Colin White sticking with Ohio State commitment for now as coaching search gets underway
Colin White was in the middle of eating lunch when he heard the news. Anatomy class was looming, but the senior at Ottawa (Ohio) Ottawa-Glandorf had to get a little more information about his future plans.
It was Wednesday, and the 2024 Ohio State signee had learned that athletic director Gene Smith had fired men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann.
“Everyone was asking me, ‘Oh, I heard Holtmann got fired, what are you going to do?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t even know what’s really going on yet,’ ” White said. “It was all just a big, I don’t know. There’s still a ton of questions and you don’t know what’s going to happen, but some of it has been answered.”
White said he was able to get as many answers as are possible at this point when he spoke with interim coach Jake Diebler around 9:30 that night. After Diebler had endured a day’s worth of meetings, phone calls and scrambling to prepare to take over the unexpected new role, White said he could hear in his voice that the coach had been through a long day.
Diebler told White that he had the right to de-commit from Ohio State and explore his other options, but for now White told him not to worry.
“I said, ‘Coach, I’m going to be there for you,’ ” White said. “I love coach Diebler. He’s a great dude, a great coach and he’s always there for me. I told him, ‘I’ll be down there on Sunday for you and I’m a Buckeye.’ ”
White’s path to Ohio State has been unique. While he picked up offers from Butler, Cincinnati, Northwestern and TCU, he remained in constant contact with both Holtmann and Diebler at Ohio State. The Buckeyes were interested, but they needed to see more. They challenged him to improve his defense and his perimeter shooting, and when he did, the Buckeyes offered him a scholarship during the summer after his junior season.
He committed a few weeks later. He signed with the Buckeyes in November. Now, after having worked so hard to earn that offer, White said it’s been hard to process the developments of the last week.
“I worked really hard to get an Ohio State offer,” he said. “I proved a lot to the coaching staff and then the most integral part of that coaching staff gets let go. It was pretty tough. I was like, ‘Wow, I worked that hard to get to this point and you don’t know what’s going to happen next.’ You’re in a place you don’t want to be.
“It was a tough feeling for a couple days, but coach Diebler kind of calmed me down. We talked for a while and had a good conversation. He’s a great coach. He knows what to say.”
White said he spoke with Ohio State freshman Austin Parks on Wednesday morning. The product of St. Marys Memorial, which plays against Ottawa-Glandorf in the Western Buckeye League, Parks was likewise trying to find answers leading into a team meeting with Smith. He also spoke with Juni Mobley, a four-star guard and the other Ohio State signee in 2024. Both Mobley and White remain committed to the Buckeyes as the coaching search gets underway.
After talking with Diebler that night, White said he decided to follow through on his plans to attend Sunday’s game against No. 2 Purdue in person. He sat behind the bench and celebrated the court-storming along the fans and players after the 73-69 win against the Boilermakers in Diebler’s debut as the interim coach.
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“It was a highly emotional day,” he said. “I felt like I played the game. All the guys saw me before the game and I talked to coach Diebler a little bit before the game. I kind of felt like I was on the bench. I rushed back and we celebrated in the locker room with Diebs and the team and all the staff.
“I’m super happy for Diebler and that team and the staff. They worked hard and the team has gone through a lot these last couple days. So happy for those guys.”
A 6-6, 200-pound wing, White is listed as a three-star prospect, the No. 123 national player and the No. 5 player from Ohio in his class. Ottawa-Glandorf has finished as state runners-up for the last two seasons, dropping the two title games by a combined 10 points. White has scored 18 points on 6 of 15 shooting in each game and is in his third season as a team captain.
In a Jan. 26 game against Van Wert, White connected on a mid-range jumper off of a post-up to move him past Tim Pollitz’ school and county record of 1,672 points. The game was stopped as Pollitz, who played at Miami (Ohio), presented White with a golden baton.
“That’s not something you think you’re going to go into high school and break the scoring record in the county and school, but it’s a really cool feeling,” White said. “I’d rather have a state championship, but it’s an awesome honor and my teammates and coaches made it happen for me.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Still committed, Colin White storms court, celebrates Ohio State's win
