Major Takeaways from Chris Holtmann's Big Ten Media Days Appearance

Here are the biggest things I took away from Chris Holtmann's time in Indianapolis this afternoon, including his young back court and comments on the returning stars.

Author:
Brendan Gulick
Oct 7, 2021 4:07 PM EDT

Ohio State basketball season is here and the Buckeyes are looking forward to seeing if they can build on the momentum they generated at the end of the 2021 season.

Here are a few of the things that stood out to me from Holtmann's first public appearance of the season.

Young Back Court

The Scarlet and Gray lost C.J. Walker and Duane Washington Jr. from last year's team, which means this year's starting back court is going to look much different. Freshman Meechie Johnson is entering his first full year in the program, despite seeing a few minutes here and there last winter. Transfer guard Jamari Wheeler is a tenacious defender and will be right in the mix for playing time. Jimmy Sotos is healthy after needing shoulder surgery last year, Cedric Russell has transferred in from Louisiana and shown flashes of great talent in practice and freshman Malaki Branham is trying to fight his way into the mix.

Holtmann said two things that stood out in particular here. First, he said that group is turning the ball over a little too much in practice, but they're getting better. He also said that he won't place any expectations on the highly-recruited freshman from Akron, noting that Branham has moments of extremely high-caliber play and other moments that look like most freshmen still trying to get acclimated to this level.

Liddell, Young Will Lead The Way

Holtmann isn't shy about lauding his two veteran forwards who joined us this afternoon. E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young both decided to return to the program this year. While ultimately they made that decision because it's probably good for their future potential professional careers, it sure is good news for the Buckeyes.

"They're special," he said. " Bottom line, they're two of the best kids I’ve ever coached. They're great kids and great players ... it was so important for us when they returned ... Kyle really needed to make the decision in his own time and his own way … I wanted it to happen in his own time and we would have always accepted them with open arms whether they returned or chose to turn pro. But we are so glad they're back."

Young is the heart and soul of this team. When he was unavailable last year, Ohio State was missing a noticeable toughness and edginess on the floor. He's gritty, he's tenacious. Young is the engine that makes this team lock-in for big time games. Liddell is the real deal. He can shoot it, rebound well, bang around in the paint and hit fade away jumpers from the baseline. When he's in rhythm offensively, he's one tough assignment. Liddell is pretty arguably a top 10 returning player in college basketball this year.

"E.J. wouldn’t have returned if he didn’t think it was in his best interest," he said. "Kids aren’t going to return just to return … if they both would’ve said 'hey I want to go see what’s going on elsewhere,' we would’ve supported them … this was best for them and there's probably an element of some unfinished business as well."

Tough Schedule

Chris Holtmann and his staff have pieced together what they think is the most difficult schedule any of their teams have played in the five seasons they've been here in Columbus. While non-conference headliners against Duke and Kentucky will take a lot of the attention, Holtmann raved about the level up play the Buckeyes will see against Xavier, Seton Hall and Akron early in the year.

Seth Towns Outlook

Good news for Seth Towns fans. Holtmann said it's looking promising that Towns will be able to play somewhere between one half and two thirds of the season.

"His knee is as healthy as it's ever been since his injury several years ago."

Towns is recovering from back surgery and isn't going to be ready for the start of the season. But the outlook for him sounds awfully promising.

Driven To Finish The Job

This is year five for Holtmann and his staff since taking over the Buckeyes' program. While they haven't yet won a championship, Ohio State has come tantalizingly close a couple of times. Holtmann said it's something he thinks about every day.

"We’ve been close, obviously in the Big Ten Tournament and our first year too … we’ve established a level of success and that’s what we think about consistently … no question there is a hunger for that … we have to stay committed to the process.

"Is it hard to not get ahead of yourself? It’s a daily discipline. We need to focus on the bricks not the wall. We all want nothing more than to make that happen … we’ve made real strides."

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