COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Chris Holtmann first arrived at Ohio State, he knew there were a lot of issues he and the new coaching staff needed to address, whether it was just with the number of players on the roster or the positions he had at his disposal.
For Holtmann, the rebuild started there.
And now, finishing the 2022 class, looking ahead to his seventh year as the head coach after just starting his sixth with a buzzer-beater win against Akron Tuesday, the rebuild looks bright.
“You see the development of a guy like E.J. (Liddell) or Duane (Washington Jr.), Justin (Ahrens), Kyle (Young), I think we have some of those guys that are going to continue to do that. Obviously, it’s as talented as a class as we’ve had and I think it can be a real building block here moving forward.”
Ohio State brought in five players in the 2022 class — four-star point guard Bruce Thornton, four-star guard Roddy Gayle Jr., four-star forward Brice Sensabaugh, four-star center Felix Okpara and three-star guard Bowen Hardman — for the Buckeyes’ first top-10 recruiting class in the Holtmann regime.
Ohio State’s 2022 class is the seventh-best in the country behind Kentucky, Duke, Alabama, Kansas, Arkansas and UCLA, and is the top class in the Big Ten, directly in front of No. 8 Michigan.
Holtmann knew, based on the current roster construction, that Ohio State would be an attractive spot for recruits. The Buckeyes have nine seniors or redshirt seniors on the roster, along with junior forward E.J. Liddell, who is expected to make the jump to the NBA after the 2021-22 season.
While there will be talented players returning for the 2022-23 season like guards Meechie Johnson Jr., Malaki Branham and forward Zed Key, Holtmann knows that many members of the 2022 class could get playing time right away, calling it the “perfect time to have an outstanding class.”
“I think we have some guys who are capable of that,” Holtmann said. “Some are going to be more ready than others, but there’s no question that was an attractive thing for them when they were looking at us and certainly for us, we addressed some needs for guys who will play as freshmen.”
Thornton will be one of those players with a prime opportunity to play right away.
Holtmann said the Ohio State coaching staff has had its eyes on Alpharetta, Ga. point guard early on, calling him a prototypical point guard.
With redshirt senior point guard Jamari Wheeler leaving after the season, there’s a spot to be had in the starting lineup, something, Holtmann said, is wide open.
“I think Bruce understands he has an opportunity, think he understands it’s got to be earned,” Holtmann said. “I’m not going to sit here and give you our opening day roster and starting lineup for next year. I think a lot has to happen between now and then.
“I think Bruce clearly saw an opportunity, and I think he’s going to be ready. I’m excited about that.”
Holtmann also said four-star center Felix Okpara provides the Buckeyes will an opportunity in the paint to have a big like he’s never really had before.
“He’s different from the bigs we’ve had. He’s very different than Zed. I could even see them playing together some for sure,” Holtmann said. “He’s really unique in his shot-blocking ability. At 6-foot-11 and about a 7-3 wingspan, he really provides a dimension that’s exciting for us. He’s quick off his feet. He doesn’t have Zed’s low-post scoring, Zed’s physicality right now, but I think you could see them playing together as long as we can manage that defensively as well as offensively.”
In terms of roster constriction, the five-man 2022 class does not change Holtmann’s approach to roster construction for next season, saying that he will look to bring in “a transfer or two” to add experience, but that this will be looked at when the 2021-22 season is complete.
But with this top-10 group, this is only the start for Holtmann.
This is a continuation of the rebuild, something that he expects from the Buckeyes moving forward.
“We can continue having classes like this, maybe not in numbers… but there’s no question we can continue to have classes of this caliber,” Holtmann said.
