Ohio State basketball forward Kyle Young has dealt with about all you can during his time in Columbus. He’s dealt with lower-body issues, a concussion, and more in just five years that have all contributed to some significant missed time both in practice and in games.
And now he’ll have to battle another health issue before the season gets off the ground. Just when you thought he was ready to take his “super-senior” year by storm and finally put it all together, head coach Chris Holtmann announced that Young will be out to start the year after being diagnosed with a “vestibular dysfunction.” In layman’s terms as best as we can, it’s basically an issue with the body’s balance system and can lead to things like vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and more.
As far as how long Ohio State will be without Young, it’s hard to tell because of the nature of the condition, but Holtmann does not expect it to be a season-long thing.
“We don’t see this as a long-term injury,” Holtmann said. “We also don’t have a specific timeline right now for him to return. He has been out for a little bit here with that condition.”
Here's what #Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann had to say about Kyle Young's vestibular dysfunction and what things might look like going forward: https://t.co/KQJCDMmAtw
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) October 29, 2021
Without Young out, and with fellow forward Seth Towns just now getting back to conditioning activity after undergoing a procedure for a herniated disk, Ohio State will have to find minutes from other spots to make up for the loss of bodies. E.J. Liddell will obviously get plenty of time at the position, but Holtmann also mentioned some creativity with lineups that might need to occur.
“We’re looking at a couple different options with he (Young) and Seth out,” Holtmann said. “Obviously, E.J. (Liddell) will log a significant amount of minutes at that position, but you could also see a multitude of guys — whether it’s Gene Brown, Justin Ahrens, Justice Sueing — a number of those guys.”
Ohio State sure has health with its fair share of injuries and health concerns over the last few seasons, and it looks like that will continue for the 2021-2022 season. There’s not much time to figure it all out either because things will get underway before you know it. OSU will have a scrimmage against Indianapolis on Monday before tipping off against Akron on 11/9.
We of course wish Young a speedy plan of treatment and recovery.
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