This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Less than a year after seeing top LDS prep basketball prospect Jabari Parker snub them and choose to attend Duke, BYU coaches lost out on another highly recruited Mormon star Thursday night.
Payton Dastrup, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound center from Mountain View High in Mesa, Ariz., said during a news conference at his school that he has chosen Ohio State. Dastrup is expected to sign with the Buckeyes when the early signing period begins Wednesday, but won't enroll at Ohio State until 2016. Instead, Dastrup has said he will go on a two-year LDS Church mission next summer when he graduates from high school.
A few weeks ago, Dastrup told reporters that he was the most comfortable at BYU, but that Ohio State was better at "getting people into the NBA."
At that time, Dastrup said BYU, Ohio State, Virginia and Florida were in his final four. Kansas, Arizona and UCLA were also on his list in August before he narrowed his choices a few weeks ago.
Dastrup is ranked No. 98 in the ESPN Top 100 prospects, and No. 84 overall in the 2014 class by Scout.com.
Jay Drew