Aaron Bradshaw returned to the Ohio State men’s basketball program this week after missing the last five games while he was investigated by the university. The Buckeyes could use the 7-foot-1 sophomore forward in Saturday’s game against No. 2 Auburn in Atlanta, but on Thursday coach Jake Diebler sounded highly doubtful that Bradshaw would play.
“For Aaron, it’s been good to get him back in the gym and kind of start his return to play,” Diebler said during a meeting with local media. “[There’s been] no real decisions as to what the specific timeline is going to look like yet. We’re still evaluating that. He’s gotten a couple of good workouts in and that’s the extent of it right now.”
Bradshaw averaged 7.8 points (on just 38 percent shooting) and 4.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes while starting Ohio State’s first four games. On Nov. 22, he was a late scratch before a game against Campbell. The university announced that Bradshaw would not participate in team activities. The Columbus Dispatch later reported that he was being investigated by the university for an alleged domestic incident at his off-campus apartment. The Buckeyes went 3-2 without him.
A former five-star prospect from New Jersey, Bradshaw is a former McDonald’s All-American who spent his freshman season at Kentucky, where he played in 26 games with 10 starts and averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.7 minutes. He scored 17 points in a win over Penn in his second game, but as the season wore on he found himself buried at the end of Kentucky’s bench. Bradshaw entered the transfer portal in the off-season and landed at Ohio State.
On Monday, Ohio State announced that its investigative process was concluded and Bradshaw would rejoin the Buckeyes. Because Bradshaw was unable to practice with the team, he has ground to make up, especially with regard to his conditioning. That’s why Diebler cautioned that it could be some time before Bradshaw is ready to compete.
“The first part is evaluating where he’s at physically after being out for an extended period of time,” Diebler said. “That’s what these initial days are for…He’s got some room to get back to where he was, like when you’re prepped for in-season mode. How long that will take, we don’t know yet.”
Diebler also said Thursday that two other injured players, guard Ques Glover (ankle) and forward Colin White (foot), remain highly improbable as well to go on Saturday. “I don’t anticipate them being back,” Diebler said. “Both of those guys are moving in the right direction. [I’m] certainly open to being surprised come Saturday, but as of right now, I don’t anticipate that.”
Ohio State has struggled the last few games due to its lack of size without Bradshaw. Duke transfer Sean Stewart, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, has been called upon to play an expanded role. He is averaging 5.3 points and 5.9 rebounds. The remainder of that workload has fallen upon 6-foot-6 sophomore Devin Royal, who is averaging 14.1 points and 7.4 boards.
To supplement its lack of height, Ohio State has shot 41.6 percent from three-point range, which ranks fourth in the country. Bruce Thornton and John Mobley, Jr. are currently shooting 53 percent and 56 percent, respectively. Theoretically, Ohio State should be a bigger, better team with Bradshaw on the floor, but it’s not yet clear when that will happen. The Buckeyes play his former team, Kentucky, in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 21.
