Ohio State's backcourt depth has taken a hit five months before the season starts.
Sophomore guard Taison Chatman will miss all of the 2024-25 basketball season after tearing the ACL in his left knee.
“I’m incredibly sad for Taison that he’s going to miss the entire year,” Jake Diebler said in a release. “After a tough start to his collegiate career, he worked his way back and played a role for us at the end of last season. He continued that development this spring and was working out really well. I was looking forward to watching him take the next step this year. But I know he’ll work hard and get back to form as soon as he can.”
Chatman underwent successful surgery to repair the ligament on Tuesday. The same left knee required meniscus surgery last offseason, which slowed his development as a freshman and caused him to miss the first four games of the season.
The highest-rated prospect in Ohio State's 2023 recruiting class, which ranked seventh nationally, Chatman exited high school as a four-star combo guard considered the nation's No. 39 recruit. He appeared in 17 total games as a freshman, scoring a total of 17 points with six assists. He saw the floor for 4.2 minutes per contest.
With Meechie Johnson Jr. and Bruce Thornton slated to be the Buckeyes' starting guard tandem, the only pure guard set to be available off the bench now is incoming freshman Juni Mobley. San Diego State transfer wing Micah Parrish could also fill some ball-handling and distribution responsibilities, as can small forward Evan Mahaffey.
Ohio State still has one more scholarship available, which was expected to be used on additional frontcourt depth. With Chatman's injury, however, a pivot to the backcourt seems more than feasible.
