Athletic director Gene Smith repeatedly called recruiting the “lifeblood” of the Ohio State men's basketball program during Thad Matta's final press conference last week. But to be completely honest, it's the lifeblood of every program.
Misses on the recruiting trail can lead to the dismissal of the winningest head coach in school history, while unparalleled success can assist in a meteoric rise up the coaching ranks.
Matta understood that, and accepted his fate once in-state four-star forward Darius Bazley decommitted from the Buckeyes a little over two months ago. The same goes for new head coach Chris Holtmann, who just four years ago sat at the end of the bench at tiny Gardner-Webb.
“The Ohio State University men's basketball program is one of the most respected in the country and our coach much respect that great tradition,” Smith at Holtmann's introductory press conference on Monday morning. “We sought a high intensity individual with an emphasis on academics. Someone who is relentless in recruiting with great ties to the great state of Ohio and the contiguous states. We found a proven winner, who is a community engager and bottom line, fits our culture.”
And that culture, above everything else, is winning. And how do you do that? Recruit. Recruit. Recruit.
“This region is a tremendous area for talented, smart and tough players,” Holtmann said. “I've recruited Ohio for over 20 years, and it has outstanding players and coaches. Some of the very best in the country. It will be paramount to our success. There's no question. We're going to work extremely hard to close our borders and dominate the state of Ohio in recruiting. It will be an every day focus for us.
“That first hour, we started making calls and contacting [recruits],” he continued. “I have some previous relationships with some young men, but our focus this past weekend has been Ohio. 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.”
One of those calls was Massillon Jackson's Kyle Young, who signed with Butler last November but could ask out of his letter of intent and follow Holtmann to Ohio State. The 6-foot-7 wing Young was the second-best player in the state — behind only Westerville South's Kaleb Wesson, who will suit up for the Buckeyes this fall — and averaged 19.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game to lead the Polar Bears to the Division I state championship this spring.
As Smith alluded to, Holtmann has done a tremendous job recruiting players from the Midwest. Including Young, he's signed a total of nine players from Indiana, Kentucky or Ohio since he took over as interim head coach in October 2014 — and subsequently had that tag removed just three months later.
One of the toughest challenges Holtmann faced at Butler was meeting the program's rising expectations, as it moved from the Horizon League to the Atlantic 10 and finally the Big East in a matter of just three seasons.
They key to that, again, is recruiting at a high level.
Holtmann was no longer just tasked with identifying underrated prospects with the hopes of maximizing their potential. But the program's level of success made it necessary to pursue — and land — elite players, which is exactly what he did with Young.
| NAME | HIGH SCHOOL | POSITION | NATIONAL RANK | STARS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KYLE YOUNG | MASSILLON (OH) JACKSON | SF | 77 | ★★★★ |
| CHRISTIAN DAVID | SAXTONS RIVER (VT) VERMONT ACADEMY | SG | 165 | ★★★★ |
| AARON THOMPSON | FAIRFAX (VA) PAUL VI CATHOLIC | PG | 172 | ★★★ |
| COOPER NEESE | CLOVERDALE (IN) | PG | 237 | ★★★ |
| JERALD BUTLER | FORT LAUDERDALE (FL) CALVARY CHRISTIAN | PG | 245 | ★★★ |
It goes without saying those same elite recruits are required to win consistently in the Big Ten.
Ohio State has greatly improved its chances with some of the best players in its own backyard. Though the Buckeyes are at a disadvantage in terms of timing, the state is deep with talent in the upcoming 2018 recruiting class.
Upper Arlington four-star shooting guard Dane Goodwin remains firm in his commitment to Ohio State, but five of the top six recruits in the state remain uncommitted. That includes the aforementioned Bazley, Revere four-star small forward Pete Nance, Cleveland four-star combo guard Dwayne Cohill, Pickerington North four-star Jerome Hunter and Versailles three-star small forward Justin Ahrens. Ahrens is also a one-time Ohio State commit.
Gahanna four-star small forward and Pickerington four-star points guard Jeremiah Francis will be priority targets for 2019, too, which means it's that much more important for Holtmann to hit the trail hard.
“Obviously, a big part of doing today well is recruiting,” he said. “We're going to be really aggressive and passionate as a staff about adding 'Ohio State guys' to our program. We'll be selective in this pursuit of 'Ohio State' guys. It's not going to be for everyone. Tough, talented, committed and unselfish student-athletes who value this place. Who come here like I did and say, 'Wow. What an incredible place.'”
