Ohio State basketball took another hit Friday night with the announcement of Derek Funderburk's dismissal and Braxton Beverly's transfer.
With the two players no longer in the fold, the Buckeyes now have just eight recruited scholarship players on their roster for the 2017–18 season. It's far from an ideal situation for Chris Holtmann in his first year as head coach.
In a recent meeting with reporters, Holtmann said he was unsure if Ohio State would add another player to its roster this late in the process. That was before the announcement of Beverly and Funderburk's departure, however.
"We certainly don't want to compromise on them being what we feel like are Ohio State guys, and we don't want to compromise on talent or ability," Holtmann said then, via cleveland.com. "That handicaps you in the future. Because of that, I don't know that we'll add another one."
| No | Name | Pos | Ht | Wt | Yr | Hometown (High School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | MICAH POTTER | C | 6-9 | 240 | SO | Mentor, Ohio (Montverde Academy) |
| 1 | JAE'SEAN TATE | F | 6-4 | 230 | SR | Pickerington, Ohio (Pickerington Central) |
| 3 | C.J. JACKSON | G | 6-1 | 175 | JR | Charlotte, N.C. (Eastern Florida State) |
| 14 | JOEY LANE | G | 6-1 | 180 | JR | Deerfield, Ill. (Deerfield) |
| 15 | KAM WILLIAMS | G | 6-2 | 185 | rSR | Baltimore, Maryland (Mount St. Joseph's) |
| 24 | ANDRE WESSON | F | 6-6 | 220 | SO | Westerville, Ohio (South) |
| 33 | KEITA BATES-DIOP | F | 6-7 | 235 | rJR | Normal, Ill. (University High) |
| KALEB WESSON | F | 6-9 | 280 | FR | Westerville, Ohio (South) | |
| KYLE YOUNG | F | 6-8 | 205 | FR | Massillon, Ohio (Jackson) |
One option that's been floated around of late is a potential addition of four-star guard Eric Ayala. Ayala is the No. 126-ranked prospect in the 2018 class and a 6-foot-5 combo guard, but there has been some talk about a potential reclassification to the 2017 class. Ayala received an offer from Holtmann and the Ohio State staff this week. He intends to finish out this AAU season and then decide on his reclassification, according to reports.
Other than Ayala, however, the options seem slim. If the Buckeyes don't land him, there's a very real chance they go into next season with just the eight recruited scholarship players.
C.J. Jackson and Kam Williams are the only two guards on Ohio State's roster, so the backcourt is a huge concern in Year 1 for Holtmann. The Buckeyes' head coach said senior forward Jae'Sean Tate may have to play some point guard this year as well and sophomore wing Andre Wesson could also be a potential option as a guard with his versatility.
If there is a spot where Ohio State should feel OK, it's on the wing with Tate, Wesson, Kyle Young and Keita Bates-Diop. Tate and Bates-Diop, if healthy, could be one of the top wing combinations in the Big Ten next season.
In the middle, the Buckeyes have just two big men in Micah Potter and incoming freshman Kaleb Wesson. Ohio State would love to have a third, but right now it just doesn't seem like a realistic option.
Former walk-on Joey Lane is the only other player currently on the roster for the 2017–18 season. The rest of it will surely be filled with walk-ons. Still, the eight recruited scholarship players are far from an ideal situation.
The slim roster means Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class will be a big one. Tate and Williams are seniors so that means the Buckeyes have at least seven (!) spots available for their 2018 class. Currently, however, Ohio State has zero verbal commitments.
Don't expect the Buckeyes to use all seven spots; that's simply too many for a class if there aren't multiple one-and-dones. A five-man class seems much more realistic.
The July recruiting period is about to get underway and it's going to obviously be crucial for Holtmann and Co. Because as we've said all along, Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class will be vital to the future of the program.
