The bodies of Justin Ahrens and Musa Jallow have held them back a bit this offseason.
Ahrens missed the most significant time this summer, Chris Holtmann said on Tuesday, with a back injury. The sweet-shooting second-year forward lost some weight that he is now working to put back on, per Holtmann.
As he continues to recover, Ahrens remains limited. Given that a back injury also hindered Ahrens’ brother, Kyle, who plays for Michigan State, he and his family are now a bit too familiar with that part of the body.
Jallow, a junior wing, has dealt with swelling in one of his ankles, Holtmann said. A few other players have dealt with ailments that have held them out a couple of days or a week at points during the summer.
Last week, Kyle Young had a scare that sent him to the emergency room last week that stemmed from pain on the side of his body, leading to worry that he had appendicitis. However, he recovered and returned to practice on Tuesday.
“Outside of that little hiccup there, he's healthy,” Holtmann said. “Looks good. Body's recovered, rested. I think he's looked good. I'd probably say he might have come out of the summer, I thought we had a lot of guys who had some good moments, but Kyle consistently performed well in the summer workouts we had.”
Holtmann said the injuries limited the Buckeyes “a little bit,” also saying he believes they largely got what they wanted out of the summer workouts.
“Obviously you'd love to have your team at full strength,” Holtmann said. “You're always going to have more caution in the summer with some things. I would've loved to be a little less banged up than what we were, but that's part of it.”
Scoonie Penn’s replacement expected soon
At some point in the next week or so, Holtmann said, Ohio State will announce its next director of player development and recruiting, a position previously held by Scoonie Penn.
On Aug. 5, the Memphis Grizzlies announced they had hired Penn as an assistant coach, ending his reign on the Buckeyes’ staff after two years with Holtmann. In the NBA, he will have a chance to coach on the floor, which is something he wasn’t allowed to do in his position as a support staffer the past two seasons. This role, Holtmann said, is “right in his wheelhouse.”
“Scoonie was great for us,” Holtmann said. “He was great to have around. Love him and his family. We loved having him a part of the program these two years. Even though I think in some ways he was debating it because it's a move, I think it was a decision he definitely had to make.”
Holtmann said he hasn’t been in a rush to fill the position vacated by Penn, though he noted he “talked to a number of people” and has narrowed the search. He expects to make a hire shortly.
Kaleb Wesson at “lowest body composition”
Playing in the Kingdom Summer League at South High School, Wesson appeared noticeably trimmer than he had been as a sophomore last season. At one point, he even caught an alley oop off the backboard in transition with one hand and slammed down a dunk.
As it turns out, he weighs less than he has at any point since he arrived at Ohio State two years ago.
“Kaleb looks great,” Holtmann said. “He's at his lowest body composition that he's been since he's been here. He is at his lowest weight that he's been since he's been here.”
Kaleb Wesson with some bounce. Catches the transition alley oop off the backboard and finishes. pic.twitter.com/3O5F5jccQ1
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) July 7, 2019
Wesson, who entered his name in the NBA draft pool before opting to remain at Ohio State, returns as both the team’s leading scorer and rebounder with 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Given how much weight he has lost, Wesson naturally has to balance getting into improved shape with remaining a physical presence in the post. He can’t afford to have the weight loss affect his performance down low, which is a conversation Holtmann says he has had with the big man. However, right now, Holtmann said Wesson “looks great.”
“As much as anything, Q, our strength coach, and our nutritionists are making sure you're not losing muscle,” Holtmann said. “There is an element of him, and he understands, he gets it, that part of his strength is his ability to be a big body and a big presence. I think he understands that that's an advantage for him at times.”
A Dakich remaining at Ohio State
After his playing career ended, Andrew Dakich stayed at Ohio State as a graduate assistant for the 2018-19 season, and he’ll remain on the staff in a full-time capacity, Holtmann said on Tuesday.
“Andrew's been great,” Holtmann said. “I think he's excited about coaching and excited about our team and has been a real asset. He really has been an asset to our program.”
Dakich’s job title will be “program assistant,” and his job responsibilities will be detailed in a press release in the near future. He will not fill the director of recruiting and player development job previously held by Penn.
His position as a support staffer, Holtmann said, is often viewed as a stepping stone for those beginning coaching careers, meaning there’s a good chance he only spends one more season at Ohio State.
Ibrahima Diallo beloved, needs development
Even though freshman center Ibrahima Diallo has spent just a few months on campus, he has already made quite a positive impression on his coaches and teammates as a person, per Holtmann.
“He's a young man who he's been incredible to work with on a day-to-day basis,” Holtmann said. “His teammates love him. You want to talk about a kid that is loved in our program, it's him. They love him. They just love him. He's funny. He's a great teammate. You saw the video that we put out about him going home. He's that kind of a kid.”
On the court, though, Diallo’s production might not be as pronounced this season.
“What impact he's going to have right now, I think just it remains to be seen,” Holtmann said. “I think we took him understanding that a lot of work was going to have to take place between getting him here and him being able to impact games at a high level.”
At 6-foot-10, Diallo is the tallest player on the team, which could lead to some playing time opportunities against certain teams that require matching up with size. However, he is also the rawest of the four freshmen who joined the team this summer, meaning he’ll need significant time to develop.
The fellas are getting a few weeks back home to give all their great Moms a big hug. Ibrahima decided to surprise his family in Senegal. Its been over 3 yrs since hes seen his family. Special moment! pic.twitter.com/rhdPOPHens
— Chris Holtmann (@ChrisHoltmann) July 31, 2019
DJ Carton beginning the development process
The “tremendous” athleticism and the impressive skillset of freshman point guard DJ Carton jump out to Holtmann along with everybody else.
But as with all first-year players, Carton has plenty to learn about the college game, especially under Holtmann who has gained a reputation as a coach tough on his point guards.
“Understanding the pace of play is going to be important, as it is for every freshman,” Holtmann said. “You can play at a certain pace in high school and probably get away with it here. He’s going to have to understand the pace at which he can play and the ability to change speed and the importance of valuing the ball, and you've got less room on the court in college because of just the dimensions of bodies, so understanding how to manage that and deal with that and the decision-making that goes into that. That's a constant process. He's a quick learner, for sure.”
“That's scooting”
In his coaching career, Holtmann had never had a player crack 5 minutes in the mile – until Monday.
Luther Muhammad finished his mile in 4 minutes and 57 seconds. His time tied for the fastest mile ever recorded by an Ohio State basketball player, a mark previously held alone by Jon Diebler.
“That's scooting,” Holtmann said. “That is scooting.”
Note: I feel obligated to mention Eleven Warriors beat reporter Dan Hope informed me that he clocked a time of 4 minutes and 50 seconds in a mile-long race in high school. If anybody wants to build a time machine to put together a Muhammad vs. High School Dan race, I’m all ears.
