DJ Carton is returning to Ohio State, but not the hardwood quite yet.
The freshman point guard took an indefinite leave of absence from the basketball team on Jan. 30 and has since been in his hometown of Bettendorf, Iowa. This week, Carton is returning to school in Columbus, but there is still no timetable for his return to basketball activities, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Carton posted a photo of himself in an Ohio State uniform to Snapchat on Wednesday afternoon with the caption ”Back with the gang on Friday” followed by a few photos with the Buckeye basketball team. On Thursday morning, Carton posted a video from inside the Quad City International Airport, presumably on his way back to Columbus.
Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann spoke about Carton's potential return to the team on Wednesday, saying that the freshman guard would not be playing in or attending Thursday night's road matchup with Iowa, saying "there's a lot that has to happen" before a return is possible.
“When a player is pulled away for medical reasons, specifically mental health, there's very specific and extended protocol that goes into that,” Holtmann said. “And it's to protect the player. It's pretty extensive.”
