Chris Holtmann expresses satisfaction with Ohio State's depth

After getting a win over Miami (OH), Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann shared that he’s happy with the team’s current depth.

Throughout much of the first half, Holtmann played several of his bench players and they were able to step up to the task. It was an effort that helped the Buckeyes jump out to a big early lead.

“I thought our bench was good tonight,” Chris Holtmann said. “I did, I thought our bench was really good.”

One of the players coming off the bench who Chris Holtmann praised in particular was Devin Royal. Against Miami (OH), Royal managed to play 11 minutes, snagging four rebounds, three points, and an assist.

“I thought Devin continues to grow. It’s what young players have to do. They have to grow in the minutes that are given to them and they’ve got to grow in practice, and I think Devin’s gotten a little bit better in practice. I can’t emphasize that enough. You hear it all the time, that kid’s a gamer. Well, I’d like to see him be a gamer in practice first and Devin has done that, and to his credit, I think as a byproduct of that is he’s gotten better. He’s produced in games. Now, he’s got to foul less. His technique has to get better. Normal freshmen stuff, but I thought he was good.”

Devin Royal wasn’t alone, though, with Chris Holtmann also praising Scotty Middleton, Zed Key, and Dale Bonner.

“I thought Scott was good. I thought Zed’s six offensive rebounds were tremendous. Really good effort on the glass there in the first half, and Dale continues to give us good pop there.”

Next up for the Buckeyes is a trip to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. How Chris Holtmann dips into his bench for a Big Ten opponent will be an interesting question to keep an eye on for that game.

Chris Holtmann provides update on status of Roddy Gayle Jr.

At one point during the game against Miami (OH), shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. was seen on a stationary bike before being the last player out of the locker room. That led to concerns about his health, but it’s nothing that Chris Holtmann is worried about.

“No, they had a kid actually sick. Their starting point guard was sick, but no. Roddy, he just has I think lower system ankle that bothers him at times. He just likes to keep it loose,” Holtmann said.

“So, those guys, I just screamed his name like five times. I didn’t know where he was, but he was on the bike. Yeah, he’s fine. He’s fine.”