Rarely does Chris Holtmann expect a freshman to walk into the Ohio State program and shoot the lights out from 3-point range. He anticipates they’ll usually need a year to acclimate themselves to the speed of the game at the collegiate level and the longer arc forcing them to extend their range.
Eugene Brown, brought in as a classic 3-and-D wing from Georgia, is a prime example. Eventually, Holtmann hopes he’ll provide the Buckeyes with a deft outside touch. So far as a freshman, he has shot just 6-for-24 from deep for a measly 25 percent. To Holtmann, that doesn’t come as a big shock. The team’s fourth-year head coach has seen that happen time and time again.
Justin Ahrens was an exception. He walked in the door as a 38.8 percent 3-point shooter as a freshman, bumped up to a 40.4 percent shooter as a sophomore and has now put himself in position to cement himself in the program’s record book by knocking down 47.9 percent of his threes so far this season as a junior.
Only one player in the history of Ohio State basketball who made at least 50 threes in a season – Jon Diebler in 2010-11 (50.2 percent) – has ever hit triples at the rate Ahrens is making them this season. William Buford, drilled 44.2 percent of his 3-pointers in 2010-11, currently sits second behind Diebler in single-season 3-point percentage.
| NAME | SEASON | PERCENTAGE | SHOTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| JON DIEBLER | 2011 | 50.2 | 114-227 |
| JUSTIN AHRENS | 2021 | 47.9 | 45-94 |
| WILLIAM BUFORD | 2011 | 44.2 | 61-138 |
| DOUG ETZLER | 1995 | 43.8 | 78-178 |
| KAM WILLIAMS | 2016 | 43.7 | 52-119 |
| DAMON STRINGER | 1997 | 43.0 | 55-128 |
| DAVID LIGHTY | 2011 | 42.9 | 51-119 |
| JE'KEL FOSTER | 2005 | 42.8 | 62-145 |
| JON DIEBLER | 2010 | 42.0 | 116-276 |
| DENNIS HOPSON | 1987 | 41.9 | 67-160 |
| JON DIEBLER | 2009 | 41.6 | 96-231 |
If Ahrens can get hot for a prolonged period, he has an outside chance breaking Diebler's record. He’s also second all-time at Ohio State in career 3-point shooting at 43.5 percent, behind only Doug Etzler (44.6 percent).
“His confidence is through the roof,” Seth Towns said two weeks ago. “He's one of the best shooters in the country, in my opinion, and he's showing that.”
Ahrens didn’t enter the season as a starter. Heck, his initial role wasn’t much different early on compared to the prior season, when he averaged 2.9 points in 10.1 minutes per game.
The 6-foot-5 wing managed 5.3 points in 13.9 minutes per contest across the season’s first 12 games, scoring zero points more times than he scored in double figures. Sure, Holtmann knew Ahrens could shoot, but he wanted the upperclassman from Versailles to prove himself on defense before putting him out there for extended minutes.
“I don't love the whole, ‘Well, he struggles defensively, but coach, remember threes are more than twos.’ I don't buy that,” Holtmann said on Monday after beating Maryland. “I can't stand it when I hear that. It's not like I'm trying to give up twos either.”
Then, in a twist of fate when Jimmy Sotos joined CJ Walker as unavailable due to injuries, Holtmann tabbed Ahrens as a starter alongside Duane Washington Jr., Justice Sueing, Kyle Young and E.J. Liddell. In his first game in the starting five, he drained 4-of-5 threes to score 12 points in a win over Northwestern on Jan. 13. Ever since, even with Walker now available to play, Ahrens has remained a steady part of the starting lineup.
In all eight of his starts over this month-long stretch, he has made multiple 3-pointers. Ahrens knows exactly what he’s out there to do: Hit outside jumpers. He has taken 94 of his 97 shots from behind the arc, and one of those three 2-pointers came Monday night when he attempted to shoot a three but had his foot on the line for a long two.
His touch has given the Buckeyes a deadly shooter from deep who defenses have to stick to, knowing he’ll make them pay if they give him room.
If he has an opening, it’s quite literally more likely than not he'll knock it down. Ahrens has made 55.2 percent of catch-and-shoot jump shots when unguarded, per Synergy Sports.
“You're always aware of him. Always aware of him when he's that proficient,” Holtmann said. “We've coached against a few that are in the rhythm that he's in, but he's been in that rhythm for the better part of a month-and-a-half, two months. You're just always aware of him, so it stretches your defense and it makes your attention to detail have to be so high-level. And our guys have done a good job finding him.”
In his eight starts, Ahrens has averaged eight points in 25.8 minutes per game.
The 3-point shooting allows him to impact games in big ways. Yet, that’s always been a part of his game. Improved defense, maybe more so than anything else, has led Holtmann to feel like he can stick Ahrens out there as a starter.
“I think what he's done is his attention to detail defensively has been good,” Holtmann said. “So, he's been a talker, a communicator, scouting report he's had a high level of attention to detail. He did not have that his first year. He did not have that his first year-and-a-half. He just didn't. I think he's understood that, hey, if he's going to be a team defender, if he's going to be a good defender, a defender that can be out on the floor for consistent minutes, he has to be an elite team defender. That's what he's got to do. That's what he's got to continue to do.”
As long as Ahrens' defense doesn’t regress, it’s hard to imagine his role changing much. His outside touch matters too much to this group.
After all, Ahrens is in the midst of one of the two best 3-point shooting seasons in Ohio State hoops history.
