Staying healthy has been a struggle for Kyle Young during each of his last three seasons at Ohio State.
As a sophomore, Young missed four games during the 2018-19 season with a stress fracture in his leg. Last season, Young missed six total games due to a high ankle sprain and an appendectomy. He’s only missed one game this year – last week’s game against Michigan State due to a concussion he suffered in the previous game against Michigan – but has been battling lower leg soreness for months, often keeping him out of practice even though he’s battled through the pain in games.
Known for his consistent effort and physicality on both ends of the court, Young has drawn praise throughout his career for how he’s battled to be one of the Buckeyes’ most reliable players even though he’s often been banged up. After he scored a career-high 18 points last month against Maryland, despite missing multiple days of practice the previous week, teammate Duane Washington Jr. described Young as “one of a kind.”
“Kyle Young is the hardest-working dude, hardest-playing player I've ever played with,” Washington said then. “It's special. It goes unnoticed a lot.”
Asked a couple of weeks ago if Young was one of the best players he’s coached even though he’s not a double-digits-per-game scorer, Chris Holtmann agreed with that assessment.
“You see some of those guys that just, while they may not ever be a prolific scorer, they’re elite in terms of what they can do to help your team win, and he’s up there,” Holtmann said.
But after Sunday’s 73-57 loss to Iowa, in which Young scored only three points – his lowest scoring total in Big Ten play this season – Holtmann said he didn’t feel like Young was able to play up to his usual standard, though not due to a lack of effort.
“Kyle was not his normal,” Holtmann said. “Some of that was having a week off and not practicing at all. He gave it his best. I give him credit. He gave it his best. He really did.”
Kyle Young played 25 minutes but scored only three points in his return to the court against Iowa on Sunday. (Photo: Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
While meeting with the media on Thursday, Young acknowledged he did not have his usual stamina against the Hawkeyes after missing the previous week of practice due to the concussion, the first of his Ohio State career, which he suffered when he accidentally banged heads in a collision with Michigan guard Mike Smith with just nine seconds left to play in the Buckeyes’ loss to the Wolverines.
That said, Young said he expects to be good to go for Saturday’s regular-season finale against Illinois.
“I haven’t really had an experience like having a concussion since I was a kid, so it was different for me the way I felt, and just everything that came with it,” Young said. “I really wasn’t able to practice or do much that whole week leading up to the game, but I started to feel a lot better, more back to normal, going into the game. I just didn’t have much of my wind back with being out. So these past couple days and just getting more rest and getting back into practice has been good. So I’m pretty back to normal. Just gotta keep working to get there.”
Because of the persistent leg issues he’s had, it’s fair to wonder whether Young will be physically able to be at his best for the Buckeyes as they head into the postseason. One could also wonder whether Young, who will play in what could be his final home game Saturday unless he chooses to use the additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA, would be mentally worn down by all the injuries he’s played through at this point.
Young said Thursday, however, that he’s continued to keep a positive mindset and has not allowed the injuries to dampen his spirits.
“That’s something I try not to think too much about, just because I feel like it’s something that I’ve just been able to battle through,” Young said. “There’s been times with my legs and everything that it has set me back a little bit, but it’s nothing that’s ever discouraged me or put me down. Because I just remind myself that it could be worse, there could be tougher things to go through. So for me just tough it out, keep playing and enjoying the game you enjoy to play. So it’s not something I’ll think about too much. I’m going to think about all the good experiences I’ve had and how amazing it’s been to play.”
In comparison to the past two years, Young said he’s actually felt better physically this season even though he’s only practiced on a limited basis.
“We've been doing a good job managing everything with rehab,” Young said. “Really haven't had too many problems.”
Young’s health could certainly be an important factor for the Buckeyes as they enter the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament, as he is arguably the team’s best defender and is its second-leading rebounder. Other than Zed Key, the Buckeyes don’t have much post depth behind Young and E.J. Liddell, making it crucial for Young to be at his best in the homestretch of the season.
One thing the Buckeyes know they can count on with Young, though, is he’ll give maximum effort every game even if he’s not 100 percent healthy. And given that Ohio State is currently having its best season of his four years as a Buckeye, and it could be his last season as a Buckeye, he’s surely going to be motivated to do whatever he can to help his team keep its season going as long as possible.
“We know we got a special group,” Young said. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but we know we need to work every day to continue to get better every day so we can try to make a run here at the end of March.”
