Having observed Ohio's recruiting process since 1973, I realize it takes away part of the fun, but you just can't realistically evaluate these high school ballers until they're actually in a Bobcats uniform and put under the eye test.
There have been several guys who came to Athens with a suitcase full of press clippings who didn't pan out. Then there have been recruits like Caris LeVert, his never putting on an Ohio uniform notwithstanding. You want a good laugh? Go back and look up his rating (if you can find one!) and what the recruiting gurus had to say about him after coach Jim Christian got the commitment prior to his senior season. Ditto for Dave Jamerson.
While your premise makes sense, I don't think the test case pans out. I think a recruit like Caris was a guy who had accolades. First off, he had offers from Dayton and Michigan (though that one came late). Secondly, I believe that he was a Groce recruit, not a Christian recruit, right?
Caris, according to Rivals, also had interest from Iowa and Purdue. He was a three star recruit who was the 250th best prospect in the nation. I wouldn't consider him a fly-under-the-radar type.
Thanks for picking it up, finnOhio, that I named the wrong coach. It was John Groce, indeed, who recruited Caris. As for his other offers, I distinctly remember looking this up when LeVert committed early before his senior school year and, to the best of my recollection, he was completely off everyone's radar. I do believe the offers began to file in later, once he began playing as a senior.
And as Lt. Columbo would said, "One more thing." Not looking to intentionally bust open a healed scab or cause anyone to bellow, "Oh, the pain!" once again, but every time I think of LeVert, I can't help but wonder what would have happened IF John Groce had stayed for at least one more season and Caris would have come in as a freshman to play with the D.J. Cooper-led team that had EVERYONE returning from a Sweet 16 appearance that fell a missed Walter Offutt free throw against North Carolina shy of reaching the Final 8. Okay, I'll say it, "Oh, the pain!"