Ohio State Basketball: Amir Williams Officially Commits to the 2011 Class

It's official.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have officially acquired the services of 6'10" forward/center Amir Williams after the top high school prospect signed his official letter of intent this morning.  Williams had narrowed his choices down to the Buckeyes and the University of Florida.

Williams is everything that coach Thad Matta looks for in a big man.  He's extremely athletic, plays above the rim and is a rebounding machine on both sides of the floor. 

As a junior at Detroit Country Day, he averaged 15 points, 10 boards and five blocks a game.  He made the Under-18 World Championship team that won a gold medal this past summer at the FIBA Americas tournament, and earned a spot on the Under-19 team this year. 

Rivals has him rated as the seventh-best center, ESPN has him rated as their No. 2 center and MaxPreps has him rated as their top center.  Bottom line?  He's good, and he's coming to the Buckeyes. Williams had nothing but compliments when talking about Coach Matta and the Buckeyes.

"I felt very comfortable with Coach Matta, his coaching staff and the players," Williams said. "They were like a family.  My parents liked everything better than I did. They loved the school, the academic support and the basketball program."

Coach Matta was equally impressed with Williams.

"We are thrilled to cap off our 2011 class by filling a major need at the center position," Matta said.  "He is a big man that can produce offensively and have a major presence defensively. Amir chose Ohio State for all the right reasons and I am confident he will be very successful as a Buckeye."

At the end of the day, it may have come down to playing time.  With Dallas Lauderdale set to graduate, and Jared Sullinger likely to be a "one-and-done" player, Williams will likely step right into the lineup next year.

Sullinger will join another outstanding recruiting class for Coach Matta in 2011.  Shannon Scott (PG, 6'2"), Ben Thompson (g/f, 6'6"), Laquinton Ross (g/f, 6'8") and Trey McDonald (f/c, 6'9") have already signed their letters of intent.  Scott, Thompson and Ross are all highly touted in all the major recruiting rankings.  Overall, the Buckeyes are currently ranked in the Top 10, the addition of Williams may just put them in the top five once again.

The rich DO keep getting richer, don't they.