OSU Men's Basketball Recruiting/Projections/General Discussions

[HabaneroBuck]

I guess I have a different interpretation then you about what Holtmann meant when he said that he wanted "Ohio State guys". I took it that he meant that he wanted guys who wanted to play for Ohio State and not necessarily that he needed to recruit guys who were from Ohio. Maybe I am interpreting your post wrong but that was my interpretation of what he meant.

Anyone you recruit who comes to you is, by default, an "Ohio State" guy under that definition. It becomes a meaningless statement (a self-fulfilling prophecy or circular reasoning), but then again, most of what coaches say publicly is meaningless. Ahrens would love to come to Ohio State....no buzz at all. We'll see....

I'm definitely not against recruiting outside of Ohio, again, I just don't like the initial recruiting impression he's making after all this bluster about the region, etc...

The problem with recruiting outsiders to Ohio State for basketball are many. Obviously, it can work. But guys thrown into the spotlight and experiencing the growing process of being far from family and adjusting to life in Columbus on their own can be a bit much. That's why I like recruits from IN and MI besides OH as being the core. Guys like Grandstaff and Mickey Mitchell don't thrill me in the first place, besides the questions about overall talent, in that I wonder how Texans (for example) are really going to do coming all the way up here to play ball and adjust to a new lifestyle and region. We are not Kansas, Duke, or Carolina...basketball is second fiddle on campus, and it always will be. You get a bunch of guys from here, there, and everywhere, well....I'm not saying you get the 2015 class, but it is more likely.

 

[TooTall]

Seems a little trivial to question a new coaches recruiting chops a week into his new job. Hopefully he puts your concerns at ease eventually. I'm just interested to see how he handles everything. Seems his assistants have some solid recruiting abilities as well. Time will tell.

 

[LitlBuck]

Anyone you recruit who comes to you is, by default, an "Ohio State" guy under that definition. It becomes a meaningless statement (a self-fulfilling prophecy or circular reasoning), but then again, most of what coaches say publicly is meaningless. Ahrens would love to come to Ohio State....no buzz at all. We'll see....

I'm definitely not against recruiting outside of Ohio, again, I just don't like the initial recruiting impression he's making after all this bluster about the region, etc...

The problem with recruiting outsiders to Ohio State for basketball are many. Obviously, it can work. But guys thrown into the spotlight and experiencing the growing process of being far from family and adjusting to life in Columbus on their own can be a bit much. That's why I like recruits from IN and MI besides OH as being the core. Guys like Grandstaff and Mickey Mitchell don't thrill me in the first place, besides the questions about overall talent, in that I wonder how Texans (for example) are really going to do coming all the way up here to play ball and adjust to a new lifestyle and region. We are not Kansas, Duke, or Carolina...basketball is second fiddle on campus, and it always will be. You get a bunch of guys from here, there, and everywhere, well....I'm not saying you get the 2015 class, but it is more likely.

Oh, I agree with everything that you have said and I agree that we should not stray away from the region unless the guy is too good to pass on. I would take a class in 2018 of Goodwin, Cohill, Nance, and Hunter from Ohio. I really think we need to pursue an out-of-state guy to play the 5 position and I have not seen any mention of that type of player that might be being recruited. Perhaps the guy from Michigan but every site list him as a PF so we shall see.

 

[Krenzelicious]

 

[Oh8ch]

Seems a little trivial to question a new coaches recruiting chops a week into his new job. Hopefully, he puts your concerns at ease eventually. I'm just interested to see how he handles everything. Seems his assistants have some solid recruiting abilities as well. Time will tell.

This.

We are spoiled by Urban and are used to picking among the kids we offer. Right now the BBall team is in begging mode.

With potentially as few as 7 scholarship players returning next year I don't think there is any single offer to a quality player that doesn't make sense.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Recruits Already Very Receptive to New Ohio State Assistant Coaches

Recruiting has already started out well for Ryan Pedon and his fellow assistant coaches

When you consider the fact that it was recruiting that ultimately led to Thad Matta's demise, it is understandable if the topic of the day when meeting the new Ohio State assistant coaches centered around recruiting.

Those assistants -- Ryan Pedon, Terry Johnson, and Mike Schrage -- were all "over the moon" on Thursday when talking about recruiting for Ohio State. They spoke of many different aspects of recruiting, particularly the reception they have received.

"Great," Ryan Pedon said of that reception. "Great."

The sly smile on his face said much more than his two whole words ever could. He was not the only coach carrying that smile, but he was the only one who was so reserved in how he expressed it.

"Ohio State is a powerful school, athletic department, brand, network," Mike Schrage said. "I feel like we were recruiting some guys that makes it a pretty easy transition for us at Ohio State. It’s been fun calling seniors, juniors. You can tell it carries a lot of weight, no doubt."

For the existing recruits, there was already a relationship. So much so that they were actually reaching out to the coaches before the coaches could reach out to them.

"We heard from some recruits right away," Schrage said. "The amount of guys that texted Coach Holtmann or us like, ‘Hey, congrats’ or ‘Hey, we heard the news.’ That’s pretty impressive. When you consider the amount of programs that are recruiting them, for them to contact you just on their own, that’s pretty impressive right there. It certainly shows a high interest."

Entire article: http://theozone.net/2017/06/recruits-receptive-ohio-state-coaches/

 

[DZ83CK]

I'm just going off what he said at the press conference. He was going for "Ohio State" guys, and he understood what a talent-rich region he was coming to. That's all I'm saying....he said those words, then his first actions make it look like he's been told to go national or something.

I wouldn't read more into it than he is going to try hard to get the state's best players and make that a priority. Every new coach has to say recruiting the area is a priority. Nobody should think or expect him to recruit only Ohio players, and even expecting most offers to be to Ohio players is too narrow of an approach. I want a coach who can identify and recruit the best players he can. While it is good to prioritize the cream of the crop in-state, it is illogical to be getting the 10th or 12th best player from Ohio instead of a better out-of-state prospect.

 

[WiseBuck]

Holtmann has to offer and recruit OOS players with the powerful Ohio State name and everything it is. It also lets the 2018 in-state recruits to come aboard and be a part of something great, or if they don't, others will.

 

[DZ83CK]

Nance is a good prospect but I am thinking there will not be room for him ultimately if they get Hunter, esp considering the need for G talent. I know they have 5 spots open (counting Goodwin in the class already) but I am thinking Hunter and Cohill are their top in-state targets in the class considering the early re-offers. Hunter and Cohill could be key building block recruits to turning things around as well as re-establishing a presence in-state. A class of Cohill, Goodwin, Hunter, maybe Bingham and a big, strong defensive G would be a great first class and blend of talent to help fit their needs.

Oh, I agree with everything that you have said and I agree that we should not stray away from the region unless the guy is too good to pass on. I would take a class in 2018 of Goodwin, Cohill, Nance, and Hunter from Ohio. I really think we need to pursue an out-of-state guy to play the 5 position and I have not seen any mention of that type of player that might be being recruited. Perhaps the guy from Michigan but every site list him as a PF so we shall see.

 

[ScriptOhio]

BASKETBALL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: OHIO STATE HITS THE GROUND RUNNING UNDER NEW COACHING STAFF

At his introductory press conference, new Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann made it known he got right to work after accepting the job.

"That first hour, we started making calls and contacting [recruits]," Holtmann said. "We hit the ground running. This place is incredible. People understand that. I think we're going to have a great opportunity. Any time you take a job at this point, you have a little bit of catch-up. We understand that."

And since that moment, it's been clear Holtmann and his new staff — Terry Johnson, Ryan Pedon and Mike Schrage — have been quite busy. The Buckeyes got right to work in an attempt to build a monster 2018 recruiting class.

Ohio State currently has one verbal commitment in 2018: four-star guard Dane Goodwin. A 6-foot-4 sharpshooter from Upper Arlington, Goodwin has been committed to the Buckeyes since Dec. 1, 2014. However, coaching changes can be difficult for any committed prospect, so priority No. 1 for Holtmann and Co. is trying to hold on to the nation's No. 75 overall prospect and fourth-ranked player in Ohio, according to 247Sports' composite ratings.

But with the way Ohio State's roster looks currently, there is room for quite a large 2018 class alongside Goodwin — assuming he stays in the fold. With the addition of Kyle Young, the Buckeyes have 10 scholarship players for next season — two of whom are seniors — so expect the 2018 haul to have at least four members.

So, who could potentially be part of that class? Well, Ohio State's staff made it clear who some of the top targets were over the last week by dishing out a handful of scholarship offers — new and old — to 2018 prospects.

What follows is a breakdown of recent offers from the new Buckeyes' staff.

Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...the-recruiting-trail-under-new-coaching-staff

 

[TDunk]

 

[LitlBuck]

I did not know what Holtmann is thinking but I think that we need to take at least 4 players, if not 5, in this class and get this basketball program back on track. I do not like this comment from my new coach and hopefully he is just talking to appease some listeners.

During a radio interview on 97.1 The Fan in Columbus last week, Holtmann let us in on how many players he's expecting to take in the 2018 cycle:

"Right now it's three," he said. "Could it be a little more than that? Potentially. It just depends on some things with our current roster. Right now we're planning on three. I think in these next two years I think it's gonna be five to seven (players) in these next two classes that will be added. I think that's a good thing."

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/2017/06/resetting_ohio_state_basketbal.html#incart_river_index

I understand balancing classes but I also understand getting this program going again.

 

[NFBuck]

I did not know what Holtmann is thinking but I think that we need to take at least 4 players, if not 5, in this class and get this basketball program back on track. I do not like this comment from my new coach and hopefully he is just talking to appease some listeners.
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/2017/06/resetting_ohio_state_basketbal.html#incart_river_index

I understand balancing classes but I also understand getting this program going again.

I think he's realistically looking that it's gonna be hard to get the quality of players he wants this year with such a short amount of time to do it. Getting Young was a coup, but that was obviously because of a pre-existing relationship. My guess is they want to conserve scholarships for the next classes as they will have more time to establish relationships/familiarity. I don't have a problem with that strategy, as this coming year will be the proverbial "honeymoon season" anyway, and adding a couple bodies just to fill out a roster probably isn't best long-term.

 

[LitlBuck]

I think he's realistically looking that it's gonna be hard to get the quality of players he wants this year with such a short amount of time to do it. Getting Young was a coup, but that was obviously because of a pre-existing relationship. My guess is they want to conserve scholarships for the next classes as they will have more time to establish relationships/familiarity. I don't have a problem with that strategy, as this coming year will be the proverbial "honeymoon season" anyway, and adding a couple bodies just to fill out a roster probably isn't best long-term.

If he cannot pull 4 quality players for the 2018 class,, he certainly is not the coach that I have been reading about.. He has had pre-existing relationships with almost all of the guys from Ohio that he is recruiting. Young belongs in this year's class so he does not even count. If he does not bring in Hunter/Nance, Cohill, Goodwin, and a PG or big from someplace else I will be disappointed. This program needs an influx of good talent and the sooner the better. It is not like they guys that I am talking about are going to play for Ohio State this season except for Young.

 

[NFBuck]

If he cannot pull 4 quality players for the 2018 class,, he certainly is not the coach that I have been reading about.. He has had pre-existing relationships with almost all of the guys from Ohio that he is recruiting. Young belongs in this year's class so he does not even count. If he does not bring in Hunter/Nance, Cohill, Goodwin, and a PG or big from someplace else I will be disappointed. This program needs an influx of good talent and the sooner the better. It is not like they guys that I am talking about are going to play for Ohio State this season except for Young.

Ah, I misread...I thought the 3 was for the 2017 class. Will be interesting to see how it plays out, but I'd be very surprised if it's just 3 for 2018...especially considering Tate, Kam and KBD all exhaust their eligibility after this season.