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Top-40 2025 recruit Dorian Jones felt love while on Ohio State official visit
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- Top-40 2025 recruit Dorian Jones felt love while on Ohio State official visit
There wasn't a whole lot for Dorian Jones to learn about Ohio State on his most recent visit.
Instead, last week's official visit for the top-40 prospect from Richmond Heights, Ohio, was reminded of a few things he said he already knows about the Buckeyes.
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"The visit was pretty good," he said. "It was a good experience, but I've been down there a couple times so I've pretty much seen everything. But the love from the coaches and everyone was just amazing."
Ohio State has long been in the picture for the 6-foot-4, 190-pound combo guard . The Buckeyes offered him following his freshman season, becoming the fifth school to do so after Cleveland State, Toledo, Cincinnati and Arizona State, and he has taken multiple unofficial visits to campus during the past several years.
This official visit, though, came with Jake Diebler as coach. Diebler had been Jones' primary recruiter for Ohio State under coach Chris Holtmann, and the prospect in the class of 2025 said their relationship has remained unchanged as he has moved into the head coaching position.
Dalton sophomore Brady Hignight and Richmond Heights sophomore Dorian Jones battle for position for a rebound during the Division IV Regional Final game at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse, March 10, 2023.
"Our relationship was always tight," Jones said. "(Now he's) just like a normal head coach. Caring, worrying about how I'm getting better and me staying in the gym. Things of that nature."
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With Diebler in charge, Ohio State made it clear to Jones that the Buckeyes were "re-offering" him a scholarship.
"They didn't take long at all," Jones said. "It was constant ever since Holtmann left and when he was still there. It means a lot because that once again shows the love that they've got for me."
This visit, with the new Ohio State staff, "was just a lot more love," he said. "Just them worrying about me as a person. Instead of growing as a basketball player, just worrying about me growing as a person, as a man."
Jones said the coaches did work with him on different angles to take on the floor to be more dangerous without the ball in his hands, something he pointed to as a focal point of his summer focus.
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As a junior, Jones earned first-team all-Ohio honors in Division IV after averaging 14.1 points and helping Richmond Heights win a state championship. In the 62-35 win against Berlin Hiland, Jones had 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting and added three rebounds, two steals and one assist in 25:04. Jones is a four-star prospect, the No. 37 national player in his class, the No. 5 shooting guard in the nation and the No. 2 player from Ohio in the 2025 class according to 247Sports.com.
Richmond Heights' Dorian Jones gestures to Ohio State's Devin Royal as John "Juni" Mobley Jr. looks on at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023.
Jones has taken official visits to Missouri and Rutgers prior to his Ohio State visit. While in Columbus, Jones said he went to dinner with the coaching staff, worked out, met the new members of the coaching staff and spent time with some of the current players. He's familiar with Devin Royal, who will be a sophomore in 2024-25 , after both played for the All-Ohio Red AAU program.
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As he resumes AAU basketball, Jones said he has another official scheduled. On June 4, he will head to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to visit newly hired coach Dusty May and check out the Wolverines. The two have just started building a relationship, Jones said, leading to him scheduling a visit.
Asked what he looks for while on visits, Jones said, "I'm really big on relationships, and the love they show me and my peoples."
Jones said he doesn't have a timeframe in mind for when he hopes to pick a school. With more visits possible, Jones said the recruiting process has not been too challenging for him to manage.
"It's not stressful," he said. "You go with who wants you for who you are and who loves you. It's not stressful as long as you know what you're doing."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What did Dorian Jones think of his Ohio State official visit?
