Chris Holtmann and Terrence Dials at Ohio State

The Ohio State University picked up Chris Holtmann from Butler just a few seasons ago and is finally ready to dominate under his leadership. Holtmann grew up in Nicholasville KY and played basketball for Taylor University. As a senior at Taylor, he was an All-American award receipient for the NAIA. He quickly jumped into coaching as a graduate for Taylor U. He moved on to Geneva College after a season and then returned to Taylor in 1999. He really got recognized at Gardner-Webb in 2002 and coached for their program for 5 years. A couple of years in Ohio and then back to Gardner-Webb as their head coach. In 2013 he lead them to their first Division I postseason ever. He was the coach of the year for that achievement.

Holtmann at Ohio State

2019 is Chris Holtmann's third season at Ohio State. Success marked his time at Butler and Gardner-Webb and the plan is the same with the Buckeyes. 2018 was a great year for the new coach as he was able to finish 25-9 overall, 2nd in the Big Ten Conference, with a second round finish in the NCAA tournament. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Last year was not as good although the team did finish with 20 wins. The schedule for 2019 has been set and the Ohio State team is stacked with almost all the point scores from last year and a top 10 recruited freshman class. Ohio State should contend for a Big Ten title again and hopefully finish well in the NCAA.

Recent Happenings with Holtmann

Most noteworthy during a recent press conference was news that Just Ahrens missed time over the summer with a back injury, according to Chris Holtmann. His weight is a little bit down and his return is expected soon. Also mentioned was that Player Development coordinator Scoonie Penn has left the program for a job with the Memphis Grizzlies. Another famous Ohio State alum, Terence Dials, will be replacing Penn on the staff.

So, who is Terence dials?

Terence Dials Jr. (July 15, 1983) is an former American basketball player who played high school hoops for Boardman HS in Ohio. As a power forward he played college ball with Ohio State scoring over 1500 points while getting 875 boards. In 2005 he was the Big Ten Player of the Year. He has been playing professionally since 2006 for different countries outside of the United States including France and Switzerland.

Dials originally from Detroit, Michigan moved to Boardman, Ohio early in life and went to Boardman High School. There's a famous story from high school when the power forward broke a backboard during a group practice in secondary school. He was offered a scholarship to play for The Ohio State University and did not look back. During his four-years here, Dials played in 132 games. Dials went undrafted in 2006 in the NBA Draft.

 

Cade Stover Loses His Black Stripe

People always chose different sportsmen as their ideal personality. That individual can either be footballer, cricketer, badminton player, rugby football player, or any other sports. Cade Stover is a player recently playing from Ohio State Buckeyes. He joined this club a few months back as an outside linebacker (OLB) that is an important position to cover. Stover has a height of 6 feet and 5 inches with 235 lbs. weight. He is no doubt one of the best players in this sport due to physique and technique. Let’s have a look at the more details about Cade Stover.

Attributes of Cade Stover

            CadeStover is a 4-star player with extreme athleticism and agility to take over his opponents. The stats clearly show his recent performances as he has 178 tackles in this last season. Furthermore, Stover rushed for 1497 yards and he has 2 forced fumbles under his badge as well. He is not only a consistent performer, but the head coach of Ohio State said that “He is the game-changer irrespective of the possession”. He also won a title of Mr. Football by Ohio State in 2018.

Playing Positions

            Stover looks like a quarterback player with his height and weight but that’s not true at all. During his junior year, he used to play as a center. He completed 43 passes out of 104 attempts however it wasn’t an ideal position for him. He faced a minor injury in the interim of 2017 season, but he recovered soon. After that, he played on his recent position of an outside linebacker (OLB).

Recent Events

Losing the Black Stripe

            Stover has become 6th player (16th player overall) from the recruiting class of 2019 who is now officially a Buckeye. Stover was rated as No.7 outside linebacker (OLB) and No.114 overall player in the class. He lost his black stripe on 13 August 2019 with recorded 178 tackles out of which 92 are solo tackles. Moreover, he is the fifth defensive player who has won the Mr. Ohio Footballaward in 2018. Due to these reasons and improved position, the administration is looking forward to an overwhelming 2019 season.

Expected Position and Future Opportunity

            The lineup of linebacker for Buckeyes is quite complex as they have eight returning players. Therefore, future opportunity and survival as a linebacker are difficult for three new linebackers including Stover. He is an exceptional player with explicit skill-set who can perform in any situation and he can make his mark quickly. If he joins as a linebacker, there will be two senior LB in front of him with a ton of experience and enhanced skills.

            Another problem for Stover is that Ohio State has recruited three linebackers in the last three years of classes. He won’t be getting enough chance as permanent linebacker until he is a senior player with extended expertise. However, the best trait of Stover is his versatility as he can play any of the LB position. It is not essential for him to join as No.1 central linebacker to have a look at the field. He just wants to be on the field among three best linebackers. If he is given consistent chances, he will eventually win the hearts of coaches soon and might replace a senior player.