Getting to know Ohio State men’s basketball recruit Matas Buzelis

As we all know, there is no rest for the weary when it comes to recruiting in college sports. This rule is especially true for basketball in the summer and fall, as they will start shooting out offers to players who are two or three years away from being in college. For example, Ohio State offered 2025 guard Darryn Peterson last week; for those counting at home, 2025 is a freshman in high school.

Ohio State’s most recent offer is not that young, but he is in the 2023 class. Matas Buzelis of Brewster Academy in New Hampshire recently received an Ohio State offer. Buzelis is a 6-foot-9, 175-pound forward who has skill and versatility with the basketball. He has shot up the rankings this offseason with a great summer of hoops under his belt.

Buzelis is currently ranked as a four-star prospect and is the No. 26 overall player and No. 7 forward in the class; he is also the No. 2 player in the state of New Hampshire, according to 247Sports.

When watching Buzelis, it is easy to tell why schools are so high on him. He is smooth for a 6-foot-9 forward with handling the ball and can score at three-levels. He can create his own shot and also catch and shoot well for his size.

On the AAU circuit, Buzelis competes for the Chicago-based Mac Irvin Fire. He is a rising junior at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. and previously attended Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale, Ill., which is right outside of Chicago.

Eric Bossi — the National Basketball Director for 247Sports — saw Buzelis play at the Bill Hensley Run N Slam tournament in Fort Wayne, Ind. last spring. “Already a top 50 player nationally, Buzelis has serious room to move up,” Bossi said. “Pushing 6-foot-8, he’s got a high level of skill, can create off the dribble, attacks gaps and is a good athlete with range on his jumper. The only thing he’s lacking right now is strength but that should come as he matures.”

With Ohio State, Buzelis has offers from Kentucky, Florida State, Illinois, DePaul, Western Illinois, Wake Forest, Arizona, UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas and Syracuse. He has visited Florida State and Wake Forest, and Syracuse also seems to be one of the top teams in the hunt for the forward.

The Ohio State 2022 basketball class is still currently ranked No. 1 in the country and consists of three-star guard Bowen Hardman, four-star guard Roddy Gayle, four-star forward Felix Okpara, and five-star guard Bruce Thornton. If Thornton stays as a five-star, he will be the first one to enroll at Ohio State since current Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell.

With the momentum from the solid 2022 class, Chris Holtmann and his staff are looking to build upon that in the 2023 class. Current Buckeyes targets in the top 100 for 2023 are Simeon Wilcher, Rayvon Griffith, Ja’Kobe Walter, Mackenzie Mgbako, Reed Shephard and George Washington III; Washington just scheduled a visit to the Buckeyes in late September.

Buzelis is just a rising junior, so it will be interesting to watch his upcoming season and see the progress he makes on the court and off the court with his strength and size. There is no question that his talent is there.