COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ryan Pedon, Mike Schrage and Terry Johnson walked down a long hallway inside the Ohio State basketball facility to three tables waiting for them near the entrance to the practice gym.

As they walked the hall, the new assistant coaches passed displays of the previous coaching staff -- Thad Matta and assistants Dave Dickerson, Chris Jent and Greg Paulus -- hanging on the wall. It's likely the new guys didn't notice. In the whirlwind that took them from Butler assistants last Wednesday to wearing Ohio State golf shirts last Friday, little things like that tend to get lost in the shuffle.

If you were looking for a fitting metaphor in the moment to sum up the changes happening to the Ohio State basketball program, the new staff walking past representations of the old and leaving them behind was fitting.

The Buckeyes new assistant coaches -- Chris Holtmann's old Butler staff brought in its entirety to Columbus -- are bringing a fresh vibe to the program. Holtmann is the new face at the top. His staff will handle the groundwork of connecting with recruits, teaching the current players their style and ultimately shaping the program into Holtmann's vision.

They'll do that by drawing on past coaching experiences that have left the trio with diverse backgrounds, but ones they feel make them compatible pieces of a successful staff.

"Very few times in our profession do you get to transition with a boss that you know and understand how he wants things to be done -- then to have the opportunity as a complete staff," Pedon said. "Mike, Terry and I work really well together. We take a lot of pride in that."

To know what makes them work well together, you should know where each coach came from.

Johnson is as close one can get to being a Butler lifer without actually being an alum of the university.

He was playing ball at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the morning of his wedding. His wife is a Butler grad. His twin boys took their first steps on the court at Hinkle. Seriously. He built tight bonds at Butler through 10 years on the bench and various coaching regimes.

Johnson's time at Butler coincided with the Bulldogs' unlikely back-to-back runs to the national championship game. He was on the bench when Gordon Hayward's potential game-winning heave at the buzzer vs. Duke in the 2010 national championship hit backboard then rim, and bounced out. Johnson thought the shot looked good.

He never got that national title ring, but gained the knowledge of what it takes to get a team to that level. He's bringing that to Columbus.

"We didn't finish that off like we wanted to," Johnson said. "It's an addicting feeling. The NCAA Tournament is an addicting feeling, and when you're able to advance through the weekend? It's so much fun. There's no words for it really. You're just in the moment and it's a fun thing."

Pedon is an Ohio native, born and raised in the Columbus suburb of Bexley.

His father co-owns a restaurant in Columbus. Pedon's got a favorite Columbus-area pizza joint (Rubino's in Bexley if you're looking for some good pie). He's got roots in Ohio, which makes him invaluable in Holtmann's migration to the state.

Pedon was considered Holtmann's ace recruiter at Butler, including helping the Bulldogs land commitments from three Ohio prospects in the past two years. In Holtmann's promise to "dominate the state" in recruiting, Pedon's role is clear.

Ohio State is his fifth assistant coaching stop. He's also been at Miami (Ohio), Toledo, Illinois and Butler. The one constant: Recruiting his home state.

"When this program was at its best at different time periods throughout the past 50 years, why was it? The common denominator is that kids from this state wanted to be Buckeyes, and came here with a purpose. That's how we want to build the program, for sure," Pedon said.

Schrage's mentors in the coaching game are as good as anyone's. He's been molded by legends.

His career began as a student manager for Bob Knight at Indiana, and took him to Duke where he worked in various administrative roles for Mike Krzyzewski. He also worked under Johnny Dawkins at Stanford for eight seasons.

Schrage was at Butler for one season before following Holtmann to Columbus.

"Two of the best, if not the best," Schrage said of learning from Knight and Coach K. "They have a lot of similarities in terms of their competitive drive. I learned a lot from Coach Knight. For that to be my foundation, he was an encyclopedia of Xs and Os, and I took in so much. Then nine years with Coach K you learn a lot about basketball, but also about communication with players and team building."

In his various stops, Schrage not only learned from coaching legends, but also learned how to put together a national recruiting plan that Ohio State will pair with Pedon's Ohio roots.

The three bring different strengths that help them complement each other well, and stretch beyond recruiting. Their one full season together at Butler ended with a second-place finish in the Big East and a run to the Sweet 16.

Expect the non-recruiting responsibilities they had at Butler to carry over to Ohio State. Pedon coordinates the offense, Johnson coordinates the defense and Schrage handles personnel. Johnson is considered a strong game-planner, Pedon helps install Holtmann's free flowing offense and Schrage hones in on individual tendencies of the opponent.

It's a recipe that worked at Butler, and must work at Ohio State. The university is investing a lot of money in Holtmann, and more than $1 million combined in the assistant coaches. That's a good jump up from what the previous staff made, and expectations will come with the money.

It may be easier to reach them without the awkward transition that come with bringing together a completely new coaching staff.

"It's real positive right now," Johnson said. "We're not feeling each other out. In meetings we're free to say whatever we want and nobody takes it personal. I think it's gonna be good for the players in getting to know us.

"I just think we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we cover each other. That's how it worked out. We're family. We believe in each other."