Michigan State Basketball: OSU coach vows to dominate Ohio recruiting
New Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann claims he will keep Michigan State basketball from recruiting well in the Buckeye State.
New Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has confidence, and that’s welcomed in a tough Big Ten. On Monday, he vowed to “close the borders” and dominate recruiting in the state of Ohio. Michigan State basketball will have a thing or two to say about that.
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The Spartans have recruited well in Ohio over the years and the most recent victory came in the form of four-star big man Nick Ward, an All-Big Ten candidate.
Here’s the official quote from Holtmann:
Some words from Holtmann that should resonate at U-M & MSU — says OSU will "close the borders and dominate the state of Ohio in recruiting."
— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) June 12, 2017
Michigan and Michigan State will both be doing their best to ensure this doesn’t happen. While it’s nice to have a coach that exudes confidence, sometimes it’s better to provide results before saying you’re going to cut off a Hall of Fame coach from recruiting in Ohio.
Tom Izzo has had plenty of success in the state and the football program has followed suit. If Mark Dantonio can pluck top recruits from the state of Ohio from Urban Meyer, then Izzo will have no problem continuing his success in the Buckeye State over a new head coach.
You know Ohio State fans love this type of quote because Thad Matta wasn’t aggressive enough when it came to recruiting in his final years with the program.
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Will this be an empty promise from the new Buckeye coach or will he truly close the border from Michigan and Michigan State?