Getting to know Cincinnati-native, five-star guard Rayvon Griffith

Last week we dove into Gabe Cupps and learned about one of the more interesting and dynamic guards in the 2023 Ohio recruiting class. Now, it is time to look at the recruit deemed as the best in the state in the 2023 cycle.

Rayvon Griffith is a five-star, 6-foot-4, 180-pound small forward from Taft High School in Cincinnati and is currently ranked as the 25th overall prospect and third small forward in the country, as well as the top prospect in the state of Ohio, according to 247 sports.

Griffith is a dynamic play-maker who can hurt you in multiple ways, including being an extremely capable passer and a three-level scorer.

Griffith is a five-star recruit that plays his AAU ball with the the North Coast Blue Chips where he is teammates with — you guessed it — the aforementioned Gabe Cupps. Full circle, right?

It would certainly not be a bad thing to see those two guys as teammates wearing Scarlet and Gray, as well as another member of the Blue Chips who is named after his dad — LeBron James — who will be college hunting soon.

Nevertheless, Ohio State has been in contact with Griffith and were one of the early ones making Griffith a priority in their recruiting. Griffith has already heard from programs like West Virginia, Kansas, UCLA, Oklahoma State and in no surprise, Cincinnati.

With Griffith being a Cincinnati-native, many feel that if he does go to college and not directly to the professional ranks, that the Bearcats could be the favorite in the running. However, with the recent troubles that the Cincinnati basketball program has faced, Ohio State and the stability of the program could look more enticing for a likely one-and-done prospect like Griffith.

Ohio State lead recruiter and top assistant Ryan Pedon has been the guy in contact with Griffith for the Buckeyes. The star guard is said to be a tireless, tough-nosed player whose skill level has been compared to former Buckeye — and recent Arizona State commit — Alonzo Gaffney.

Demarco Bradley Sr. is Griffith’s coach at Taft and could also be a swing factor in Griffith’s decision. He has been extremely complimentary of Ohio State in public and could help Griffith move in the direction of Ohio State if he likes what Pedon and Chris Holtmann have to say.

Griffith just recently led Taft to their first state final four since 2011. As a freshman, Griffith earned Division III honorable mention all-state honors after averaging 16.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 20 games.

In this past season in Taft’s run to the final four, Griffith upped those averages to 23.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

Griffith is as good as they get in the 2023 class and as long as he stays in the running for colleges and doesn’t immediately go professional, he will be a top priority for the Buckeyes come 2023.