We are all smart enough to read between the lines in what Saul stated during his press conference about a long term commitment to Ohio.
Here are the facts as I see them:
1) AD increased the buy out in the early years....good move for Ohio
2) AD finds a young up and comer, ahead of other schools, and pays him more than JC, 3X his SDSU deal...time will tell whether this strategy was the right move.  
3) Saul's comments about a long term commitment was necessary after what has transpired over these past 6 years. Money always seems to be the deciding factor.
4) After JC brought in so many JC players Saul needed to state a change in strategy in an effort to show a point of difference between him and the past. It's clear JC didn't plan well @ the point guard position, and I might add it is the most important position in college basketball.
5) I can see Saul leaving open at least 1 maybe 2 scholarships for next year. After all, between the defections, graduating seniors next year, and the obvious recruiting holes, he has some time to really build HIS team quicker than normal. It will be quite interesting to see what decisions he make with the open roster spots for next year.

Let's all be realistic with our current situation.
I don't think the AD made a bad choice, it's apparent he wants to only hire former head coaches. That means we pay more. However, with JC's $500k buyout it is not really costing Ohio more than we paid JC. Good business decision.
Like others have mentioned, next year will be a real challenge, a  20 win season will be in jeopardy, as will post season opportunities.


GO BOBCATS

Check out the article in the Messinger today.
It made me sick reading the AD's comments around why players opt out. 
He did not specify why any of them changed their minds. 
All he did was pontificate.   
Really Jim, why can't you give us specifics. You claim each situation is different, really?
He obviously did not want to get into the specifics as it would have opened him up to all kinds of additional questions that he would not want to address.
Unfortunatley, Jason did as good a job in this article as he could.



GO BOBCATS

I'm not sure how much more Schaus could or should have said.  I would have been fine if he backed it off a bit from what was printed.  He laid out a scenario where after a coaching change, an AAU coach and other schools talk, and gets in a player's ear.  He flat out called it tampering.  He said it happened in this situation Ohio just went through.  He admitted he doesn't know all the details. 

With Wiggington to Buffalo I give Schaus credit for fully releasing players without a MAC restriction.  That is great.  (How long these releases take, me no likely and ya'll know that already.)

All we will get from sitting ADs and Coaches is pure spin.  Here, anywhere.  No honest, open discussion is ever going to happen because there is zero in it for the AD/Coach of any school on any topic.  I don't blame them at all.

Phillips is also saying all the right things as well.  I mean, does anyone think he's really not worried about recruiting?  Or that he's only going to focus on the Ohio region? 

I like the candor in this case, or ones like it.  Simple facts are AAU coaches see a kid committed to a non-major conference school, and learn that "big" schools are interested in the player.  The coaching change is really the only opportunity to easily back out, so when it happens, they push for it.  These situations feel sleezy sometimes, and whether they're really looking out for the kid, or for their own reputations, can be debated.






I personally would have like to see them place a "MAC Restriction" on any released recruit.  Frankly, I think that should be commonplace unless a transfer is truly for a change of major/academic purpose.  (i.e. Not a coaching change)