In order to effectively build team chemistry, Ohio State will need to stay healthy as an overall unit, and according to head coach Jake Diebler, the Buckeyes are on the right track towards doing so this offseason.
The Buckeyes’ coach alluded in his June 18 press conference to his team being in great health entering the summer, and that was evident in the practice made available to the media when only Mathieu Grujicic, Colin White and Baylor transfer center Josh Ojianwuna were not on the court. Grujicic’s absence was due to a not-yet finalized visa situation.
One notable Buckeye who was on the court, however, was third-year guard Taison Chatman, who, after missing all of last season with a torn ACL in his left knee, was a full participant in the team’s intense drill period.
The former highly-touted four-star prospect, who has dealt with knee ailments since his days at Minneapolis Totino-Grace, was not wearing a knee brace. According to his coach, Chatman hasn’t had any limitations this summer and has shown no signs of a player coming off a season-ending injury, which are good signs for the third-year as he looks to make his first substantial impact on the team.
“There will be an adjustment to get used to the speed of the game and the physicality, that stuff you can’t simulate right when you’re out and injured. But I’ve been really impressed with his commitment to working and getting better and getting ready for our summer training sessions,” Diebler said. “He’s not behind, he’s not apprehensive. He’s out there, he’s in the mix. He’s playing hard. He’s being aggressive. So if you walked into the gym and you watched, you wouldn’t see a guy out there and say, ‘Man, he looks like a guy coming off an injury.’ And I think that’s a really good thing.”
Chatman has played in just 17 games for the Buckeyes in his first two seasons with zero starts, totaling 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists in that span.
As for the two injured players who were not practicing, Diebler did not offer an update on White — who had not been wearing a boot on his left foot earlier this offseason but did not have it on during practice he did say that Ojianwuna is progressing well in his recovery and has yet to have any type of setback.
“No updates as far as the end game (of his recovery), but I think he’s working really, really hard,” Diebler said. “We have an unbelievable (medical) team, and he’s become very good friends with them. I think everything is progressing well. We’ll get a better feel going into the fall of what a timeline looks like exactly, but there’s been no indication of hiccups or anything so far.”
Ojianwuna, who committed to the Buckeyes on May 7 after averaging 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in three seasons at Baylor, has been out of commission since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during a game last February. He told The Columbus Dispatch when he committed that his recovery could take 9-12 months with nine months being his most likely return date, meaning he could be set to return at the beginning of November.
