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Ohio State Basketball: What a difference a year makes

By Charlie Lockhart

BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Just think about how dire things looked for the Ohio State basketball program last year. Now outstanding players want to wear Scarlet and Gray.

The situation for the Ohio State basketball program has certainly changed since Chris Holtmann took over as head coach. Just to fill out the roster was a challenge as he was desperately in need of players and only had one player in his 2017 recruiting class..

Somehow he was able to bring in three more players to the class and all contributed last season. The Buckeyes made a remarkable turnaround, and as a result this year’s recruiting class is nearly filled and a five-star recruit has already committed to the 2019 class. I guess playing for Ohio State seems like a pretty good option now.

Alonzo Gaffney is 6-9, 190 pounds and is ranked as the No. 3 power forward in the country in the ’19 class. He is listed as the 18th player overall and the top recruit in Ohio.

Also, guard C.J. Walker is transferring to Ohio State from Florida State and will be eligible for the 2019 season. Walker started 34 games for the Seminoles last season and averaged 8 points and 2.4 assists per game.

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Four players are committed to the 2018 Ohio State recruiting class at the moment. 6-4 guard Luther Mohammed and 6-7 power forward Jaedon LeDee are top 100 recruits. With 6-3 guard Duane Washington (193) and 6-5 small forward Justin Ahrens (240) among the top 250 ranked players, Chris Holtmann already has a terrific class and these players are signed and sealed..

Now the Buckeye head coach is looking for a graduate transfer at guard to give his team more experience with Kam Williams and Andrew Dakich moving on. Nick Norton is transferring from UAB and will be visiting both Ohio State and Purdue soon per Land of 10. Norton averaged 7.8 ponts and 4.5 assists last season.

Whether Norton chooses to play for the Buckeyes or not, the fact that a player is considering to do so in his last year of eligibility says a lot. Everyone is well aware how quickly coach Holtmann turned the Ohio State basketball program around and they are anticipating even better things down the road.

Next: Situation much better than year Slobs were dominant

What a difference a year can make, or in Chris Holtmann’s case a little less than that. He only took the Ohio State head coaching job last June, about 10 months ago.

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