In the world of college sports recruiting, sometimes it feels like forever between the time an athlete commits to a school and finally plays — especially in the world of basketball. With much smaller rosters than football teams, players are recruited young. In incoming Ohio State women’s basketball freshman Cotie McMahon’s case, it was seventh grade.
Cincinnati, Ohio’s Xavier University came first, but was followed up by offers from teams in the SEC, ACC and Big Ten, but on Dec. 3, 2020, four years after the initial recruitment attempt, McMahon chose Ohio State. Choosing Scarlet & Gray wasn’t part of the equation, it was like it chose McMahon.