Kenny CourtsA two-time state place winner for Central Dauphin High School, Courts is 96-4 in three years of varsity competition. He exploded on to the national wrestling scene as a freshman by reaching the finals of the Super 32 and winning a Beast of the East title at 135 pounds before a knee injury and surgery ended his year. As a sophomore Kenny moved up to 160 and went 43-4 placing sixth at the Beast and second at state and as a junior he has undefeated at 42-0 winning his second Beast of the East title and his first state championship at 171 pounds.
"I really like the way that the Ohio State coaches work together. Tom Ryan is a great head coach; Lou Rosselli stays on everyone all year round to bring out their best: and J Jaggers can get on the mat with anyone and put them through a workout," offered Courts when speaking of his decision. "It was very, very hard to tell Coach McCoy I wasn't going to Maryland but sometimes the best decisions are the hardest to make."
Kenny Courts is currently the 12th-ranked recruit in his senior class by InterMat after finishing last season ranked sixth nationally at 171 pounds. He is expected to move up to 189 for his senior year and anticipates wrestling at 184 pounds for the Buckeyes.
"I wanted to make this decision now so I could focus on my senior year. It is a big commitment to wrestle in college and there is a lot of pressure in making your decision. Making a choice now … takes the weight off my shoulders," stated Kenny. "I am going to have a lot of hard matches this year and I need to spend my time getting in shape and ready to go instead of taking visits and looking too far ahead."
Ohio State fans can thank the pilot that flew Courts back from his recent visit to Arizona State for giving him a sign. Flying to Baltimore from Phoenix the plane stopped in Columbus and the crew and the passengers erupted into an "OH" -- "IO" chant over the PA and throughout the cabin.
"Both my mom and I were in awe of the Buckeye Nation on my flight home," described Courts.
"No one knew who I was or anything about me, but when the captain said "OH" and we all said "IO" it was something special. I don't want to say I was looking for help making a choice but that was something else. It may or may not have been a sign, but it truly was a wow moment."
With his college decision made the goals for his senior year are simple.
"I want to work hard, have fun, get better, and win. I only have one year of high school left and I want to enjoy it," responded Courts. "When it comes to wrestling I want to keep pushing the pace and get in the best shape I can. I want to work on my technique, spend time on the bottom, and keeping improving my strengths on my feet. No matter how good you are or how good you think you are, there are always things that you can do that will help you get better."
Kenny Courts is the fifth verbal commitment for Ohio State joining seniors Hunter Stieber, Cam Tessari, and Johnni DiJulius as well as 2010 graduate Derek Garcia. All five wrestlers are expected to sign their National Letter(s) of Intent during the November signing period and each is ranked in the top twenty-five of their senior classes.
"I don't think you can ignore the success the Buckeyes have had the last few years. With the talent they have coming back and the potential we have coming in next year, we believe that we can compete for individual success and team success. We can win as individuals and we can win as a team," stated Courts. "We have the potential to do great things and I think we are going to be a tough team to beat."
InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from BuckeyeWrestling.com.
http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/index.php?q=node/37587
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now