Being in Niagra Falls, New York, conventional wisdom said that class of 2022 guard Roddy Gayle would commit to Syracuse.
While he had the Orangemen in his final six, it was Ohio State that won Roddy over as he announced his commitment to the Buckeyes last Friday.
Ultimately it came down to the Ohio State staff’s willingness to call not just Roddy but his family members and coaches consistently. He says it wasn’t just about basketball, either.
It felt special to me. How much we talked it made me feel like it was home, like I could trust them.
Roddy also went into more about the Buckeyes’ style of play that attracted him. His visit to the campus early this year gave him an up-close look at their style. Then, during the pandemic, they connected with Roddy virtually to show him ways he would be used in the offense.
There isn’t much flash to Roddy on or off the court. He lets the work speak for itself and he embraces the lifestyle of hard work. That has been his focus when it comes to development. His game, as he put it, hasn’t changed much over the last couple of years, but his attention to developing physically and mentally has made him a different player.
We talked some about his AAU teammate and national prospect Chance Westry who’s now playing for Sierra Canyon in California. Roddy calls Chance “so smooth” and the toughest player he’s had to guard.
We also talked about Paul George who’s still his favorite NBA player, and he names two other players he’s recently been studying.
A wise man told me, he said, don’t listen to the tone listen to the message. So with that, it kind of just helps me realize it doesn’t matter if you’re getting screamed at just listen to what they’re saying because they’ve been here before.
Watch my conversation with 2022 Ohio State commit Roddy Gayle below.
