Ohio State then-junior guard C.J. Jackson (3) looks to pass in the second half the game against Penn State in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals on Mar. 2 in Madison Square Garden. Ohio State lost 68-69. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Managing Editor for Design
With the departure of the team’s vocal leader in Jae’Sean Tate and Big Ten Player of the Year Keita Bates-Diop, the Ohio State men’s basketball team will be in search of a new player to lead it both on and off the court.
For assistant coach Mike Schrage, one player came to mind first.
“C.J. Jackson for sure, as we expected, he had such a great jump last year,” Schrage said. “He’s even more secure in who he is as a player, as a person, and he’s stepped up big.”
Ohio State assistant coach Terry Johnson also praised Jackson, saying the senior guard “has been doing a good job,” and that “he has to continue to do that” as the team enters its opening game against UNC Pembroke.
Jackson had 12.6 points, second-most on the team, and a team-leading 3.9 assists per game.
This summer, Jackson attended a leadership camp for Athletes in Action this summer, saying he views the team as his because of the experience he brings coming back.
Schrage said he has seen Jackson step up, but that he will not be the leader the team had a season ago.
“There aren’t a lot of them out there anymore like Jae’Sean Tate. He was unique,” Schrage said. “The culture was built pretty well in year one.”
Schrage also mentioned redshirt senior guard Keyshawn Woods as a potential new leader for this young Buckeyes team.
Woods is a graduate transfer from Wake Forest who averaged 11.9 points per game last season. While at Butler, head coach Chris Holtmann attempted to recruit Woods as he transferred from Charlotte, but the then-freshman chose Wake Forest over the Bulldogs.
Schrage said Woods brings a lot of leadership to the team, even if it is not in the vocal style of Tate.
“Keyshawn is so good at being poised, bringing that experience” Schrage said. “The amount of times that he pulls guys and shares, and he’s an extension all of our players are an extension of our staff.”
Leaders for this Ohio State team run further than the veteran group, and Johnson said out of the four freshmen on the roster, guard Luther Muhammad has shown the most ability to lead.
The 6-foot-3, 160-pound shooting guard averaged 14.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while at Hudson Catholic High School. The four-star prospect, according to 24/7 Sports composite rankings, has already proven his ability to be vocal.
“As far as a young guy, probably who I’d say has been steady throughout, it’s probably Luther Muhammad,” Johnson said. “You want guys with passion and energy about playing the game and that’s what Luther brings to us, and he’s always talking, I’m surprised you can’t hear him right now in the weight room.”
Moving into the season as an underdog in the Big Ten has Ohio State in a very similar situation to last year. But in 2017, it had Bates-Diop, Tate and Kam Williams as a veteran core to work around.
Now, with Jackson emerging as a leader according to the coaches, and a group lacking experience to work with, the team needs more leaders to step into roles and fill in for those lost expectations.
Johnson has liked what he’s seen from the freshmen so far.
“This is a new team, and they haven’t been through the wars together yet, so a lot of that is unknown, and who gonna step up? We don’t know, we have no idea who’s gonna score more than what anybody expected of them,” Johnson said. “It’s gonna be somebody. Who? Not sure yet, but I think that’s the exciting thing about it.”
