Despite being 16 games into the season, Ohio State added former Penn State forward Puff Johnson to its roster on Friday when the transfer was granted a temporary restraining order and given immediate eligibility.
“What a time in college basketball,” said head coach Jake Diebler when he was first asked about the newest member of the Buckeyes.
Johnson was officially given a player page on the Ohio State athletics website over the weekend after joining the Buckeyes the day before the 86-74 win over UCLA. So there is no question that the 6-8, 200-pound sixth-year forward will be able to play with the Buckeyes this season, but there is some question about his timeline.
Diebler said after the win over UCLA that since this is the first time he’s dealt with something like Johnson’s case, when he will be allowed to get on the floor is unclear to him. Even if Johnson were allowed to play for the Buckeyes in their next game, the head coach still thinks the transfer, and the team as a whole need time to get acclimated for multiple reasons.
“As far as when he’s going to be on the floor, I don’t know,” Diebler said. “He’s got to go through some things to get cleared at Ohio State. He and I have had conversations, and I’m hoping to get him here as soon as we possibly can and begin that process of him becoming a part of our team.”
Diebler said on Saturday that Johnson hadn’t been able to work out with the team yet, so he also wasn’t sure what kind of shape he was in after not having played in-game since the middle of last season with the Nittany Lions.
“We’re evaluating two things. He has to be ready, physically, to play. That’s for his safety,” Diebler said. “Then he has to be ready to help our team. That’s a priority. I don’t know how long that’s going to take
There is also the fact that the players who have been with the team the full season might have some of their playing time taken when Johnson gets fully integrated and is on the court.
Something like that has the potential to hurt team chemistry. Diebler said that he has been in constant communication with the players for at least the past month that there was potential to add another player, and he doesn’t believe chemistry will be an issue.
“I don’t, because of the guys in our locker room and the type of young man that he is,” Diebler said when asked if he worries about the team chemistry being disrupted. “We have to be realistic about this. We can’t just throw him in and let him play 30 minutes and expect everything to look normal. We’re going to take it one day at a time. It’s a fair question, but I’m not worried about it.”
With Johnson’s versatile skillset, being able to handle the ball at 6-8, the injuries Ohio State has suffered throughout the season and the fact that Diebler has been on a constant search for production from the bench, the head coach is excited about the addition when it comes to what Johnson can provide for the Buckeyes when he finally gets on the floor.
“We’ve dealt with some injuries, one that’s going to last us a little while with Brandon (Noel), and two some stuff in-game that’s been impactful,” he said. “It’s worked out well that we’re able to add someone with experience.”
