Busting Brackets
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Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes snag local recruit Justin Ahrens

By Tristan Freeman

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 1: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Butler Bulldogs reacts in the first half against the Providence Friars at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 1, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 1: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Butler Bulldogs reacts in the first half against the Providence Friars at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 1, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Commit number four for Ohio State comes into the fold with Justin Ahrens. Considering his local ties, this one has special bearing for the direction of the program.

Chris Holtmann has made the biggest splash in recruiting this month, picking up four good players in a matter of six days. First was Jaedon Lee, a versatile forward. Next comes Duane Washington, a combo guard with ball-handling skills. Third, and probably the most important, is shooting guard Luther Muhammad, an instant starter for next year.

Now comes Ahrens, a wing player registering in at 6’5 and 180 pounds. He’s considered a three-star recruit ranked No. 170 by 247 Sports. He chose Ohio State over rival Michigan, as well as Xavier, Dayton, Purdue, and Vanderbilt. His best attributes include his size and shooting ability.

Technically, this is a “re-commitment” for Ahrens as he pledged to play for the Buckeyes until former coach Thad Matta’s exit from the program. He decided to reopen all options until he built enough of a relationship with Holtmann and the staff where he could commit again.

Relationship building will be important for the coaching staff in the state of Ohio. Ahrens was considered the sixth best prospect from Ohio. The top five local prospects have elected to go elsewhere. Unless you’re a primer program, local recruiting is crucial to success.

This latest commitment places Ohio State now No. 9 in team rankings. Surprisingly, that’s good for only fifth in the conference with Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan, and Northwestern all in the top eight. The early recruiting success in the league as a whole makes this week even bigger for the program for the future.

Another good reason to bag these recruits before the season starts is that the “new coach glow” hasn’t worn off yet. We’ve seen this with Will Wade of LSU and Cuonzo Martin of Missouri both getting high-level prospects before coaching a single game in their new program. A down season, as expected by Ohio State may deter these players from committing if the process went into the regular season.

Next: Ohio State gets Luther Muhammad

Right now there’s one spot left, and it looks like it’s going to go to a true point guard. There’s several still on the board and getting one of those will be the cherry on the top of this quality class.

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