Ohio State head basketball coach Chris Holtmann entertained media members today via teleconference and dropped a bit of a surprise on folks. When discussing Kaleb Wesson and the NBA, he threw in another name that is also going through the feedback and all that’s involved with the NBA draft.
Now, he was quick to point out that we shouldn’t read too much into it — meaning it’s likely to just be a discovery process and we can plan on seeing Walker running the point again next season.
However, it’s news, and although the chances of Walker getting any kind of feedback that would make him jump at the chance to leave the program early isn’t likely to happen, it’s still out there.
As a reminder, college players can declare for the NBA draft by April 26 this year. They can even hire a certified agent and still maintain college eligibility as long as they withdraw their name by the deadline. This year, that date is set as June 3.
“CJ Walker also wanted to go through the process, kind of gathering information,” said Holtmann. “And I don’t want anybody to overreact. He fully expects and plans to come back and lead our team. But I think that’s a right that every player has and we support him in that.”
Andy Katz has Ohio State way down his early power 36 college basketball rankings for next season https://t.co/TNBWZobwCB
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) April 13, 2020
Walker began to really assert himself at the tail end of last season. He averaged 8.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 29.0 minutes per game during 2019-2020, but scored in double figures his last six games.
There’s no doubt, he’ll be one of the leaders of this team next year and will be the unquestioned starter at the point guard position. So rest easy, this is just a part of a kid gaining valuable feedback from the NBA types just like the younger Wesson did last year.