Five-star Baba Oladotun's father explains why Maryland basketball did an "excellent job of explaining expectations"

Ahmed Ghafir
Sep 16
3 min read

Maryland basketball wrapped up arguably its biggest recruiting weekend of the Buzz Williams era with four official visitors on campus this past weekend, but arguably the biggest one was the local target: Baba Oladotun.

The 6-foot-10, 197-pound versatile five-star forward out of Blake High School (MD), Oladotun announced weeks ago his plan to reclassify into the 2026 class with his recruitment now under the microscope and official visits in full swing.

One weekend after hitting the road to officially visit Virginia Tech, his father’s alma mater, for the first official visit, Oladotun made the shorter trip to College Park the weekend of Sept. 13 where the five-star and his family enjoyed a thorough visit in what proved to be a “very good” official visit.

“They did an excellent job of explaining expectations,” Ibrahim Oladotun, Baba’s father, told IBG. “They did their homework. They talked about expectations, how we’re going to accomplish it, talked about the program, about the culture. They broke it down really well.”

Maryland is just weeks removed from unveiling the Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center, the new 45,000 square foot indoor practice facility for both the men’s and women’s basketball program that features a dedicated practice court along with upgraded strength and conditioning technology and medicine rooms. That proved to be a highlight for Oladotun and his family, which has become a common theme.

“We definitely got to see the new building. Someone who spends $50 million on the facilities shows that they’re serious about basketball and a coach that has been successful almost everywhere he goes and sends players to the NBA in Buzz, that shows a lot of commitment to the program,” Ibrahim added.

But another aspect wasn’t lost about Maryland’s pitch during the weekend: staff continuity. Head coach Buzz Williams brought three of his assistants from Texas A&M to Maryland, along with elevating former player-turned-coach Wabissa Bede into his first assistant role ahead of the 2025-26 season. Josh Chambers, TJ Ryan, Eddie Benion, Grant Hendrix and Steve Gephardt are among the other staffers who also left College Station for College Park, while Seth Allen returned to the school where he began his college basketball to work for the coach he once played for in Blacksburg. In an era where change becomes far too common across the country, Ibrahim Oladotun noted the familiar faces that remain consistent around Buzz Williams speaks to the character of Buzz Williams.

“It’s a personal thing to keep people around him for a long time, so that’s a plus on their side,” Ibrahim added.

“That says something about the man, to get people like that to come in and come with you wherever you go shows your leadership and how much you put people first. Not only that, people that worked with him in the past come join him because they know what to expect. That’s huge. Only Jesus people follow around like that. This guy is amazing. Whatever he’s doing, he puts people first. It’s going to be the love for what he does and the system. Getting people to come with you from the athletic staff to the trainers to the strength person, it’s huge and shows his leadership and how much he loves his people around him. That, for me, that says a lot about Buzz.”

After trips to Maryland and Virginia Tech, Oladotun is expected to continue his visit tour into the fall with Arkansas, Kentucky and Villanova involved. Ibrahim added that a West Coast visit is on the table along with “possibly” a trip to Tennessee, but after 48 hours around Maryland, the hometown program cemented itself as a contender.

“I think Maryland is a viable option. Maryland is always a viable option. There’s no place like home but we have to make sure we take an opportunity to make sure we look at other places as well. Maryland, we’re taking a look at Maryland. Just like Maryland is looking at us, we’re looking at Maryland, too.”

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