Recruit Colin White enjoys 'more serious' unofficial visit to Ohio State

This wasn’t the first time Colin White made the drive down US-33 toward Ohio State. For two years, the shooting guard from Ottawa (Ohio) Ottawa-Glandorf has been making his way to campus as the coaching staff has steadily built a relationship with the prospect in the 2024 class.

This time was different, though. While White is still working to earn a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes, his Oct. 22 unofficial visit took on a different tone than the ones before.

“This visit was a little bit more serious,” White said. “Other times I’ve been kind of young and on the way (up) and this time it was real serious. Had a sit-down talk with coach (Chris) Holtmann and went over some stuff, what to expect from them. This time it was definitely more official and really getting to know everyone.”

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White had been an unofficial guest for a football game and a men’s basketball game before, and those trips had involved conversations with the coaching staff, he said. They did not include things like a photoshoot of himself in an Ohio State jersey, for example.

“I felt like I was more of a priority for them,” he said. “We got a photoshoot done, and I met some of the guys. After practice I stayed and met some of the guys, so it was really fun. It felt good to be there.”

Colin White takes in Ohio State football game with other basketball recruits

White was one of five recruits all from Ohio on unofficial visits who took in the football team’s home game with Iowa. As the two teams warmed up, he stood in the northeast corner of Ohio Stadium with Sylvania Emmanuel Christian guard Jerry Easter II, Cincinnati Moeller forward Kingston Land and Cleveland St. Ignatius forward Damon Friery and guard Ace Buckner. Easter, Land and Friery are all part of the 2025 class and Easter is the only among the group known to hold a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes.

West Virginia, Cincinnati and others have offered White, and on this trip the Ohio State staff told him what they’re looking for as they evaluate him.

“They just want to see more of me,” he said. “They’ve kind of had a crazy spring and summer just trying to fill out a roster. They just want to see more of me and see me be more consistent with my jump shot, which is something I’m improving on heavily and I can’t wait to show them that once the season comes around. Stuff like that, improving the jump shot. They want me to be more of a guard, a point guard, a shooting guard, so working on the handle and things like that.”

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White is conference rivals with 2023 center Austin Parks, an Ohio State verbal commitment from St. Marys Memorial. The two also belong to the same AAU program, Ohio Buckets, and text with each other daily, White said.

Where Colin White fits in the college game

Ohio State, like most colleges, views him as a shooting guard who could also handle the ball at the next level. White earned first-team Division III all-state honors after averaging 19.1 points for the Titans as a sophomore, helping them reach the state title game where he scored a game-high 18 points in a 48-45 loss to Cincinnati Taft. That came after he put up 31 points and 11 rebounds in a semifinal win against Columbus Africentric and marked the second straight season Ottawa-Glandorf reached the final four of the state tournament.

Associate head coach Jake Diebler has been White’s primary recruiter at Ohio State.

“He’s a super comfortable guy to talk to and you can talk to him about anything,” White said. “He knows what he’s talking about and he’s been friends with my high school coach for a while. Coach Holtmann is always great and the whole coaching staff there is really awesome.”

Brothers Jake and Jon Diebler both recruiting Colin White

He’s not the only Diebler recruiting White, either. Jon Diebler, Jake’s younger brother and Ohio State’s all-time 3-point shooting leader, is recruiting White as Butler’s director of recruiting for former Buckeyes coach Thad Matta.

“It’s really funny,” White said. “Every time I’m like, ‘That’s awesome.’ I’ve given Jon a hard time, but he’s also just a great dude.”

Butler, like Ohio State, has not yet offered White a scholarship. As high school season gets underway, White said he plans to try and get to some college games for unofficial this season when his schedule permits. When it comes time to pick a school, the 6-5, 180-pound guard said he’s got an idea of what he’s looking for.

“I want to go somewhere and win,” he said. “I want to have fun, but you’re having fun when you’re winning. I want to have great teammates, guys I can talk to, guys that I can be friends with for an entire lifetime. I want to like who I’m playing for. I want to have a good relationship with the coaching staff. I want them to be able to push me and make me a better player, but then again I want to also have a good time with them, have fun with them and things like that.”

The Buckeyes have one commitment in the 2024 class: John Mobley, a four-star guard from Las Vegas who lived in Reynoldsburg from ages 4-15. White is currently unranked by the major recruiting services.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio state basketball recruiting: Colin White's visit to Buckeyes