Ohio State basketball: Can recruiting class save Chris Holtmann?
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State basketball team didn’t have the type of season that they wanted to have in 2021. They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. With yet another disappointing loss in March, calls were growing for Chris Holtmann’s job.
Holtmann is staying for at least the 2022 season, but his seat is warmer than it’s ever been since he’s been in Columbus. He brings in a top-five recruiting class for this season and expectations that he needs to at least make a Sweet 16. Can that recruiting class save him?
Most of the roster from last season will be gone in 2022. Gone are E.J. Liddell, Malaki Branham, and Kyle Young. Those three were the most valuable players and the ones who had the most offensive firepower. All of that firepower is gone, and some other ancillary players are now too.
Justin Ahrens, Meechie Johnson, Joey Brunk, and Cedric Russell are all gone too. That’s a lot of roster turnover that Holtmann is dealing with. He is hitching his hopes on a freshman class that is unproven, although extremely talented. If they don’t win, Holtmann could be gone.
Bruce Thornton is the highlight of the class. He is the most highly-rated player in the class and the best hope for a superstar in this class and on this roster. He can shoot, make plays for others, and has some decent on-the-ball defensive skills. He has all of the tools to be great.
Next. Spring Game won't give us defensive scheme answers. dark
He has to be great for Holtmann to save his job. If Holtmann isn’t able to get to the second weekend of March Madness in 2022, he might be hunting for a new job. That is of course if Gene Smith and Ohio State basketball fans have any expectations for this program.