COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State basketball program has steadily improved in the level of talent that has reached Columbus since Chris Holtmann took over in 2017.
His classes have risen steadily in the ranking – when placed in context – with each cycle leaving him with only two stones left to turn. Holtmann has yet to get a five-star recruit or put together one of the top five recruiting classes. Both can be performed at this time of next year.
Closing 2021 in big
Buckeyes technically only have two commits in their 2021 class since Meechie Johnson signed up at the beginning. So, instead of his trio being one of the top 15 in the class, he dropped to 42nd, seventh in the Big Ten. But recruiting rankings don’t mean as much in basketball as they do in football. What matters is quality, and OSU has two quality options in the state.
This starts with Kalen Etzler as a three-star striker who still needs to develop physically, but has a skill set that translates to what the state of Ohio wants to do offensively. It is a stretch four, whose kick can allow adequate spacing for Holtmann’s scoring options to operate. Imagine if Kyle Young’s three-point dam in the first half of a 68-67 victory over Michigan was routine. That is what Etzler is.
Then there is Malaki Branham, the crown jewel of the class who recently ended his career leading St. Vincent-St. Mary to a state championship by scoring 37 points. He must win the Mr. Ohio Basketball award, becoming the fourth player to go from the best player in the state to Buckeye in the past 10 years. OSU did not have an impactful freshman in the Holtmann era, and Braham could be one of the top 50 recruits.
Buckeyes prefer to add one more person. It is obvious that the lack of size in the state of Ohio made it difficult to compare with the Kofi Cockburns, Luka Garzas and Hunter Dickinson in the world. Having to fight constantly against big ones probably played a significant role in why EJ Liddell hit just 31.6% during the Big Ten Tournament. That’s why OSU will try to add a post player regardless of whether Kyle Young opts for another year.
The first place to look is the 2021 class, where four centers already have offers. Ohio native Logan Duncomb is committed to Indiana, and Charles Bediako is probably no longer part of the equation. That leaves Chet Holmgren and Efton Reid.
Holmgren is probably committing himself to Gonzaga, but OSU being on the hunt is a good sign. He is the best player in the country and one of the main candidates to be the No. 1 choice in the 2022 draft, but he liked the coaching staff for watching a football game in 2019.
Reid is the best scenario for the Buckeyes. The competition is the state of Florida, the state of NC and Virginia. He would represent Holtmann’s first five-star recruit as player # 23 and center # 3.
A potential title in 2022
The recruitment parallels between Ohio State basketball and football programs are striking. Both created a quality course in 2021 and hope that spring will guarantee them a five-star commitment to end activities. Meanwhile, Buckeyes are currently the best recruiting classes in both sports in 2022.
The state of Ohio already has three commits in 2022, which started with confident 3-star Ohio native Bowen Hardman, who gives the cast a reliable sniper. Georgia’s 4-star point guard Bruce Thornton followed as one of the top 60 recruits who will join Johnson as the team’s second point guard. Then 4-star point guard Roddy Gale Jr. joined as one of the top 50 recruits with an advantage.
This is a quality group for the state of Ohio, but it is still at the beginning of the process. No other Big Ten team has more than one commitment yet. At the same time, the G-League has become an option for players who choose not to play college basketball, joining the Ignite team in the NBA secondary league. There were 28 five stars in the 2020 class, and five followed the G-League path, including Isaiah Todd, since he compromised him in Michigan.
Things get interesting in 2022. There are currently 22 players rated five stars, and the only ones who are already committed are Eboni Bates (player # 1, for the state of Michigan) and Amari Bailey (player # 3, for UCLA) . It has always been thought that, in 2022, players will once again be able to go to the NBA straight from high school.
This potential option – plus the G-League route – brings a lot of uncertainty to the search for university talent. This could harm OSU, as Chris Livingston of Buchtel, the 4th player in the class, should be a relatively easy compromise, but if he becomes a chosen potential in the lottery, all bets are off.
Whether Livingston chooses to play college basketball or not, Ohio’s 2022 class is in good shape. He meets the needs of Duane Washington Jr., Justin Ahrens and Jimmy Sotos, graduating after the next season.
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