AFTER WATCHING KEITA BATES-DIOP'S PROGRESSION FROM AFAR, E.J. LIDDELL HOPES TO MAKE A SIMILAR IMPACT AT OHIO STATE
When E.J. Liddell watched the various college teams recruiting him play on television last season, he didn’t just treat them like normal basketball games. Instead, he envisioned himself on the court.
Liddell, a four-star prospect from Belleville (Illinois) West, imagined himself in the offensive system. He considered how he might fit alongside the pieces on the court and looked for someone similar to him in order to visualize a path to success.
That meant, when viewing Ohio State, the 6-foot-7, 225-pound power forward fixated on Keita Bates-Diop.
“I see him as a versatile four,” Liddell said. “He posts up. (He plays) out on the perimeter all the time, too. Can dribble the ball up the court off the rebound. He's a very active guy in their system, which I like.”
Liddell tuned into the Buckeyes’ games as much as possible, even before Chris Holtmann called him in January to offer a scholarship.
“I watched Ohio State all the time,” Liddell said. “I mean, I missed a few games here and there, but if it's on the TV, I will watch it. I just always loved Ohio State.”
He saw Bates-Diop evolve from a 11.9-point, 6.4-rebound player in his second season at Ohio State to a 19.8-point, 8.7-rebound Big Ten Player of the Year honoree in his fourth season before declaring early for the NBA draft.
During his official visit to Ohio State on Aug. 31, Liddell finally had the chance to meet Bates-Diop, with whom he believes he has a similar style of play. Bates-Diop lauded Holtmann and told Liddell the program has “great support.”
“They said (Bates-Diop) had a lot of potential, but he never really got to use it until his senior year, until he got into coach Holtmann's offense,” Liddell said.
Monday night, just a little over a month after meeting Bates-Diop and hanging out with commits Alonzo Gaffney and D.J. Carton on his visit, Liddell announced his commitment to Ohio State.
He chose the Buckeyes over two finalists, Illinois and Missouri. Liddell took official visits to all three schools within a few weeks of each other, but ultimately decided to join Holtmann’s program. The commitments of Liddell, Carton and Gaffney give the Buckeyes their first recruiting class comprised of three top-50 players since 2011.
Liddell, the No. 48 overall prospect and the 10th-best power forward in his class, called Ohio State’s camaraderie the determining factor that led to him opting to become a Buckeye. He said the cohesion was immediately noticeable.
“Who they hang around and who they be around, that's the players I want to be around,” Liddell said. “People with good influences and not with outsiders telling them what to do and putting them in bad things. It's like the basketball team's all around each other and they all connect. It's not like certain guys sit outside the group.”
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