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“A player of his caliber leaving maybe a year earlier than you thought, let’s be honest, it completely changes the complexion of your roster. So you really have to make plans,” Holtmann said. “And I do think in a day when the transfer portal has changed things with immediate eligibility, perhaps it gives you the chance to step in. Back when this was the case before, immediate eligibility was not in place, so I think that maybe helps us a little bit. But we’ve been recruiting with the idea, really for a couple months, that it was likely that we were gonna lose Malaki. Ever since his run mid-year.”
Even if Branham’s mind wasn't totally made up just yet, the writing was on the wall early enough for Holtmann and company to begin thinking about how to best go about supplementing what Branham does for the Buckeyes in the event that he wouldn’t return.
“We felt it was trending in this direction for a while now,” Holtmann said. “I don’t think we had a definitive answer until (Tuesday), but we knew it was trending in this direction, so it allowed us to plan accordingly in terms of who we were recruiting. … We’ve been planning for a little bit that this was likely the case. I just think his trajectory made us begin to contemplate the idea that we were gonna have to find a replacement.
“And we also have a couple good, young guards coming in, they’re going to be forced into action maybe a little bit more, a little bit earlier than even they anticipated. We’re excited about putting those guys in those positions. We’ve got Bruce (Thornton) and Roddy (Gayle) who are both young guards, they’re going to be expected to play a little more now, and obviously we went to the transfer portal as well. So we’ve been making the plans for a couple months along these lines.”
Just sayin': I think the position(s) of need is C and/or PF. The only proven and battle tested "big" is Zed Key; hopefully, Seth Towns (6' 8") is 100%, Felix Okpara (6' 10", Freshman) can contribute, and/or Holtmann can still get a decent "big" out of the transfer portal. It's not a good matchup asking a 6' 6" forward to defend a center like Hunter Dickinson (7' 1")
I didn't read any of Holtmann's comments as a complaint.I see CH is already getting the excuses for next season started, and it isn't even May. You simply cannot plan on talented players to be on a college basketball team for X number of years. Players leaving "early" for one reason or another is a fact of life to be expected in college basketball. I guess it's too much to ask CH to scout to find the next NBA prospect instead of complaining and taking transfers who have no shot at the league to replace some of his best players.
I think he is complaining that he wasn't preparing to replace Branham until February. It sounds like sour grapes to me. Just be happy for the kid, use it as a recruiting tool, and focus on what you can control. I don't think Branham leaving is in any way an acceptable excuse for not achieving anything notable in the 2022-23 season.I didn't read any of Holtmann's comments as a complaint.
I think he is complaining that he wasn't preparing to replace Branham until February. It sounds like sour grapes to me. Just be happy for the kid, use it as a recruiting tool, and focus on what you can control. I don't think Branham leaving is in any way an acceptable excuse for not achieving anything notable in the 2022-23 season.
CH needs to stop wasting time talking about his timetable for guys who are out the door and focus his energy on finding more pro talent. NBA players Caris Levert and Larry Nance Jr were Ohio-based senior Spring commits coming out of high school. I'm not blaming CH for not getting them obviously, just using them to illustrate the point that good, high-end talent can be had at this time of year, and you can't get those guys when all you go after are non-NBA prospect college transfers.
@DZ83CK hates Holtmann and takes every opportunity to make up a reason to bash him. Same old, same old.I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. Did you watch the video interviews? Holtmann wasn't complaining AT ALL. He was nothing but supportive and celebratory of Branham. When reporters pressed him with questions about what he was expecting in terms of a timeline when he got Branham or how this changed his roster plans, all his comments amounted to acknowledging it as a big loss because Branham is a great player. It would have been dishonest and insulting to Branham to say anything otherwise. But it never once came off like complaining or "woe is me."
There are plenty of legitimate things to criticize Holt about, no need to go looking for nonsense reasons to.
For its final available roster spot, Ohio State was looking at the need for either another body down low or a player who could help handle some duties at the point.
They managed to find one player who has proven he can do both. Today, Oklahoma State transfer Isaac Likekele announced his commitment to the Buckeyes, giving them a 6-5, 215-pound veteran who can help at both point guard and power forward.
As a fourth-year player for the Cowboys, Likekele averaged 7.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 30 games. EvanMiya.com ranked him as the No. 22 overall transfer and a five-star talent.
Miya ranks him as the ninth-best defender in the portal, and he is expected to bring size, defensive toughness and offensive versatility to an Ohio State roster seeking to replace 85.9% of its points, 71.6% of its rebounds and 83.6% of its minutes played from this past season.