Kalen Etzler is No. 13 in our Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings
Men’s basketball season is about to get underway, and it’s time to dive into the Ohio State roster.
After a 16-19 record that caused the Buckeyes to miss the postseason for the first time in coach Chris Holtmann’s six seasons with the program, Ohio State returns several key core players while adding a highly rated freshman class and a three-man transfer group all expected to make significant impacts.
To get ready for the season, The Dispatch is once again rolling out its annual preseason power rankings. Each weekday leading into the Nov. 6 season opener with Oakland, we will count upward while projecting which players will have the biggest roles on the 2023-24 season. This isn’t just a measurement of who will lead the team in any particular statistical category, but a series of educated guesses on which players’ contributions will go the longest way toward where the Buckeyes finish.
The series continues today with third-year forward Kalen Etzler.
No. 13 – Kalen Etzler
Position: Forward
Eligibility: Third year (three remaining; redshirted in 2021-22)
Height/weight: 6 feet 8 / 190 pounds
Jersey number: 24
Major: Finance
Background
Etzler was the fifth member of the class of 2021 to land a scholarship offer from Ohio State, and he became the first player to commit for the Buckeyes in the class when he accepted it on the spot. He signed for the Buckeyes while surrounded by family.
He was ranked the nation’s No. 55 recruit according to the 247Sports.com composite database, but 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 as a sophomore and more than 1,000 career points. As a senior, Etzler was named Ohio Division IV player of the year after helping Crestview to a 19-6 record while averaging 19.3 points per game.
Etzler took a redshirt during his first season at Ohio State in order to put on weight and strength to better prepare himself for Big Ten play. He was listed at 200 pounds when he arrived, but that number was more a goal than an accurate measure: Etzler arrived at around 180 pounds and added roughly 10 during that season to get to his current weight of 190.
2022-23 season recap
The year of preparation and work on his body did not translate to appreciable playing time for Etzler as a redshirt freshman. A lightly used player during Ohio State’s foreign exhibition trip to the Bahamas, his total playing time of 12:34 was the second-lowest on the roster and he missed all five of his shot attempts. It foreshadowed the role that was to come, as Etzler was unable to carve out a role on a team that would lose 14 of 15 games and miss out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Etzler made his first career appearance when he subbed into the season opener against Robert Morris with 4:22 remaining and the Buckeyes ahead 81-51. He totaled 13 minutes of playing time in the first three games of the season and scored his first career points on a hook shot in the paint with seven seconds remaining in a win against Cincinnati inside the Lahaina Civic Center in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 22. He hit his first career 3-pointer in a Dec. 3 home win against St. Francis (Pa.), but his playing time would all but disappear in the new year.
After playing the final 1:46 of a Dec. 29 win against Alabama A&M, Etzler was a healthy, unused substitute for the next 17 games. He would make two appearances in the final 23 games, subbing in for the final second of Ohio State’s senior day win against Maryland on March 1 and the last six seconds of a win against Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 10.
In his first season on the court, Etzler finished with 7 points and 12 rebounds in nine appearances totaling 29:55.
He did earn academic all-Big Ten honors in 2023.
Need to know
Etzler was an Ohio State scholar-athlete in 2022. Years before getting to Ohio State, Etzler wrote out a lengthy list of his own goals that included playing Division I basketball. He’s a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, listens to Michael Jackson and an artist who built a wooden cutout of the outline of the state of Ohio that hangs at his house back home. Etzler’s uncle, Doug, played at Ohio State from 1992-95, averaging 6.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. Etzler is one of the most powerful dunkers on the team and leaped over two people for a memorable slam during the Buckeyes on the Blacktop event leading into his redshirt freshman season. This year, he participated in the 3-point shooting competition. He is close friends with Ohio State teammate Zed Key. Etzler’s older brother, Javin, spent four years at Miami (Ohio), where he was coached by now-Ohio State assistant coach Jack Owens. He will play for Ashland University this year.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
2023-24 season outlook
Etzler put on some weight and got stronger during his redshirt season, but it wasn’t enough to help him break into the rotation even as Ohio State was suffering through its worst record in 25 years. The preseason indications this year are that his third season will be more of the same. As the Buckeyes allowed students and fans into Value City Arena for an open practice session, Etzler was one of two available scholarship players to play with the scout team.
Although coach Chris Holtmann rotated players and lineups when Ohio State and Dayton played a charity exhibition game at UD Arena on Oct. 22, it didn’t mean much for Etzler. He subbed in with 14:38 left in the first half, did not record a statistic and was subbed out with 13:23 left. He did not return to the game, and his 1:15 of playing time was the least of the 11 players to see action for the Buckeyes.
Etzler has the size and skills to be a serviceable player, but as he enters year three he remains a project. On the wing, Etzler is behind the likes of Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, Scotty Middleton and Devin Royal, all of whom are in their first years with the program. It’s difficult to see Etzler playing any role of on-court significance in Ohio State games this season.
Additional reading
After difficult first years, Kalen Etzler and Bowen Hardman remain committed to Ohio State
Kalen Etzler, Malaki Branham hit scoring milestones
Kalen Etzler checks off to-do list on way to Division I basketball
After putting on weight, strength, Kalen Etzler hoping for bigger role
Previous power rankings
No. 14: Owen Spencer
No. 15: Colby Baumann
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Buckeyes power rankings: No. 13 Kalen Etzler
