Ohio State Basketball: Chris Holtmann Must Recruit These States Hard

Numbers don’t lie. If the new head coach loads his Ohio State recruiting classes up with players from these states, his chances for success are very good.

If coach Chris Holtmann wants to have success during his tenure as the Ohio State basketball head coach, he should concentrate on recruiting high school players from three states. The first two, Ohio and Indiana, should be the main point of emphasis. Then mix a player from Illinois in now and then and that will be a good thing,

Don’t believe me? Just check out Thad Matta’s memorable classes.

Let’s start with the “Thad Five”, the 2006 recruiting class..

• Greg Oden Indianapolis, Indiana
• Daequan Cook Dayton, Ohio
• Mike Conley Indianapolis, Indiana
• David Lighty Cleveland, Ohio
• Othello Hunter Tampa, Florida

The 2006 class led the Buckeyes to their first National Championship Game in decades. Oden, Cook and Conley were all one and done players, but they certainly made their mark on the program while they were there.

Hunter and Lighty became fine players who enjoyed plenty of success during their time at Ohio State. Hunter was one of the few players who came to Ohio State from outside of the midwest during coach Matta’s tenure who excelled. But take a look at the guys he played with along the way.

The next three classes I will spotlight were those responsible for coach Thad Matta’s continued success as head coach of Ohio State. And in the most successful class, every player was from Ohio, Indiana or Illinois.