Scotty Middleton is No. 8 in our Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings

adam jardy, columbus dispatch

Mon, Oct 30, 2023, 7:10 PM·7 min read

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 day 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 into the single digits today with first-year forward Scotty Middleton.

No. 8 – Scotty Middleton

Position: Forward

Eligibility: First year (three remaining)

Height/weight: 6 feet 6 / 175 pounds

Jersey number: 0

Major: Exploration

Background

A well-traveled player, Middleton grew up in Miami and played for Christopher Columbus High School as a freshman before transferring to Hillside (New Jersey) The Patrick School for his sophomore season in order to ensure he would get to play a season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. After one year there, Middleton spent his final two seasons playing for Bel Aire (Kansas) Sunrise Christian Academy, a member of the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC).

As a junior, Middleton averaged 7.8 points per game while shooting 50.0% (13 for 26) from 3 and was named to the NIBC’s All-Defensive team.

As a senior, Middleton routinely went against classmates Layden Blocker and Matas Buzelis. Blocker, a four-star point guard ranked No. 58 nationally by 247Sports, signed to play for Arkansas while the 6-9 Buzelis is a five-star small forward prospect and McDonald’s All-American who will play for the NBA’s G League Ignite program. Middleton averaged around 10 points and added 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a senior while helping Sunrise Christian reach the final four of Geico Nationals.

Surprisingly, Middleton slid down the 247Sports recruiting rankings during his senior season. Ranked as high as No. 33 and on the verge of becoming a five-star prospect as of July 28, 2022, Middleton finished at No. 60 in the final national rankings. ESPN, however, ranked him No. 35 in the nation.

Middleton committed to Ohio State from a list of finalists that also included Seton Hall and UConn. Kansas, Texas A&M and others were also involved in his recruitment. He ultimately picked the Buckeyes because of the way coach Chris Holtmann and associate head coach Jake Diebler recruited him.

“Ohio State, every time I have a good game Diebler always texts me about how I can be better,” Middleton told The Dispatch when he committed. “Every time I have a bad game, he always texts me what I have to do to be better. I think it’s those little things that schools aren’t always consistent. I’m going to be away from my family so I wanted my college to feel like a second home and I feel like that’s what Ohio State really feels like.”

Need to know

At Sunrise Christian, Middleton earned the nickname “Off Night” because of how many players he guarded wound up scoring well below their season averages. He was a team captain as a senior. Middleton said he tries to model his game after “Paul George, Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum, those long, wiry guys that just do things on both ends.” He enjoys watching Kobe Bryant interviews.

Middleton took an official visit to Ohio State as a junior and was on hand as the Buckeyes lost to Michigan on senior day on March 6, 2022. He took another official visit as a senior, joining the rest of the 2023 recruiting class (and Bronny James, who was on an unofficial visit) as the football team hosted Notre Dame on Sept. 3, 2022. Bruce Thornton was his host for the visit. Diebler was his primary recruiter. He attended the Pangos 2022 All-American Camp in Las Vegas, where he first played alongside eventual classmate and Ohio State teammate Devin Royal.

Although not on the same team, Ohio State sophomore Roddy Gayle Jr. and Middleton played for the same AAU program, NY Rens. Middleton ran the fastest mile among Ohio State's players at the start of the preseason, clocking in at 5:08.

“I never really noticed that he was able to score that well offensively (back then),” Gayle said. “I’ve been surprised these past few weeks with his scoring ability.”

On his Instagram page, Middleton lists a bible verse. It’s Romans 12:21, which reads, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

2023-24 season outlook

Middleton might be the player on the roster with the highest potential NBA upside. Scouts who have filtered their way through Ohio State’s preseason workouts have primarily focused on the freshman, whose blend of size, athleticism and defensive versatility makes him an obvious candidate for an NBA future. In August, Sam Vecenie included Middleton on his 2024 NBA mock draft for The Athletic, slotting him at the final pick of the first round.

Oct 22, 2023; Dayton, OH, USA;
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Scotty Middleton (0) dunks during warm-ups before their game against the Dayton Flyers on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023 at University of Dayton Arena. — Oct 22, 2023; Dayton, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Scotty Middleton (0) dunks during warm-ups before their game against the Dayton Flyers on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023 at University of Dayton Arena.

Maybe that happens in 2024. Maybe it’s in 2025 or sometime beyond. But there’s no doubt that Middleton will play an important role on this year’s Ohio State team. His athleticism and ability to defend from the wing positions gives the Buckeyes something that has been lacking in recent years, and his shooting ability has earned him a “3 and D” label through the preseason.

“Scotty has done a really good job in terms of his fitness level is really good, his conditioning is really good and he’s got the ability to impact on both ends,” Holtmann said in Minneapolis at Big Ten media day on Oct. 10. “Scotty’s certainly got the chance to help us in the immediate as much as any of the freshmen.”

At that point, Holtmann said Middleton’s biggest issues were strength-related as is typically the case for freshmen. At Ohio State’s media day on Sept. 25, Middleton said he’s been working out with the guards on this year’s team and that he was working on his shooting consistency.

“That’s one thing coach Diebler wants the guys to be, just consistent shooters,” he said. “Taking your workout serious. Getting your own time in here alone. Taking everything serious. Even when you’re alone, getting good hours in.”

In Ohio State’s charity exhibition game at Dayton on Oct. 22, Middleton played 18:02 off the bench. He had 5 points on 2 of 7 shooting and added one steal. He also had a turnover where he played at too fast a pace, spun away from the basket and threw a pass back upcourt that sailed out of bounds, showing his inexperience in the moment.

With his ability to defend, and his prep experience against high-level competition, it’s clear that Middleton will play an important role on this Ohio State team. Expect him to battle for a starting spot all season.

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