Scotty Middleton returns to practice after one-game suspension
COLUMBUS — Ohio State freshman forward Scotty Middleton has returned to practice after serving a one-game suspension Saturday against Penn State for violation of team rules.
Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann said on his 97.1 The Fan radio show Monday that Middleton is back and practiced with the team Sunday.
Holtmann was then asked about his approach to helping young players grow, especially when it means sometimes holding them accountable like he and his staff did with Middleton over the weekend.
“I think it’s a challenge,” Holtmann said. “I think you got to first remember that they’re 18, 19, 20 years old. Sometimes we forget that as coaches. We just look at it like they should be whatever. In reality, they’re 18, 19, 20. Their brains are still forming, they’re still trying to process and figure things out. They come from all different backgrounds.
“Scotty’s a really good kid. He’s got a great heart. We care about him. And it was just a simple internal matter where we felt like there was a — it’s interesting because in today’s coaching, this didn’t used to be the case maybe 20 years ago or 10 years ago or five years ago, but nowadays (1) there’s great curiosity around it, which I understand, and (2) it’s almost like, ‘Why would you do that? Why would you hold players accountable?’ Well every good player and every good parent who’s brought a player to us, for example, Michelle Liddell (mother of former Ohio State star and current New Orleans Pelicans forward E.J. Liddell) just texted me a couple days ago after the game and said, ‘Congratulations on win No. 250. Thanks so much for what you did for my son.'”
Holtmann added: “She wanted him coached really hard. Always. Held accountable academically in the classroom and on the floor. She did. And that’s some of the best players we’ve had have both wanted that. They may not want it in the moment. We know discipline for all of us doesn’t feel great in the moment. But I think it’s just a byproduct of coaching, and we love Scotty. We’re glad he’s back and ready to go.”
Middleton has played the most of the Buckeyes’ four freshmen this season. He’s averaging 16.9 minutes, 4.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.
“He’s done some good things on both ends,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said of Middleton Friday. “He’s shot the ball well and given us a lift on defense as well. So he’s obviously been the one that’s gotten the most consistent minutes of that group.”
Middleton was the third-highest rated prospect in the Buckeyes’ 2023 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
The 6-foot-7, 190-pound Sunrise Christian Academy product made an immediate impression with his defensive flexibility. He can guard multiple positions, and Holtmann says it’s because of Middleton’s attention to detail.
Middleton has primarily been 3-and-D wing for the Buckeyes — his 14 triples are the fifth most on the team — and he could morph into a bigger piece of the offense as the season wears on and as Ohio State searches for more scoring outside its three-headed attack of Bruce Thornton, Jamison Battle and Roddy Gayle Jr.
