McCurdy: Chris Holtmann's a decent cook, but needs to be a better chef

COLUMBUS — If this were an episode of "'Chopped," Chris Holtmann was given the equivalent of a loaf of stale bread, a tin of anchovies, a box of Tic Tac, a tub of whipped cream, plus a side of bacon and told to make a soufflé.

The Ohio State men's basketball coach used his two best ingredients — All-American E.J. Liddell and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Malachi Branham to better spell out the analogy — to enhance his dish, while minimizing his worst of what he was given — sloppy backcourt play, porous defense, ill-timed sicknesses and injuries — and made it work.

Ohio State was fourth in the Big Ten this season, won 20 games and got a victory in the NCAA Tournament, while making it uncomfortable for No. 2 seed Villanova in the round of 32.

With time passing from the end of the season to now and the clarity it brings, that was some decent cooking by Holtmann.

But when you're the head coach at Ohio State, decent cooking only takes you so far.

The Buckeyes haven't made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2013, and they haven't hung a Big Ten regular season championship banner since 2012.

Holtmann has been in charge for five years now, and the fans are wanting more than Tic Tac and anchovies soufflé.

And here's the thing. Unlike high school and pro coaches who are forced to turn weird ingredients into something edible year after year, college coaches are really chefs. They are in charge of the menu, and they are the ones who pick the ingredients.

Holtmann is a decent cook, but he needs to be a better chef.

When it comes to recruiting, it's ranged from filet mignon to chopped liver.

It's easy to say these five players were grade A: Kyle Young, Duane Washington Jr., E.J. Liddell, Zed Key and Malaki Branham.

While Holtmann deserves credit for bringing them into the mix, he's also responsible for the lack of development of Musa Jallow and Justin Ahrens as well as responsible for bringing in players who either didn't want to see it through or couldn't with Luther Muhammad, Jaedon LeDee, D.J. Carton, Alonzo Gaffney and Ibrahima Diallo.

Then there are the transfers and grad transfers: Keyshawn Woods, C.J. Walker, Justice Sueing, Seth Towns, Jimmy Sotos, Jamari Wheeler, Cedric Russell and Joey Brunk. Woods and Walker were solid role players, but far from spectacular. Sueing always seemed on the verge of breaking out, but never quite got there, and now his future is cloudy. The others didn't move the needle.

To his credit, Holtmann took full advantage of what previous chef Thad Matta left in the pantry, getting the most out of Keita Bates-Diop, Jae'Sean Tate, Kam Williams and the Wesson brothers, Andre and Kaleb.

Still, he's no longer slinging hash at an outpost like Gardner-Webb, and he's no longer putting out tasty entrees and cute desserts for a mom-and-pop operation like Butler.

Holtmann is at The Ohio State University.

It might not be a Michelin Star destination like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina, but it's a high-end institution where the expectation is more than a decent meal.

The Buckeyes shouldn't go 10 years between Big Ten titles and runs to the Sweet 16. They need to be be better than top half of the conference and just getting into the tournament. That's fast, casual Americana cuisine from a chain. The Buckeye brand demands more than that.

To reach that level, Holtmann must be better than a decent cook. He needs to be a well-rounded chef.

And maybe that's finally happening.

If the recruiting experts are to be believed, changes to the menu are coming.

Four of the five incoming freshmen for next season are four-star players ranked in the top 75 nationally, according to 247sports.com. Shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr., point guard Bruce Thornton, center Felix Okapara, small forward Brice Sensabaugh and shooting guard Bowen Hardman are collectively the fifth ranked class nationally and tops in the Big Ten.

In 2023, two more have verbally committed in four-star combo guard George Washington III and three-star center Austin Parks.

Hopefully those guys turn out to be better than the equivalent of Tic Tac and anchovies soufflé.

If not, don't be surprised if a certain coach gets chopped.

Rob McCurdy is a sports writer at the Marion Star and USA Today Network-Ohio and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: McCurdy: Chris Holtmann's a decent cook, but needs to be a better chef