Nationally, few teams have experienced a rise like Ohio State.
The Buckeyes entered the 2020-21 season in 23rd place in the country for the 25 voters most voted by the Associated Press, squeezed between UCLA and Rutgers. The ten Big Ten reporters projected that the Buckeyes would finish seventh at the conference, according to an unofficial survey conducted by The Athletic and Columbus Dispatch. Questions arose about how the team would fare when integrating several new players after losing Kaleb Wesson, Andre Wesson, Luther Muhammad, Alonzo Gaffney and DJ Carton. Some wondered if the wear of the off-season represented a major problem within the program.
Internally, however, Ohio State coaches and officials felt confident in the team now ranked No. 4 in the country, with an overall record of 17-4 and 11-4 among the Big Ten. Year-end performance reviews of people within the program after the 2019-20 season – obtained by Eleven Warriors through a public registration application filed on August 10 and returned on Tuesday – paint the picture of a team led by coach Chris Holtmann who felt confident about the direction the Buckeyes were taking.
Atlético director Gene Smith considered that Holtmann exceeded expectations in his performance evaluation after last season.
“Chris did (an) exceptional job at every stage of the men’s basketball program,” wrote Smith. “The academic performance, the behavior of the student athletes, the competitiveness of the team in the field, the management of the coaches and support staff was excellent! The recruitment of players with character, who fit our academic mission, and are outstanding players, remains an example for him. If there was a game after the season, it was clear that this team had a chance to accomplish something special out of the best league in the country. Chris’ ability to put players in a successful position on the court is a direct result of his excellent training. He is an excellent teacher, with whom players connect and enjoy playing.
“As we look to the future, continuing to connect with the players is essential for us to manage this new transfer standard. Chris has managed this new culture excellently, but it will need to be an ongoing problem to focus on. ”
Holtmann described the “great chemistry of the Buckeyes in the last 2 months of the season” as a strong point. Ohio State, which he called a “balanced team in attack and defense”, ended the last season with nine wins in their last 12 games, totaling 21-10 and 11-9 at the conference. He noted the “tremendous out of conference” performance when the Buckeyes defeated Villanova, Cincinnati, North Carolina and Kentucky. He mentioned feeling “strongly about the development from 1 year to the next for several of our players and they deserve a ton of credit.”
He also wrote: “After 3 years (2 1000 and another solid), we left the APR danger zone of post-season ineligibility. Yea!!!”
Not everything was perfect, of course.
Holtmann mentioned the start of 2-6 in the Big Ten game, writing that it was “too much to overcome to be challenged by the championship. He noted his disappointment with himself for consecutive difficult periods in January and mentioned the “need to continue working and adapt for as much stability as possible” in what he described as “an ever-changing college basketball landscape with previous professionalization, increased number of transfers, etc. ”, clearly referring to the players who left.
Still, he and Smith were satisfied with how the season had gone and where the show was becoming a trend, based on their comments in the documents.
“Obviously, the most original season I participated in with the pandemic,” wrote Holtmann in a performance review he signed on July 31. “As I mentioned before, I would have loved to see how we could have ended the season, considering how we were playing in FEB / MARCH and our chemistry and skill as a team. Although it was an incomplete season and certainly with some difficult moments on and off the pitch, it was a fun and rewarding group to train! I really liked it. ”
Holtmann rated his three assistant coaches – Pedon, Terry Johnson and Jake Diebeler – as exceeding expectations in 2020-21. He rated director of professional development Terence Dials, assistant coach of coach Mike Netti and director of basketball operations David Egelhoff as having exceeded expectations and recruiting and operations coordinator Kyle Davis as having met expectations. Strength and conditioning coach Quadrian Banks was rated by Mickey Marotti and Heather Mason as meeting expectations.
Here is what the head coach wrote when evaluating each of his assistants:
- Holtmann in Pedon: “Ryan continues to do a good job for our program. He is complete in his efforts as a coach and recruiter. He is talented in both areas. We look forward to Ryan’s continued excellent contributions to Ohio State basketball. ”
- In Johnson: “Terry had a good year again with our program. He does a very good job in his role in preparing the game and in relation to a defensive game plan. He has a great understanding of how we want to do things. Excellent at connecting with our players. It continues to grow in some of the areas we have discussed. He is a very valuable member of our team. ”
- In Diebler: “Jake had a great first year as an assistant. I think it was an adjustment for him coming from his role at Vanderbilt, but he adapted very well and excelled in his role and as a recruiter and teacher while learning our system and program culture. Jake provides great energy, work ethic and curiosity as a coach. I am very excited about his future on our team. ”
After an incomplete season followed by five player matches, Holtmann and his team saw the positives to be followed. They were satisfied with the program’s fate.
Now, their visions of success are flashing before their eyes as they head one of the top five teams in the country.
“I feel good about the competitive success of our program,” wrote Pedon in his July review. “We have reached a position where I believe that we can compete (and win) any team in the country.”
The full 2019-20 performance reviews: Chris Holtmann – Ryan Pedon – Terry Johnson – Jake Diebler – Terence Dials – David Egelhoff – Kyle Davis – Quadrian Banks – Mike Netti