Totino-Grace basketball star Taison Chatman commits to Ohio State

Taison Chatman of Totino-Grace, the No. 1-ranked player in Minnesota for the 2023 class, committed to Ohio State Tuesday night.

MINNEAPOLIS - The top Minnesota high school basketball player in the 2023 class made his college decision official Tuesday night, and he will not be staying home to play for Ben Johnson and the Gophers.

Totino-Grace guard Taison Chatman, the No. 31-ranked prospect in the class, announced on the 247Sports YouTube channel that he’s headed to Ohio State. He’s one of three top-50 players nationally to commit to Chris Holtmann. Chatman had the Gophers, Kansas, Ohio State, Xavier and Virginia among his five finalists.

The 6-4, 170-pound guard made official visits to Ohio State, UConn, Kansas and Xavier. Chatman is also the No. 11-ranked combo guard in the country. Chatman said his relationship with the coaching staff made Ohio State feel like home.

"When I went on the visit, it just felt right, it felt like home. We had dinner at coach’s house, it was pretty early in the visit too. Just being around the players, being around the coaches, how much they cared for each other and they just welcomed me with open arms," Chatman told Travis Branham of 247Sports. "It was a really easy decision for me after that."

So what are the Buckeyes getting in Chatman? He can score, run an offense and he’s a winner. Chatman led the Eagles to the Class AAA state title back in March.

"I feel competitive nature. I’m a competitor, I love to win. I’ll do whatever it takes to win. Just coming in from Day 1, whatever coach Holtmann asks me to do, whatever helps the team win, that’s the type of player I am," Chatman said.

It’s the second straight year Johnson has missed out on the No. 1-ranked player in Minnesota. Last year, Cretin-Derham Hall star Tre Holloman signed with Michigan State. Johnson has landed several big local names in recruiting in less than two years. Robbinsdale native and former DeLaSalle star Jamison Battle transferred home last year, and was the Gophers’ leading scorer.

Former Prior Lake star Dawson Garcia transferred back to Minnesota, and Johnson’s 2022 freshman class features former local prep stars Braeden Carrington, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne. Johnson could also be in line to get a commitment from Lakeville North star Trevor Winter. His dad is former Gophers’ center Trevor Winter, and Nolan was on campus for an official visit during Minnesota’s opening football weekend.