Ohio State Basketball: Chris Holtmann has become an elite overall recruiter
Ohio State Basketball keeps up in the Big Ten recruiting arms race, landing top-40 forward Scotty Middleton, adding to Chris Holtmann’s impressive class.
It’s been a back-and-forth couple of weeks on the recruiting trail between the Michigan State Spartans and Ohio State Basketball, with both programs landing multiple top-100 prospects. On the Buckeyes’ side, they landed Scotty Middleton, a consensus top-40 small forward commit in the 2023 class.
Middleton is the fourth four-star commit for Ohio State, joining Devin Royal, Austin Parks, and George Washington III. On paper, Middleton is viewed as the one with the highest ceiling, and could even rise towards “five-star status” a year from now. If that happens, he’d be the first five-star freshman to play for Chris Holtmann when he became head coach of the program five years ago.
It’s an interesting fact to think about, considering the success the Buckeyes have had and the amount of individual starpower they’ve had. Guys such as E.J. Liddell, Malaki Branham, Duane Washington Jr., and Kaleb Wesson were all listed as four-star recruits according to 247sportsComposite, with DJ Carton, who lasted just one year with them, ranked as the highest at No. 34. Middleton currently beats that and could rise even higher.
It’s a testament to the developmental skills of the Ohio State staff with players who aren’t five-stars but eventually become All-Big Ten stars in the future. And in the case of someone like Branham, hidden gems to the NBA have also kept the team consistently in the top tier of the conference.
Of course, the success that Coach Holtmann has had now puts them in position for some true five-star prospects in the near future. Right now, the program currently has the 3rd-ranked overall class, behind Duke and Kentucky, who are loaded with five-stars themselves. Considering what the other programs in the Big Ten are doing also on the recruiting trail, the Buckeyes will need all the help they can get.
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Chris Holtmann has flown under the radar in the national conversation as both an x’s and o’s guy and as a recruiter but he’s starting to get some well-deserved attention. He’s gotten higher and higher-rated commits these days and soon, the very best will be looking at Ohio State Basketball.