Ohio State men's basketball power rankings: No. 8 Tanner Holden
A year unlike any other is about to get underway at Ohio State.
One year after a roster bolstered by players enjoying the extra year of eligibility afforded to all who played though the COVID-19 pandemic topped out at 15 members, the 2022-23 Buckeyes will be a team facing unprecedented turnover. With coach Chris Holtmann entering his sixth season, a combination of early departures for the NBA, the exhaustion of collegiate eligibility and the allure of the transfer portal have all combined to create a roster featuring only two players who played in at least three games for Ohio State last season.
That’s not to say there aren’t familiar faces in Columbus. They are simply outnumbered by a five-man freshman class, ranked tops in the Big Ten, and a three-man transfer class that combines to comprise more than half the roster. Those new faces, combined with a few veterans, will attempt to outshoot their projected sixth-place finish in the preseason media poll and find a way to Ohio State’s first Sweet 16 since the 2012-13 season.
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Before the Buckeyes get the year underway with an exhibition against Chaminade on Nov. 1 and the season opener against Robert Morris on Nov. 7, The Dispatch will be producing its annual preseason individual power rankings list. These rankings are an educated guess at which players will have the most significant on-court impact during the course of the entire season and will feature each player on the roster.
The list continues today at No. 8 with transfer wing Tanner Holden from Wright State.
No. 8 – Tanner Holden
Position: Wing
Eligibility: Fourth year (two remaining)
Height/weight: 6 feet 6 / 200 pounds
Jersey number: 0
Major: Strategic communications
Background
A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio, Holden received limited recruiting interest before signing to play for Wright State in the class of 2019. As a junior, Holden averaged roughly 18 points and 11 rebounds while earning first-team Division III all-state honors. He upped that to 27.0 points per game as a senior, when he repeated on the first team before joining the Raiders.
Holden was an unranked prep prospect in the 247Sports.com composite database after splitting his time between two sports until his senior year. OHHoops.com ranked him as the No. 16 overall prospect in the state.
He immediately slotted in as a contributor for the Raiders, averaging 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds while playing 28.7 minutes per game as a freshman. Holden went for 27 points and 17 rebounds in a win at Toledo and started 30 of 32 games that season, was named to the Horizon League’s all-freshman team, and continued to build from there. Holden averaged 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore to earn first-team all-conference honors and be named an NABC All-District 12 Second Team selection.
When he opted to enter the transfer portal after his third season, Ohio State associate head coach Jake Diebler was the first to call Holden. Several other schools called as well, but he was able to fit in a visit to the Buckeyes before a recruiting dead window that ran from March 31-April 7. Holden then committed to Ohio State on April 2.
He has two seasons of collegiate eligibility remaining. EvanMiya.com ranks Holden as the No. 69 transfer.
2021-22 season recap
Holden’s junior season changed everything. A double-digit scorer in 33 of 36 games, he averaged 20.1 points to finish second in the league and No. 18 nationally. Holden ranked 19th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes and was second in the country in both free throws made (221) and free throws attempted (280).
He started all 36 games for Wright State and topped the 20-point mark in a league-high 20 games. In the Horizon League tournament, Holden had 27 points while going 13 for 17 from the free-throw line and 10 rebounds in a win against Oakland, then followed with 12 and 10 the next day against Cleveland State before finishing the run to the postseason by hitting the winning jumper from the foul line with 10 seconds remaining in the Horizon League tournament title game against Northern Kentucky.
That pushed the Raiders into the NCAA Tournament and a First Four matchup with Bryant at Dayton’s UD Arena.
Holden then scored 37 points on 10-of-14 shooting, was 14 for 16 from the line and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 93-82 win against Bryant. That sent the Raiders to San Diego, where they drew a first-round game against No. 1 seed Arizona. Holden scored 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting in an 87-70 loss that would also cap his career at Wright State.
Need to know
His decision to transfer from the Raiders was influenced by the previous decision of second-leading scorer Grant Basile to also transfer. Basile is now at Virginia Tech.
Before opting to commit solely to basketball, Holden played football in high school and was receiving recruiting interest from Ohio State and Michigan, among other schools. As a junior, he was named Ohio’s Division V co-offensive player of the year while helping Wheelersburg capture a state title. His father, Rodney, played basketball at Marshall University and was named to the school’s hall of fame. His sister, Sydney, scored 1,272 points in four seasons at Division II school Rio Grande.
Holden is not a fan of roller-coasters, but he did enjoy the “Leap of Faith” water slide while on Ohio State’s foreign exhibition trip to the Bahamas during the summer.
2022-23 season outlook
There will be an adjustment to the strength and length of consistently playing against high-major opponents, but Holden is expected to assume a significant role early on this rebuilt Ohio State team. He’s long, quick and agile, and his ability to cut through defenses and get to the rim has helped establish him as one of the top mid-major players in the nation.
Now he has to it against Big Ten teams on a nightly basis, and for that reason coach Chris Holtmann said to expect somewhat of a developmental curve for Holden.
“His athleticism and his motor allow him to be an impactful player for us,” Holtmann said at Big Ten media day. “A good thing for us I’m excited about is we get him for two years, and I think we could see his second year be significantly better than his first but I still think he’s definitely going to help us this year.
“I’ve always sensed that guys in his position … you really see them come on, the back half of that first year, kind of like a freshman.”
Holden was arguably the biggest pleasant surprise for the Buckeyes as they played Puerto Rico and Egypt at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. In the win against Egypt, Holden tied for the team lead with 15 points on 3-of-8 shooting and was perfect on two 3-point attempts while adding six rebounds. The next day against Puerto Rico, he had 6 points on 2-of-7 shooting with five rebounds. His 21 points were third-most for the Buckeyes.
“I think he’s even better when the lights come on,” Holtmann said. “I noticed that a little bit in the Bahamas. The challenge for a guy like him is you become first-team all-league in your league but he really operates 15-to-18-feet in as an offensive player. At this level, he’s going to have to operate 22 feet and in. He’s got to expand his game.
“I think he can do that, but he’s got to be able to keep people honest with shooting the ball.”
That will be Holden’s biggest challenge this season: adding a consistent 3-point shot that prevents teams from sagging off of him on the perimeter and keeping him from getting to the rim. In three seasons at Wright State, Holden shot 35.0% from 3 (41 for 117) and averaged 0.4 made 3-pointers per game. His best effort came as a freshman, when Holden was 14 for 33 (42.4%) from deep. Against “Tier A” teams as ranked by KenPom.com, Holden is 7 for 19 (36.8%) from 3.
In open practices, however, Holden has looked like one of this team’s best, most dangerous players. He will assume significant minutes for the Buckeyes, and his versatility could help Ohio State play with a faster tempo this season.
BartTorvik.com projects Holden to average 9.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. On Oct. 20, NCAA.com ranked him as the No. 18 player in the Big Ten.
Additional reading
Tanner Holden: Before he steps into key Ohio State role, walk through Atlantis with Tanner Holden
Tanner Holden: In Bahamas, Buckeyes beat Egypt in exhibition game behind Tanner Holden, Brice Sensabaugh
Tanner Holden: Lifelong Ohio State fan Tanner Holden ready for new chapter after Wright State transfer
Ohio State BuckeyesOne thought on each Ohio State player to see action in the Bahamas
Ohio State BuckeyesAs practice begins, one looming question for each Ohio State player
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball power rankings: No. 8 Tanner Holden
