The Ohio State Buckeyes added a very nice piece to their recruiting class on Saturday with the addition of four-star wing Scotty Middleton. The 6-foot-6 prospect chose to play for Chris Holtmann over additional finalists in Connecticut, Kansas, Seton Hall and Texas A&M.
Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst Travis Graf examines what this commitment means for the Buckeyes.
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WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE BUCKEYES
Holtmann continues his hot streak with the addition of Middleton, adding his second four-star commitment of the week following Devin Royal’s commitment on Aug. 3.
Middleton’s commitment should make Buckeyes fans giddy, as he’s a versatile prospect that can develop and fill different roles in the coming seasons. He’s young in basketball years, only playing for a few seasons. Middleton has length to defend multiple positions and can be used in a variety of ways on the offensive end by Holtmann. At his best, Middleton can be the type of player we saw at GEICO Nationals, where he went 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from the outside on the way to 16 points on a big stage. Consistency is the next step in the four-star’s development.
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State has addressed a lot of perimeter needs in this class with the commitments of Middleton, Royal and George Washington III. The Buckeyes also have a pledge from three-star big man Austin Parks. Holtmann has built a very nice core heading into the end of the summer, and there are still additional prospects that could end up in Columbus. Ohio State recently made the top-five schools list for four-star guard Taison Chatman and the Buckeyes recently offered four-star Elmarko Jackson and threw their hat into that recruitment. Dailyn Swain is another local prospect that they’re pursuing.
