Pryor back in the 614

UPDATE: Elvis has entered the building. According to Paul, Pryor made a brief, if not premature, entrance as the Buckeyes headed to the locker room for half-time. He exchanged greetings with the Brew Crew before ducking out of view with Tressel.

Doug Lesmerises of the Plain Dealer reports that Terrelle Pryor is in fact in Columbus today.

Lesmerises spotted everyone's favorite unsigned 5-star recruit heading into the Woody Hayes Center with a modest entourage that included football teammate and potential future Buckeye, Jordan Hall.

As posted by Move the Needle and reported by The Post Gazette, Pryor put on his Kobe face last night and had a huge, huge (a near triple-double in the FIRST HALF) game in the Penn. state tourney.

Traveling reporter Paul Germain offered an extra set of eyes at the Schott and has been phoning in updates, anticipating a red-carpet entrance by the boy wonder. With about 4 minutes left in the first, no sign of the QB recruit.

According to Paul, a few members of the Brew Crew are at the game as well, including O-lineman J.B. Shugarts who is already enrolled at The Ohio State University.

On day when Twig is sinking threes and Butler comes off the bench, anything seems possible.

Schott off the mark again

In an interview with The Dispatch, Bill Jones of the OSU Athletic Dept. says he will be considering a change of policy for seating/tickets for men's basketball games.

According to Jones, 4,000 student tickets--of about 19,000 total--were alloted this season. Half in the, ahem, "Nut House" behind each basket and half in the upper bowl. The high-profile lower bowl seats are first come, first serve, (which is why the enthusiastic, demonstrative kid with novelty foam cowboy hat is usually court-side). The "nosebleeds" are reserved so those students can funnel the final pre-match beer just moments before tip-off in the Jesse Owens parking lot. However, these upper bowl ticket holders can't make their way behind the baskets if they notice their fellow students have failed to show.

The thorn in Jones' (in charge of ticketing and premium seating) side is the empty seats he's seen in these designated sections, particularly on big nights such as the Feb. 10th engagement with Indiana.

"It's really frustrating to us," Jones said. "(Students) want us to do this and this and this and this (for them), and when we do it, they don't show."

Welcome to the discussion, Bill Jones, one that's taken place behind your back for the last 10 years. And, yes, that's some pickle the athletic dept. has found itself in. Unfortunately, it sounds like Jones' knee-jerk reaction is to use this season as an example and distribute less reserved student tickets next year:

"I keep hearing rumors that students are going to propose (they be allotted) more basketball tickets next year," Jones said. "When you see the empty seats we have now, why would I think of doing that?"

It would be a shame to make the Schott a more sterile place based on the lack of enthusiasm during a season of uninspired basketball on the court. Jones is open to the idea of all student seats being first come, first serve.

Still, I think the crux of the matter is that Jones and his department are driven by the dollar (of which Schottenstein Center has been emblematic since its construction in the Geiger years.) He notes that the empty seats in the Nut House could fetch $27 from a non-student fan. But, as anyone who has been to a Buckeye game at V-a-l-u-e C-i-t-y Arena is aware, the typical non-student fan is nothing more than a red-sweatered body filling a seat.

Greed is good, and so are those potential lower -bowl revenues

While the Nut House isn't anywhere near as intimidating as the Cameron Crazies, or any ACC fan section for that matter, we've seen what kind of support the OSU student body can offer when given the chance. Instead of punishing students for skipping out on games that David Lighty would probably rather miss as well, Jones and his staff should take steps with the immeasurably important student fan base and not against them.

In other Schott-related news...

Earlier this week, Eleven Warriors dug up some rumblings that the chosen one may be making an appearance at Sunday's b-ball game vs. Wisconsin. Read the comments section to learn that this may be a sure-thing.

If so, expect no less than 30 cut-aways to Pryor and his entourage during the CBS telecast.

Mullens, Buford named McD's All-Americans

B-ball class of '09 commits B.J. Mullens and William Buford (right) have been named to the McDonald's All-American squad. Only 24 high school players in the country are bestowed with this honor.

Though both future-Buckeyes are local (Mullens plays for Canal Winchester and Buford is a Toledo boy), they will be on opposing rosters. Big man Mullens will be playing for the West alongside Rivals' top-ranked player, Greg Monroe (Georgetown) and SG Buford will suit up with a handful of ACC bound players like Tyler Zeller (UNC) and Elliot Williams (Duke).

The McDonald's All-American game is unofficially the most prestigious high school all star game in any sport as well as a pretty accurate indicator of future success(click "Alumni.") Of course, you always have your Ivan Harris' of the bunch who never pan out like projected.

Not a McDonald's All-American, but a clown nonetheless

Talented freshman center Kosta Koufos, still waiting for that "dare to be great moment," saw limited time in last year's game but still managed nine points.

Mullens and Buford join former-Buckeye cagers like Greg Oden, Jim Jackson and Clark Kellogg who also played against the best in the Mickey D's annual showcase.

This year's game is will be played on March 26 in Milwaukee.

Pryor: "I don't want anymore attention"

At least that’s what the mystery recruit told his gal-pal Mike Farrell in this “hot off the press” interview from Buckeye Grove.

So, it only seems fitting to post about his request.

The article, as far as I’m concerned, could be a composite of several “updates” that Farrell has published since no new information has surfaced. If anything, the interview already sounds dated when compared to the reports coming from other sources of ill-repute.

The highlight reel:

Pryor said the media attention has slowed down a great deal since Signing Day.

"That day was tough because I was being criticized by everyone for not making up my mind and signing," he said. "Mark May from ESPN is criticizing me on national television and he doesn't even know me. That kind of stuff really bothers me, when people who know nothing about me are talking about me like they know anything. There was so much media there that day that I had to address the issue, but I'd prefer to be left alone."

This is where he gets into the “no more attention.” A big plus for the Buckeyes is that Pryor has already formed a mutual distaste for Mark May.

But is Pryor doing it to appease his father or is he truly interested in the Nittany Lions?

"I'm really interested," he said. "This isn't just being respectful of my father, this is thinking things through and making sure I have all the info I need before I make a big decision. I really like Coach Bradley at Penn State and they could end up being the right fit for me, I'm not sure."

Has any other school entered the picture?

"No, it's still Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon," he said. "That's it."

So Penn St. may really have a shot and, despite these aforementioned reports otherwise, it’s still four schools in the race.

"I've seen everything at Michigan, but I didn't get to see everything at Ohio State," he said. "I am still in touch with all the Ohio State commitments I've become friends with, but they're being really cool about it, not pressuring me."

He goes on to say that Michigan is still on the same plateau as the rest but he sounds pretty nonplussed about his affair with Ann Arbor. Evidently the tour was pretty lackluster? They showed him the Big House and then the part of campus where students walk to class, followed by that one cool bar…you know the one.

Very Euro

There’s also something in there about Oregon and nice facilities but I wasn’t too clear on that issue. Read for yourself and find the hidden meaning to it all.