like former Villa Angela-St. Joseph star David Lighty was recruited to play basketball at Ohio State primarily by Buckeyes assistant John Groce, who eventually left and went to take the head-coaching job at Ohio University. Lighty didn’t suffer with the Buckeyes after Groce’s departure, especially because the foundation of the program — not to mention head coach Thad Matta — is still in place in Columbus. Even had Matta and every assistant or water boy or trainer associated with the OSU men’s hoops program had left after Lighty committed to play for the Buckeyes, he would have still been fine.

So will Wetzel.

Which makes me ask the question aloud, whether you wanted to hear it or not: Do high school athletes commit to a program or the coaches at the program?

Is there a separation?

In other words, does a McDonald’s All-American basketball player commit to Duke because it’s Duke, or does he sign to play for the Blue Devils because of Coach Mike Kryzesewski? If the Coach K at Duke was Coach Mel Klunkerstein instead of the four-time national……

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE DIRECTLY FROM THE NEWS-HERALD.COM BY CLICKING HERE.

No related posts.