It’s been a minute since we’ve heard anything from Ohio State head basketball coach Chris Holtmann — I mean with the abrupt end to the season and all. But he was available to select media members via teleconference Tuesday to provide some updates.
The question and answer session was wide-ranging, but there was one thing in particular, that should make you believe Ohio State will be just fine next season, even with all the roster additions and subtractions recently. When discussing the status of this team, transfers, and what things will look like going forward, Holtmann didn’t shy away from how he feels about what this team could become in 2020-2021.
“You know obviously, we’ve had a run here of adding a couple of players,” said Holtmann … “I feel as good about this roster leading into the offseason as I’ve felt in any offseason. I just feel really good about the young guys, our older guys, the leadership.
With all the recent changes to the roster, it's time to revisit and re-project the Ohio State basketball 2020-2021 lineup. https://t.co/u5siLIHlMe via @buckeyeswire #GoBucks
— Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) April 12, 2020
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Well, that’s saying something.
To be fair, it’s not like Holtmann inherited anything that was supposed to contend for anything special, and last year had a lot of youth that would need to factor in. Still, it’s rare for a coach to be so brash, especially one that normally tempers expectations with an unassuming attitude. With four players leaving the program, one would think there’s some concern there.
Holtmann did express some questions that would need to be calculated and answered, but all in all, the outlook was a very optimistic one. So much so that he virtually toed the line on flat out saying it’s the best roster he’s had as a head coach.
“There’s no question we gotta figure out what we’re going to do with losing some size in Kaleb, and Andre’s (Wesson) effectiveness — there’s no question. But I feel as good as I’ve felt as a head coach heading into the offseason, about just the collection of guys young and old that we have on our roster.”
And when you start dissecting the roster — which we’ve done here, there’s a lot to like. As long as the guys that are working through rehab like Kyle Young, Justice Sueing, Seth Towns, and Musa Jallow can be fully healthy, there’s a lot of depth, experience, and interchangeable parts. Put it all together, and this has at least the potential to be Chris Holtmann’s best and most consistent team in Columbus.
You can speculate all you want, and one must also realize that the Big Ten will be no walk among the daisies once again. But look, when the head coach likes what he’s looking at in the cupboard and is very open about it, generally that bodes well.
We shall see. Hopefully potential and theory will meet reality once we look back on everything.
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