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PF Kalen Etzler (Official Thread)

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Kalen Etzler ready to take next step by enrolling at Ohio State

Kalen Etzler will begin a new chapter in his life this week as he enrolls at Ohio State and begins his career as a men’s basketball player with the Buckeyes.

The 6-8 Etzler, a product of Convoy (Ohio) Crestview, committed to head coach Chris Holtmann over two years ago in May 2019. He joins Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s guard Malaki Branham in the 2021 freshman class. Another member of that class, guard Meechie Johnson of Garfield Heights, Ohio, graduated from high school in December and enrolled at OSU this past January.

We caught up with Etzler this week for an interview as he looks forward to taking this next step. The second session of OSU’s summer semester begins on Tuesday. Members of the OSU team are already working out with strength coach Quadrian Banks.

He was a four-year player at Crestview, where he played the last two seasons for his uncle and former OSU guard Doug Etzler. His hometown of Convoy is located west of Lima near the Indiana border.

As a sophomore in 2018-19, Kalen Etzler averaged 12 points and seven rebounds per game as Crestview went 28-1 and captured the Division IV state championship. Kalen Etzler played alongside his older brother Javin Etzler, who is now playing at Miami (Ohio).

Following that season, Kalen was offered by Ohio State and verbaled to Holtmann on May 12, 2019.

Etzler’s uncle Doug, who played guard at Ohio State from 1992-95, returned to his alma mater as the head coach this past year. The team, hit by the loss of Javin Etzler and others, went 12-12. Kalen Etzler averaged 17.9 points and 10 rebounds and was a second-team All-Ohio pick in Division IV. He had a high game of 35 points against Spencerville.

This past year, Etzler finished his career in fine fashion. He averaged 19.3 points and 10 rebounds per game. His team went 19-6 and advanced to a D-IV district semifinal. He had 11 20-point games with a high game of 30 points against Wayne Trace. He was a first-team All-Ohio pick.

He excelled on the travel circuit with the All-Ohio Red program as an underclassman before playing with the Indy Heat during the spring of 2020. He was a teammate of Johnson’s on that team. Etzler was ranked as the nation’s No. 150 prospect in the 2021 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. (Branham’s final ranking was No. 34 nationally.)

Below is our interview with Etzler as he prepares to enroll at OSU.

Q: You are going in there this week and you will be joining the team in midstream and get your first experience at Ohio State. What are you looking forward to?

Etzler: “One thing I am looking forward to is changing my body and getting stronger. I’m just getting used to the pain, I guess. I’m just getting used to conditioning and my body being tired and becoming more durable. That’s what I am most excited and looking forward to.”

Entire article: https://247sports.com/college/ohio-...xt-step-by-enrolling-at-Ohio-State-166732511/
 
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OHSportsFan said:
Pretty quick (and smart) decision. Redshirt coming.



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Probably should spend the majority of this season at the training table

Listed at 6-8, 200 pounds on the official Ohio State website, he described himself as closer to 180 pounds. His athleticism was on display throughout, but the process now is for Etzler to add to his frame in order to stand up to the Big Ten’s physicality.

“I just have to play a lot tougher because I don’t have the weight there yet,” he said. “I’m trying my best. I’ve got to keep listening to the nutritionist and keep listening to (strength and conditioning coach Quadrian Banks) in the weight room. It’s been going well though. I’ve felt pretty strong throughout the week, it’s just the weekend have been a little hard because you have to be on your own eating schedule.”
 
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The Dispatch is counting down to the start of the season with our annual power rankings. These rankings are an educated guess at which players will have the most significant on-court impact during the course of the entire season and will feature each player on the roster.

The rankings begin today with Kalen Etzler.

No. 15 – Kalen Etzler
Position: Forward
Class: Freshman
Height/weight: 6 feet 8 / 200 pounds
Major: University exploration
Jersey number: 24

Background
A product of Convoy (Ohio) Crestview, Etzler was the first player to verbally commit to Ohio State for the class of 2020 when his pledge went public May 12, 2019. At the time, he was ranked as the nation’s No. 55 recruit according to the 247Sports.com composite database. Etzler committed to the Buckeyes immediately upon receiving a scholarship offer and was only the fifth member of his class to receive an Ohio State offer. He finished his prep career as a three-star prospect ranked No. 154 nationally and No. 4 in Ohio after a prep career that included a state championship, more than 1,000 career points and a first-team all-state selection as a senior after averaging 19.3 points per game.

2021-22 season outlook
Etzler’s impact on the 2021-22 season will be away from public eyes as he works to bulk up and acclimate to the college level. He projects as a future stretch-4 for the Buckeyes, a versatile athlete who can slash from the perimeter and also knock down shots.

He has a few goals for the redshirt year.

“Obviously strength, and defense is probably No. 2,” he said. “I’ve got to learn a lot of the sayings on defense and different ball screens and all that stuff, and obviously I’ve gotta remember the plays. I’m going to take this time to talk to all of the seniors that we have, all the veterans, and just try to mentally improve my game.”
 
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Entering the program at 6-foot-8 with a slight 175-pound frame, Etzler said he’s put on nearly 15 pounds over the past year, and hopes to get up to 200 pounds eventually. Adding strength has been one of his top priorities since arriving on campus, but Etzler has been able to round out his game in general in his first year in the Ohio State program even though he hasn’t yet played in a regular-season game.
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Prediction
Etzler is somewhat of an unknown because he redshirted last season, and because of Malaki Branham heading to the NBA, Etzler is the only recruit left in Columbus from the 2021 class. He is a tall, lanky scorer who can defend well and knock down shots.

As he has said, a lot of his production and minutes will come down to how much he improved during his redshirt season. A stretch four can always be valuable to a team, and Etzler is the only player on this team with that specific skill set as of right now. If he has improved his strength and his shot, he could see increasingly meaningful minutes off the bench and really be a key piece to this Buckeyes team.
 
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2022-23 season bump

* 24 Kalen Etzler, 6-8, 190, redshirt freshman – Etzler, a native of Van Wert, Ohio, redshirted at OSU last year. He is a product of Crestview High School, where he played for his uncle and former OSU guard Doug Etzler. He averaged 18 points and just under 10 rebounds per game as a senior.
 
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Starting to look like a B10 post player, from the look test. Haven't seen much of him on the court as of yet. Given the proclivity of our current bigs for foul trouble, am seeing a chance for him to see the floor. Will probably go to a couple of games when in C'bus for Thanksgiving, so maybe will see how well he's progressed. Do understand that this collection of recruits and transfers are still trying to gel, so maybe Etzler will get a longer look before B10 kicks off. Go Bucks!
 
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