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Rodney Hood will land at Ohio State or Duke, or so says Rodney Hood

Rodney Hood, Willy Kouassi

Mississippi State guard Rodney Hood (4) shoots over the defense of Auburn center Willy Kouassi (50) in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game at the Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala., Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

AP

After averaging 10.9 points and 4.8 boards as a freshman at Mississippi State, Rodney Hood apparently got fed up with dealing with basketball in Starkville.

The former-top 40 recruit made the decision to transfer out of the program a couple of months back, following Rick Stansbury (fired), Renardo Sidney (early-entry), Arnett Moultrie and Dee Bost (graduation) out the door while becoming one of the nation’s most sought-after transfers.

Hood took official visits to Memphis, Ohio State and Duke, but according to SNY.tv, who spoke to Hood at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy, the 6-foot-8 wing has cut his list to two schools.

“When I get home from this camp, the day after I’ll pick a school between Duke and Ohio State,” the 6-foot-7 Mississippi State transfer told SNY.tv from the Durant camp. “It’s either going to be Wednesday night or Thursday.”

Hood’s former AAU teammate Laquinton Ross plays for the Buckeyes, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Hood will follow Ross there. Hood would be a nice addition at either program thanks to his size and versatility, and given that he’s already proven his ability to perform at this level, he’s a hot commodity on the ever expanding transfer market.

We can argue about whether or not the number of transfers has reached an all-time high, but I think it is more than fair to say that the number of high-level transfers is greater than ever. Just look at how many notable players will be going to a different schools next season: Khem Birch, Jabari Brown, Alex Oriakhi and Roscoe Smith are just a few of the biggest names.

“There’s so much recruitment for transfers right now, it’s incredible,” Krzyzewski told the Charlotte Obsever. “The recruiting of transfers, or those fifth-year players, or the guys (at low APR schools), boom, those guys get hit. They get recruited harder, I think, than a high school player for that intense period.”

I hope coaches are used to this second recruiting period.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.