When Thad Matta sat in D'Angelo Russell's living room and received word of the star guard's intentions to suit up for Ohio State, the head coach and Russell's father were on the same page.
"We told these guys up front, and I think this is what took them time because they’re people of their word, they told us this is a two-year commitment," Matta said Thursday. "That was Antonio’s plan, D’Angelo was always two years."
But as the 2014-15 college basketball season churned along and Russell blossomed into a first-team All-American and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Matta knew his star was too good to stick around another year.