When Chris Holtmann was hired at Ohio State, his mission was clear: Rebuild Buckeye basketball and land the top commits in the state of Ohio.
So far, so good.
Alonzo Gaffney, the top player in the state of Ohio in the 2019 class according to 247Sports, committed to Ohio State on Tuesday morning.
Theres no place like Home... pic.twitter.com/ONFxzho0ZI
— (@alonzo_gaffney) April 10, 2018
The commitment comes just two days after Ohio State landed Florida State transfer guard CJ Walker, giving the Buckeyes two commitments in the 2019 class.
The Gaffney File
- CLASS: 2019
- SIZE: 6-foot-9, 190 pounds
- POS: PF
- SCHOOL: Garfield Heights (OH)
- COMPOSITE RATING: ★★★★★
- COMPOSITE RANK: 18
Gaffney is the No. 3 power forward in the country according to 247Sports and the No. 18 overall player in his class. He was also considering Michigan State and North Carolina amongst other top-tier basketball programs.
He is also the teammate of 2021 prospect Meechie Johnson, who is widely considered one of the top young point guard prospects in his class. Johnson earned his first collegiate scholarship offer during the 2017-18 season from Holtmann and Ohio State.
Landing the top in-state prospects had become a problem at Ohio State in recent years, as Thad Matta missed out on the top seven players from the Buckeye state in the 2016 class. He signed Kaleb Wesson, the state's top player in the 2017 class, but after losing a commitment from Darius Bazley in 2018 and failing to land any of the top nine players in the state in that class, it was clear Ohio State needed to make a change.
Since coming to Columbus, Holtmann has revitalized the Ohio State basketball program. He pieced together a 2017 class that helped the Buckeyes to an NCAA Tournament, bringing Ohio's second highest rated player in Kyle Young with him from Butler. He then earned a commitment on Sunday from Walker, who will step in as Ohio State's top point guard in 2019.
With Gaffney added to the mix, Ohio State appears primed to compete for a Big Ten title and perhaps more in the coming years. You can check out Gaffney's junior year highlights below.
