Kyle Young continues to have some bad luck when it comes to the health front. He missed time last year due to a stress fractures in his leg, something the coaching staff continues to monitor this year by lightning his load in practice.
But on top of that, he underwent an appendectomy earlier this year after falling ill in the pregame against West Virginia. He had to miss time to recover from all that’s involved with taking a body part out. And just when you thought he was rounding the corner, the 6-8, 205 lb. power forward suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half against Maryland, a game Ohio State would go on to win.
Chris Holtman provided a bit of an update on Young at his press conference Wednesday to preview the matchup with Illinois, and it sounded like mild improvement, but with caution.
“Kyle is still day-to-day,” said Holtmann. “I would say his improvement has been incremental, and he is anxious to get back, and we’re anxious to get him back — but it was a significant sprain.”
Chris Holtmann describes Kyle Young’s improvement as “incremental.” He’s still day to day coming off a “significant” ankle sprain.
— Bill Landis (@BillLandis25) March 4, 2020
There’s no denying the value Young brings to the floor. He’ll go get rebounds, play tough defense on the inside, hit the floor for loose balls, and clean up some of the loose change to get junk baskets. He has been missed despite a pretty good three-game run without him.
But now, you have to wonder if the coaching staff wants to put him in games that don’t have much bearing on the postseason. The Buckeyes still have a chance to improve their seeding for the Big Ten Tournament a spot or two, but there’s no shot at winning the regular-season crown.
On top of that, since winning eight of its last ten, the team is well-positioned to make the NCAA Tournament no matter how the rest of the schedule plays out. Still, you want to build for the postseason, and having Young in there to not only add depth, but a unique skill set and effort has to be weighing on Holtmann’s mind.
“I think all that know our team, and in particular this week, he adds a lot of value with what he brings,” Holtmann said. “But you’re also mindful of what’s in the best interest of him and what’s in the best interest of our team long-term, as well.”
Here’s how we see it. Don’t be surprised to see Young shelved for the Illinois game Thursday and then reassessed after that. Following the contest against the Illini, it’s a road game at Michigan State Sunday, followed by the Big Ten Tournament.
Hopefully Young is in good shape to help OSU make a run in the postseason, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the coaching staff take it easy on him up until then. We’ll stay on top of the news as it becomes available.
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