Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann delivered some good news in regards to the status of one student-athlete, while also sharing that two Buckeyes have not yet returned to 100 percent.
Former Cal transfer Justice Sueing, a fourth-year junior, was fully cleared to resume basketball activities, while fourth-year junior Seth Towns and fourth-year junior Musa Jallow have not been cleared.
Towns – a sharpshooting forward from Harvard – continues to recover from a follow-up surgery he had in January for a knee injury occurring in the 2018 Ivy League Championship Game.
Holtmann mentioned the progress Towns has made in recovery, but made it clear he does not think the 2018 Ivy League Player of the Year will be cleared for game action by the last week in November when the season starts.
“Right now, while he’s made progress, in terms of being ready to play actual games in late November, I certainly think that is in question, whether he’ll be ready for that,” Holtmann said. “At this point, I’m not sure he will be ready, and I think he probably feels the same way. He’s going to need more time than that. But we’ll know more in the coming weeks.”
Jallow – a defensive-minded 6-foot-5 wing – has not taken the floor for the Buckeyes since the 2018-19 season due to an ankle injury. The Bloomington, Ind., native underwent arthroscopic surgery in October of 2019, and then he needed reconstructive surgery in January.
Following the second surgery, Jallow began to prepare for the 2020-21 campaign and took a redshirt for the first time in three years. Holtmann never gave a timetable for Jallow’s return, but he said he expected him back for a healthy offseason.
The fourth-year coach indicated that Jallow has not been at full strength, however, noting that he could be full-go for the beginning of official team practices in approximately two weeks.
“He’s a little further along than Seth, but he’s not been able to do workouts yet,” Holtmann said. “We’ll see, as far as the start of practice. There’s a possibility with him with the start of practice.”
Meanwhile, Sueing – Cal’s leading scorer in 2018-19 – has been once again practicing with the team. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing practiced with the Buckeyes during the 2019-20 season while sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules before suffering a foot injury.
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