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OSU Men's Basketball Recruiting/Projections/General Discussions

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wigmon said:
So then why mention Edwards height without shoes?
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perhaps because i thought i was posting his height in shoes. sites have different heights without listing what the measurement actually reflects. not even the 6'1" found on many sites is correct. as noted per the combine, he's barely over 6'0".

anyway, i'm less concerned about our eventual 2022 point guard's height than i am in ho1tmann's ability to keep the player in the program. discontinuity will hurt us far more than any player's height. this is another reason why i hope we get jones. being from columbus doesn't guarantee that he'd stay in columbus, but it definitely wouldn't hurt. except for an inch or a little more, he's the ideal complement to meechie.
 
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nomatta said:
And then Evans ranks us 2nd for Kepnang today.

Definitely thought we were 2nd for Reid behind UVa, not scUm, and 5th at best for Kepnang. So Evans' perspective on the big man recruiting for OSU is something.
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I do not think it really matters regarding him or Reid because according to my calculations I do not know where you are going to get the scholarship from unless someone transfers or something. My calculations are in the Rejected Scholarship Breakdown thread which is in this forum.
 
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nomatta said:
The staff seems to be operating like someone will be gone because they are most definitely still recruiting 2021 bigs.
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After the two mentioned above there really are not that many 2021 big guys left that I know about (which is not saying a whole lot). You do know that Holtmann loves transfers and I would not be surprised to see him go that route if he does not get one of the two guys mentioned above.
 
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OSU_Buckguy said:
perhaps because i thought i was posting his height in shoes. sites have different heights without listing what the measurement actually reflects. not even the 6'1" found on many sites is correct. as noted per the combine, he's barely over 6'0".
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Fair enough. As a general rule of thumb, I go right to the NBA combine measurements. People are getting paid on those.
 
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Ohio State Buckeyes current commitments
Malaki Branham
The gem of the Ohio State Buckeyes’ class to this point is shooting guard Malaki Branham out of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s high school. The former Columbus, Ohio native made the Ohio State coaching staff sweat this one out. Xavier, Louisville, and Alabama made his final decision more interesting than many expected it to be. Ultimately, Branham elected to stay home and help continue to build the Ohio State basketball program into a national powerhouse.

As a player, Branham is a high-level athlete with good size. He finishes well in traffic, and his play-style resembles that of a slasher rather than a sniper from the outside.

While he isn’t an elite-level shooter, he at least will make the defense extend to the three-point line to defend him. He also has excellent form on his jumpshot. Which indicates that he might be able to take a significant leap in that department.

Branham is also a solid distributor and could be excellent in a secondary ball-handling role. He passes the ball very well, especially for an off-guard.

He’s already a solid defender, however, his athleticism combined with his size and length could turn him into an all-conference level defender as a Buckeye. Improving his defensive positioning while off the ball will go a long way in elevating Branham’s defensive ability. Branham will also be one of the better rebounding guards in the Big Ten throughout his career.

Branham should come in and contribute right away. He has the potential to be an 11-to-14 point per game scorer right from the onset of his Buckeye career.

Meechie Johnson
After an ACL injury forced him to miss his junior season, Meechie Johnson has returned bigger, faster, stronger, and flat out better. Johnson initially debuted at 62nd in the 247 Sports composite rankings before the injury dropped him 27 spots to his current 89th position. Make no mistake about it, Johnson is a top-50 national recruit. If he keeps putting performances together as he did at the Brawl for Ball event, he will start to shoot up the rankings.

Johnson’s Indy Heat AAU team took home the championship from the Brawl For The Ball event in Fort Wayne. Johnson earned tournament MVP for his play. The Indy Heat also features another Ohio State commit, Kalen Etzler.

While Branham is rated higher by recruiting services, there is an argument that Johnson is the best player in Ohio. He is a highly skilled lead guard, however, Johnson had a major growth spurt while rehabbing his ACL injury and is now around 6-foot-1. That growth spurt has eliminated the one knock scouts had against him, his size.

Johnson is an outstanding distributor, making him a perfect backcourt pair with Branham. Although coach Holtmann runs a very democratic offense where all players touch the ball, Johnson has the potential to lead the Big Ten in assists at some point in his career.

A lot of the time, when people think of pass-first point guards, like Johnson, they think those players aren’t scorers. That is not the case here. He has all of the tools to be a 15 to 18 point per game scorer at his peak. He’s athletic, has unlimited range, and handles the ball at an extremely high level. All of those tools allow him to get anywhere he wants on the floor.

As good as he is on the offensive end, his on-ball defense may be what elevates him to the next level. He is an absolute dog on the defensive end. Johnson uses his size, strength, athleticism, and a massive chip on his shoulder to hound opposing ball-handlers. His defense will allow him to get on the floor early and often at Ohio State.

Kalen Etzler
Of the three current commitments in the 2021 class, Kalen Etzler appears to be the one that needs the most work before he is game ready. A lot of that work will be dietary improvements and strength building. Etzler is a skilled stretch-four, but he weighs just 195 pounds while standing 6-foot-8.

Etzler has excellent range and scoring ability as he is able to shoot over smaller defenders with his size. While his potential is extremely high, Etzler’s shooting is the only trait that appears game ready when he steps foot on campus.

The good news for Etzler and Ohio State is he still has time. COVID-19 had a major impact on the summer AAU circuit. That has been a major detriment to Etzler as he needed to get more time playing against high-level competition. His high school team, Crestview, plays sub-par competition throughout the season and there is concern that this is another Justin Ahrens situation, a player who has massive production against lower-level competition, that has trouble in the Big Ten.

Etzler will likely not need to be ready until his junior season with the depth Ohio State has at the forward spots. This will allow the coaching, nutrition, and strength staff to mold Etzler into the player he can be.
 
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LitlBuck said:
The writer of this "article" needs to do some research. We do not have any scholarships available for the class of 2021. We have 3 seniors and we already have 3 commitments. Someone would have to transfer which is possible I guess
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Re: Staff Writer, Co-Editor, Photographer and Videographer @270HoopsOhio State basketball recruiting analyst @OSUatRivals

Well, his bio wants to make you think that he is "knowledgeable"...:roll1: Do you think he's counting Jimmy Sotos a senior (which technically he is) or he has knowledge of some underclassmen going to transfer or declare for the draft?
 
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