Belleville West star E.J. Liddell chooses Ohio State

Early on it was believed to be a back-and-forth fight between two rivals with two first-year coaches in Cuonzo Martin and Brad Underwood.

Missouri and Illinois were locked up in a battle for the state’s top player, Belleville West’s E.J. Liddell. But that recruiting struggle began to fade once Ohio State and coach Chris Holtmann came calling.

Liddell, the state’s top senior and one of the top 50 prospects in the country, narrowed his lengthly list of suitors down to three schools. He took September visits to Ohio State, Missouri and Illinois before ending his recruitment with a commitment to the Buckeyes Monday night.

“I knew Ohio State was the place I needed to be and the place for me,” says Liddell of his choice. “I didn’t come to my final decision until this past week, but I prayed about it and my family fully supported me and said I can’t go wrong with whatever I decided.”

There are always several boxes that need to be checked off by recruits in the recruiting process. But a couple stood out more than others to Liddell, and it was Ohio State who emphatically checked them both off.

Liddell’s relationship and connection with the head coach mattered. Despite Ohio State jumping in a little later than others, there was no denying the bond he established with Holtmann, along with the players, incoming recruits and coaching staff within the Buckeyes program.

He first “felt” Ohio State on his unofficial visit in June. Liddell said he peppered the Holtmann and the staff with questions in getting the answers he wanted. He talked with Buckeye players and recruits and admittedly felt a connection to them as well.

“Coach Holtmann and everyone there was so honest with me,” says Liddell. “I did get that feeling on my June visit, but I really wasn’t sure until I went through the entire process.”

Also, Liddell, a proven winner who hates to lose, found a ready-made team and program that’s poised to win immediately with the current talent on the roster and the recruiting class coming in.

Bellville West’s EJ Liddell (32) runs into the lane against Larkin. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Bellville West’s EJ Liddell (32) blocks a shot against Larkin’s Anthony Lynch. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Belleville West’s EJ Liddell is in the stretch run of his recruitment. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Belleville West’s EJ Liddell (32) gets a dunk against Larkin. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Young’s Sangolay Njie defends against Belleville West’s EJ Liddell. Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times.

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Liddell will join a whopper of a recruiting class in Columbus, one that will surely be ranked among the top 10 –– if not the top five –– in the country. Liddell is part of a Buckeyes recruiting class that includes five-star point guard D.J. Carton out of Iowa and 6-8 Ohio native Alonzo Gaffney, another top 50 national recruit.

Last season, Liddell averaged 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game and led the Maroons to 32 wins and a state championship. He was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year and has already scored 1,759 career points.