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Ohio State Recruiting: Holtmann’s job nice so far, must land top prospect

By Willie Lutz

ROSEMONT, IL- JANUARY 21: Butler Bulldogs head coach Chris Holtmann gives instructions to his team during the first half of a game against the DePaul Blue Demons on January 21, 2017 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
ROSEMONT, IL- JANUARY 21: Butler Bulldogs head coach Chris Holtmann gives instructions to his team during the first half of a game against the DePaul Blue Demons on January 21, 2017 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /
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College basketball championships can be attained with one GREAT player; an NBA-level talent playing at the NCAA level. While the Buckeyes roster looks much improved under Chris Holtmann, he’ll need to land top recruits.

It’s hard to complain about Chris Holtmann’s job thus far as the head coach of the Buckeyes’ basketball team. Attaining the conference’s highest-rated recruiting class after looking like an abysmal haul is a big deal.

Hauling four-star forwards Musa Jallow and former Butler commit Kyle Young was a big deal. Tack top Ohio prospect Kaleb Wesson onto the package and now you’re sitting pretty.

Even taking a look to 2018, where Holtmann landed the nation’s No. 100-overall recruit, guard Torrence Watson proved a good grab. However, the highest-rated prospect listed as “high choice” by 247Sports.com is No. 38 PG Elijah Weaver, who’s likely heading to Villanova.

However, getting a top-40 (or so) recruit in scarlet and gray will be essential to Holtmann’s continued recruiting success. That is, unless he doesn’t want to win a National Championship (he does).

This is not a suggestion that Holtmann has done anything wrong, it’s just suggesting that he has work left on the recruiting table.

During his tenure as the head coach of the Butler Bulldogs, the highest-ranked prospect Holtmann ever grabbed (excluding Kyle Young) was 2015’s No. 119 recruit, C Joey Brunk.

Holtmann, for the first time in his career needs to get “the guy”

Butler performed exceptionally well under the direction of Holtmann. However, it’s left to the imagination what he could’ve done with, say former Buckeye D’Angelo Russell. Add in talents like Jared Sullinger, Evan Turner, Mike Conley, and Greg Oden; those are the kind of guys needed to get rings.

Consider the list above for a moment; it’s hard to win championships. Thad Matta recruited all of those players and still couldn’t cut down the final nets (though Matta does have some platinum to flash, see below).

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Additionally, let’s not kid ourselves; this is a football school 80-percent of the time. The other 20-percent comes when this basketball team has good mojo flowing. The support is there for this young coach.

The anti-Thad commission got their wish, but we’ll need to see if Holtmann can land his superstar.

Last year’s title game was odd in that fans saw the only top-10 NBA Draft pick come off the bench (Gonzaga’s Zach Collins), but normally it’s those top-10 guys who grab a ring in college.

Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse. Kemba Walker at UConn. Anthony Davis at Kentucky.

Next: Urban Meyer’s 2018 Offensive Backfield Envy of All?

These guys were huge talents, big recruits, and very high draft selections. Eventually, Holtmann will need to land one of those guys.

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