COLUMBUS, Ohio –– Ohio State men's basketball head coach Chris Holtmann was surprised it took a full half-hour before he was asked about recent dual-sport Buckeye commit J.T. Tuimoloau Tuesday at his first press conference in months.
"How long's it taken before I got the first question?" Holtmann said with a laugh. "I was prepared, it was No. 1 right here: J.T."
The wait for Ohio State fans to see the five-star defensive end prospect on the hardwood, though, could be considerably longer.
"Listen, I think we’re a ways away from him stepping onto a court," Holtmann said. "Ryan (Day) and I will have conversations. I’m sure ultimately it will come down to what the young man and his family really want to do."
Tuimoloau, Rivals.com's No. 6 overall football prospect in the class of 2021, committed to Day and the Ohio State program on July 4 following an elongated recruitment that Day called "once in a lifetime" at Big Ten Media Days this past Friday.
RELATED: Day comments on the unique recruitment of Tuimoloau
However, it was not just the football program that Tuimoloau committed to. The 6-foot-4, 277-pound Washington native, who had previously been offered a scholarship by Holtmann and the Buckeye basketball program, made headlines with the news that he would also look to play hoops for the Scarlet and Gray as well.
Holtmann said the Ohio State coaching staff has not seen Tuimoloau play live, but has seen tape and met with him to discuss the idea.
"I met with him when he was here, we had breakfast –– beautiful kid, beautiful family –– he’s a good player," Holtmann said. "But I’m not gonna stand in the way of a national championship or a first-round pick.”
Due to the late stage of Tuimoloau's commitment ahead of his freshman season, given that preseason camp begins Aug. 3 for the football program, Day said in Indianapolis the top prospect will have "a little bit of a different lead into the season."
That comment from Day indicates that it may take time for Tuimoloau to get acclimated to his surroundings at Ohio State, which will no doubt push back the timeframe on his potential basketball career as well.
Still, Holtmann is receptive to the idea, should it continue to progress further.
“If the football staff has conversations with us and said, ‘Hey, this young man has genuine interest in it,' we’re open to it," Holtmann said. "They understand those conversations are always ongoing. But if they ask us to meet with the young man –– which they have –– because he has interest in basketball, we’ll have conversations. We just had another one this past weekend while we were on the road with a potential dual-sport player.”
Even if the offer to play multiple sports was made more to appease Tuimoloau for the sake of the football team than to fill a need on Holtmann's roster, the Buckeye coach said the two staffs are lockstep when it comes to communication.
“There’s great coordination between both staffs. We love them," Holtmann said. "Ryan and I will be talking specifically about J.T.’s situation, I’m sure, as we get closer to it and decide what’s best for him.”
