Chris Holtmann leaning on opposing coaches to help mesh new players

Team chemistry is at a premium like never before in college basketball, and Ohio State basketball coach Chris Holtmann is leaning on opposing coaches to help him figure out how to best unlock it.

The Buckeyes added three transfers and five freshmen this offseason, leaving Holtmann with a group largely inexperienced working together.

“I think in Maui I talked to a number of coaches who, again, one of them had 11 new players,” Holtmann explained. “So his experience was even more significant than ours. So I think you’re always trying to pick the brain of other coaches and coaches you respect, just coaches in general.”

Ohio State has managed reasonably well. The Buckeyes are 7-2 on the season as they wrap up the final few non-conference games before getting full-bore into the Big Ten slate.

The two losses were both to ranked squads — San Diego State and Duke — while the Buckeyes managed to bounce a ranked Texas Tech squad with an 80-73 win in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.

That’s where Holtmann got the majority of his advice on handling so many new faces this season.

“That’s probably more what I’ve done as opposed to picking up the phone and saying, ‘Hey, talk to me about this,'” he said.

New players meshing nicely at Ohio State

If Chris Holtmann was leaning on opposing coaches for advice on how to handle meshing several new players together, whatever he was told seems to be paying dividends.

Each of Ohio State’s three transfers is currently averaging more than 16 minutes per game.

Guard Sean McNeil (West Virginia) is averaging 10.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, guard Tanner Holden (Wright State) is averaging 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and guard Isaac Likekele (Oklahoma State) is averaging 4.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

Ohio State has performed remarkably well in a few areas, too.

The Buckeyes rank ninth nationally with a +10.4 rebounding margin, while ranking 21st in free-throw percentage (77.5%) and checking in tied for 31st nationally in three-point field goal defense (27.9%).