Former Ohio State Forward Jae’Sean Tate To Miss At Least One Game In TBT Due To Coronavirus

As reported by Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch, former Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate has tested positive for COVID-19, and will be forced to sit out at least one game in The Basketball Tournament.

Tate is the second member of Big X to miss time due to the coronavirus, as another former Ohio State player in guard Keyshawn Woods will be missing the tournament due to a positive test.

“I felt fine, and then I started to get a dry skin rash on my chest,” Tate told The Dispatch. “It started to hurt to shower, because my skin was so sensitive. And I lost my smell and my taste, so I decided to get tested.”

Tate played with the Buckeyes from 2014-18, and across 129 games, 110 of which were starts, he averaged 11.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2 percent from floor. He was most recently playing for the Sydney Kings in the Australian National Basketball League for the 2019-20 season. There, he was named team MVP and earned All-NBL honors after averaging 16.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

With Tate and Woods out for at least the first game, the only former Buckeyes who will start on the roster are guards Andrew Dakich and C.J. Jackson.

TBT is set to take place from July 4-14, with all games located in Columbus’ Nationwide Arena without fans. Big X is a nine seed and will take on the 12-seeded Jackson TN Underdawgs in the opening Round of 24.

“I’m going on day 21 now (since my first symptoms),” Tate said to the Dispatch. “I feel perfectly fine. I’m getting tested every couple of days. We’ll see. At the end of the day, I’d love to play, but I don’t want to put the safety of everybody in the tournament at risk.”

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

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