New Ohio State Commit Colin White Talks Pledge To Buckeyes, Future Role With Program

Ohio State basketball added the second pledge to their class of 2024 on Sunday when Ottawa-Glandorf (OH) wing Colin White committed to the Buckeyes over Butler, Cincinnati, Northwestern, and TCU.

The 6-foot-6, 180-pounder joins John “Juni” Mobley Jr. in Chris Holtmann’s latest class, which is expected to add at least one more member before it’s all said and done. It was the relationship with Holtmann and his staff that won out for the in-state product.

“I just have a great relationship with the coaching staff,” White told Buckeye Huddle after making his decision. “They really believed in me. They don’t technically have any scholarships to give out this year, so they really took their time recruiting me and offering me. I’ve always had a good relationship with them and then they offered and I felt it was the best fit and opportunity for me.”

As mentioned by White, the Buckeyes had been watching White for quite some time and had discussed what the path to an offer looked like for the Ohioan. White put in the hard work, which showed up on the AAU circuit this off-season, and got the opportunity he was looking for all along.

“They were honest with me and told me I needed to work on my three-point shooting and my defense,” White shared. “I knew those were things that I could improve easily, because I knew I could do them. I just had to go out there and execute that. At their team camp I played really well and the rest of the summer (in AAU) I played really solid, so I thought I proved it to them. They told me I earned it and the rest is history.”

White joined the heralded Indiana Elite AAU team this summer, which helped him raise his game to the next level and likely will help him raise his stock when it comes to the recruiting rankings.

“That move was a big help for me,” he said. “I didn’t play on the circuit at all before that, so going to that team, I knew I could play with those guys, but I just had to prove it to myself and everyone else. I thought I did that by just playing smart basketball and just being me, not trying to be anything that I’m not.”

When it comes to the role he’ll play at the next level, White has gone into detail with the OSU coaches on how they envision using him.

“They want me to be a ball-dominant guard,” he explained. “They want me to make plays on the offensive end. Get into the middle, use my wide frame, maybe working in the post against smaller guards a bit. I’m pretty fast for a bigger guard, so maybe being able to beat some bigger guards off the bounce a bit. Defensively, they just want me to keep working. I know what I can contribute defensively and I take pride on that end of the floor.:

White also went into some detail on what his strengths are and where he needs to improve before entering the Big Ten.

“I think my biggest strengths are that I can get in the lane and that I’m athletic,” he responded when asked. “I can use my body well and get up shots, make passes, make my teammates better. I feel I can really knock down the three-point shot as well right now.

“Some things I need to work on are the handles a little bit. Being able to handle the ball better against a Big Ten-type of pressure. Then defensively, just guarding the better players, moving my feet, and just working hard all around to be elite on that side of the ball.”

Finally, White shared his goals for his time at Ohio State.

“I just want to be the best player I can possibly be,” he told BH. “I just want to make my town proud, make Ohio proud, make the fan base proud. I’ve been a part of the Ohio State fan base, so I know how it feels to have a good player from Ohio on the team. I just want to be the best player I can be.

“For the team, the goal is, of course, to win a national championship. But we haven’t won a Big Ten championship in a while, so it would be fantastic to start with winning one of those, making the tournament every year, and having a good time doing it.”

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