Step-by-step, here's how the 2023-24 Ohio State men's basketball roster was assembled
Once upon a time, but not all that long ago, college basketball rosters were confidently planned out years in advance. Sure, a player or two might leave earlier than anticipated, but for the most part that yearly scholarship chart could be committed to paper with ink.
It took until May for this year’s Ohio State men’s basketball roster to be finalized. Eleven of the 13 scholarship players could be back next season. Almost assuredly the number of returners will stop short of 11. Piecing it together year by year has become the most challenging annual task for coaches, and this year was no different for Chris Holtmann.
“It’s a lot of meetings,” he said. “In the spring you’re trying to figure out what group is gonna fit and do you need to supplement part of your rotation or part of your roster. Do you feel like you have returning starters that can compete at the highest level of the Big Ten? Obviously if you can do that, you’re going to compete nationally. If you don’t, you’re going to need to add to that. Where are you going to add to that? Projecting what the freshmen may or may not be able to give in a setting like this.
“It’s a lot of conversation, a lot of meetings in the spring, and then it’s obviously being aware of who’s out there, who fits our program and who of our young guys do we need to give room to breathe and grow and yet at the same time obviously make sure we’re putting a roster together that can compete.”
Time will tell what the 2022-23 season can be. Here’s a chronological look at how the roster was assembled.
May, 2019 – Kalen Etzler commits to Ohio State
He wouldn’t arrive until 2021, but Convoy (Ohio) Crestview forward Kalen Etzler committed to the Buckeyes at the end of his sophomore academic year. At the time, he was a four-star recruit in the 247Sports.com rankings, the No. 2 prospect from Ohio, the No. 14 power forward in the nation and the overall No. 51 recruit.
Etzler redshirted during the 2021-22 season and appeared in nine games.
November, 2019 – Zed Key signs with Ohio State
After bringing a four-man class in 2019 that was ranked tops in the Big Ten by 247Sports.com, Holtmann went with a smaller 2020 class that featured two players officially signing with the program: Eugene Brown III, a four-star shooting guard from Decatur (Georgia) Southwest DeKalb, and Key, a three-star center from Bay Shore (New York) Long Island Lutheran.
“Zed with his physicality, his length, his frame, I think he’s just scratching the surface on his ability to continue to get better and his ability to score with his back to the basket, which is always unique in our game today,” Holtmann said after signing day.
Measured at 6-7, 215 pounds, Key was actually listed as a small forward by 247Sports, which ranked him as the No. 4 player from New York, the No. 31 player at his position in the country and the overall No. 175 prospect in the final rankings.
In three seasons at Ohio State, Key has appeared in 85 games and averaged 7.7 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 56.9% from the floor.
November, 2021 – Roddy Gayle, Bowen Hardman, Felix Okpara and Bruce Thornton sign with Ohio State
With a clear commitment to building a roster through more traditional means rather than reloading with transfers each year, the Buckeyes signed a five-man 2022 recruiting class full of projected immediate contributors.
“We are obviously excited about this class,” Holtmann said on signing day. “I want to give our staff a lot of credit for the job we’ve done. I don’t want to put too much on young guys right now but Bruce and Roddy and Brice and Felix and Bowen, you have a combination of some really talented guys who address some needs.”
It was the top-ranked class in the Big Ten and the No. 8 class in the nation. Gayle (No. 50), Thornton (54), Okpara (74) and Brice Sensabaugh (86) were all four-star, top-100 prospects in the 247Sports rankings. Hardman, who battled injuries as a senior at Cincinnati Princeton, was a two-star prospect ranked No. 18 in Ohio. Sensabaugh quickly outplayed his ranking, leading the team in scoring and becoming a one-and-done player who was taken in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.
Thornton was the only player to start all 35 games in 2022-23 and averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists while earning a captain’s role midseason. Gayle averaged 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds, Okpara averaged 4.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks and Hardman appeared in seven games.
November, 2022 – Taison Chatman, Scotty Middleton, Austin Parks and Devin Royal sign with Ohio State
One year removed from signing a five-man recruiting class, Holtmann doubled down on bringing in fresh faces with a four-man class ranked eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten. It featured three top-60 players in the 247Sport rankings, the top prospects from Ohio and Minnesota and four four-star prospects
Taison Chatman, the No. 33 national player, was the top player in Minnesota after helping Minneapolis Totino-Grace capture consecutive state titles. Devin Royal, at No. 52, was Ohio’s Mr. Basketball and the top player in the state after playing for Pickerington Central. Miami native Scotty Middleton played his final two seasons at Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian Academy and ended at No. 60 nationally, while Ohio’s Austin Parks played for St. Marys Memorial and was ranked No. 180 in the class.
Parks was the first of the four to commit, doing so at his high school in mid-February, 2022. He was followed by Royal and Middleton that summer. Chatman filled out the class in the fall, filling a spot that had recently been vacated by George Washington III, who de-committed and signed with Michigan.
“We had to pivot a little bit in our recruiting because we felt like there was a direction we felt was important for us to go in capping our class that had the chance to make it a solid class to a really good class,” Holtmann said on signing day. “The final couple months were really important with some of the final additions that we got committed to us. It was a good start, but I think it turned into potentially a really good class.”
April 5, 2023 – Jamison Battle transfers to Ohio State
With the loss of Justice Sueing to a professional career and the expected early departure of Sensabaugh, the Buckeyes acquired a proven Big Ten wing scorer by landing Minnesota graduate transfer Jamison Battle. After two seasons at George Washington and then two more playing for his hometown Golden Gophers, Battle planned to leave Minnesota for a professional career. Instead, the feedback he received and the realization that there was more for him to accomplish in college led him to enter the transfer portal instead.
The Buckeyes quickly got in contact, and he opted to sign with Ohio State for his final season of college basketball. He has averaged 14.4 points per game in his four seasons but averaged 15.1 with Minnesota, where he shot 33.9% from 3-point range and averaged 5.1 rebounds per game.
“He’s gonna play a big role because we lost wing scoring and we needed that,” Holtmann said. “I think he knew that when we recruited him, that we really needed that with the loss of our wing scorers. He’s done a good job. I think he’s got to grow in his ability to rebound and defend, but he was a big pickup for us.”
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April 17, 2023 – Dale Bonner transfers to Ohio State
With Thornton and Gayle ticketed for more significant roles as sophomores, and a freshman in Chatman expected to fit into the mix, Holtmann landed a commitment from Baylor graduate transfer Dale Bonner to provide some veteran backcourt presence. A Shaker Heights, Ohio, native, Bonner began his college career at Division II program Fairmont State before transferring to Baylor for two seasons.
Bonner averaged 3.9 points, 2.1 assists, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 60 games at Baylor.
“I anticipate him playing a bigger role than what he did at Baylor,” Holtmann said. “He’s been really good for us.”
June 3, 2023 – Evan Mahaffey transfers to Penn State
The final roster spot was claimed by Mahaffey, a Cincinnati native who had played one season for the Nittany Lions. A versatile, athletic player, the 6-6, 200-pound Mahaffey is a player the Buckeyes think will both develop in the coming years and will do it at Ohio State. Should he opt to transfer elsewhere, Mahaffey would have to sit out a season or obtain a waiver for immediate eligibility, meaning he’s as much a surefire bet to finish his career with the Buckeyes as anyone else on the roster.
“Evan’s gonna play an important role for us,” Holtmann said. “He’s a really good passer. He’s an exceptional ball handler at his size. He’s smart. Defensively he picks things up well. He’s just a kid that I think is gonna continue to grow.”
In 34 games for the Nittany Lions, Mahaffey averaged 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds last year.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How were the 2023-24 Ohio State Buckeyes built?
