Buckeyes From Across the Country, Globe, Thrive in Columbus
3/15/2022 2:00:18 PM | Men's Volleyball
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Buckeyes made a couple trips to the West Coast this year to play some of the best competition NCAA men’s volleyball has to offer.
The Ohio State men’s volleyball program looks west often to fill out its roster, which has resulted in recruits, opponents and fans recognizing Ohio as a consistent power in the sport as well.
The Ohio State program has won three national championships (2011-16-17) and has made the NCAA Finals five times (1977-2000-11-16-17). Overall, the Buckeyes have made 21 NCAA Tournament appearances and an equal number of men’s volleyball final four showings.
Despite the Midwest location, Kevin Burch, head coach of the Buckeyes, said attracting talent from traditional recruiting hotbeds out west has not been an issue.
“It doesn’t take a lot to sell Ohio State to recruits, the university speaks for itself,” Burch, himself a California native, said. “There is a lot of talented athletes on the West Coast that we recruit. The culture and community at Ohio State is something else. It’s well known not only locally but across the country.”
Since the 2017-18 season, there have been at least four Californians on Ohio State’s roster. In all, 51 of Ohio State’s all-time letterwinners left California to play for the Buckeyes.
Other letterwinners have joined Ohio State rosters from international locals where men’s volleyball thrives. Natives of Puerto Rico (17), Canada (2), France (2), Brazil, Belgium, Israel, Norway, Australia and Cyprus have had successful careers competing for the Buckeyes.
This season, when the Buckeyes made trips to Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Barbara, five native Californians made the trip home to the Golden State. Freshmen Jason Kozak (Fremont) and Ben Braun (Camino Real), sophomore Jimmy Webb (Huntington Beach) along with veterans Luke Lentin (Sr., La Jolla) and Justin Howard (Sr., Pacific Palisades) made the familiar cross-country trip.
Next year, Niko Williams, a setter from Poway, will join the California connection with Columbus. He joins recruits from Virginia (OH/OPP, Dan Hurley/Virginia Beach), Illinois (OH, Jack O’Riordan/Barrington) and Florida (OPP, Shane Wetzel/Lake Mary) in a class ranked No. 4 nationally.
The Ohio State University offers both great academics and athletics but many other attributes attract recruits to Columbus, even from as far away as California.
For Howard and Talley, it was the potential to grow as individuals that brought them to central Ohio.
Leaving home was a bit unnerving for Howard, but he knew for him to become his own person he needed to leave his family and move to the Midwest.
“I think there’s a ton of value in leaving home,” Howard said. “I think you can grow as a person more individually.”
College curriculum combined with being a student-athlete is already tough but when a significant distance from home is added to the equation, there are added challenges.
For Talley, things have not gone exactly how he expected when he first committed. Talley has faced several challenges in his time since joining the Buckeyes but believes he has become a more mature adult through his experiences.
“Ohio State has provided me with the resources to grow in every aspect athletically, academically and professionally,” Talley said. “I think it is a big challenge for people to rise to the occasion, but not in this program.”
Hudson Bates, Ohio State’s associate head coach, noted the importance of team brotherhood and how that attracts recruits from around the world. The Buckeyes also have athletes from Belgium (Sr., OH, Martin Lallemand) and Cyprus (So., OH, Sotiris Siapanis) on the current roster.
“Recruits visit and they (and their families) see the culture and brotherhood we have going,” Bates said. “They want to be a part of the community.”
While moving across the country can be daunting for any young adult, the Buckeyes make a point making Columbus feel like home.
When someone commits to the program, they become part of a family. A family of men’s volleyball alums, Ohio State alumni and an athletics department dedicated to their success. It’s that culture, development and brotherhood that sets this program apart.
–Jordyn Robinson contributed to this story
