Ohio State senior guard CJ Walker (13) makes his way around an Illinois State player during the Ohio State-Illinois State game on Nov. 25. Ohio State won 94-67. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
While Ohio State was finding its groove, CJ Walker was on the bench nursing a right hand injury.
However, the Buckeyes’ success did not diminish Walker’s role on the team, and the redshirt senior point guard’s return helped Ohio State survive its late-game struggles against Wisconsin Saturday.
Head coach Chris Holtmann announced Jan. 7 that a lingering right hand injury would sideline Walker for the Rutgers game Jan. 9. Walker’s absence spanned four games, during which the Buckeyes went 3-1 and dealt with scares in the final minutes of games.
After the win against Illinois Jan. 16, head coach Chris Holtmann said the player he called an “exceptional leader” before the season made his presence felt from the bench.
“He can put these wins on his resume when he gets into coaching,” Holtmann said. “He was really vocal. Led the way in talking, and certainly we missed his ball handling and his ability to get to spots.”
Sitting out the 2018-19 season because of his transfer from Florida State to Ohio State, Walker started 29 games for the Buckeyes and averaged 8.7 points and 3.5 assists per game throughout the 2019-20 campaign.
Serving as the primary ball handler for the Buckeyes since his emergence into the starting lineup last season, Holtmann said Walker has been the team’s “most vocal, loudest guy.”
Heading into his redshirt senior season with a different roster — one that lacks former center Kaleb Wesson — Walker said he approached gelling the team together through both his actions and his words.
“I feel like me being a vocal leader just makes it that much easier, so I’m not really too worried about chemistry and things like that,” Walker said Oct. 2. “I feel like I’ll be able to take care of that with me being a leader and us being basketball players.”
Struggling to get things going from the field and shooting 30.1 percent before his injury sidelined him, Walker’s voice still carried weight from the sidelines, graduate forward Seth Towns said.
“CJ’s a huge part of our team,” Towns said Jan. 16. “He’s doing a really good job, and these are the things that players don’t get much credit for, but he’s like a coach on the sidelines. He’s still finding ways to contribute to this team.”
In the Illinois win, the Buckeyes saw a 14-point second-half lead dwindle to as few as 2 before ultimately securing the win.
Turnovers and a few missed free throws played a role in the near collapse against the Fighting Illini, but the late-game struggles could not be overcome against Purdue Jan. 19.
The Boilermakers edged the Buckeyes 67-65 with a late surge, but Holtmann said the team was more than capable of closing the game out without Walker.
The disappointing loss to break a three-game win streak marked the final game of Walker’s break from game action.
In search of a bounce-back win against then-No. 10 Wisconsin, Walker provided a lift off the bench with 8 points and three assists.
However, sophomore forward E.J. Liddell said Walker’s impact transcended the stat sheet.
“He was on the sideline sorta being like an assistant coach, but just that different leader on the floor, and we needed him as a point guard,” Liddell said Saturday. “He came out there and did what he usually does and be a leader.”
On the court, Holtmann said Walker helped calm the team down when the lead dipped to 4 points in the final minutes. Walker delivered 4 points in the final five minutes, including a pair of free throws from the 97.8 percent free throw shooter.
While he provides a lift on the offensive end, Holtmann said Walker is a valued asset to the Buckeyes’ defensive efforts as well.
“He’s a tremendous talker defensively — tremendous talker. He sees things and he competes — sometimes he competes a little too hard defensively and he gets into foul trouble — but he really competes defensively,” Holtmann said Saturday.
Coming off the bench against the Badgers, Holtmann said his integration back into the rotation will be dependent on how Walker feels, but the fourth-year Ohio State head coach said he will not fully move away from redshirt junior Justice Sueing, who helped fill the point guard role while Walker was out.
“Some of it will depend on how his hand is feeling and what the pain tolerance is,” Holtmann said. “But I think we’re in a good rhythm. I like the ball in Justice’s hands at times as well at the point guard spot as well as Duane (Washington Jr.), so we won’t go away from that.”
