Buckeye Basketball: Duane Washington Jr. Leading Variety of Upperclassmen
Plenty of talk has already taken place about the veteran presence on the 2020-21 Ohio State men’s basketball roster. Graduate/fifth-year seniors like Seth Towns, CJ Walker and Abel Porter certainly have their share of experience, as does redshirt junior Justice Sueing after coming over from California.
But, outside of Kyle Young, no player has more run in an actual Buckeye uniform than Duane Washington Jr. The 6-foot-3 guard is Ohio State’s leading returning scorer and remains a critical piece of the puzzle.
“It’s exciting stuff, it feels right,” said Washington, during a recent media session, when asked about an increased role this coming season. “I’ve talked to the coaches and we are on the same page with everything. Junior year got here really quickly. The reality has hit, so I’m mentally prepared and ready to take on this challenge.”
Washington (Grand Rapids, Mich.) averaged 11.5 points last year and has played in 63 college games since arriving to campus. The Buckeyes have compiled a 40-24 record during his two years but are now striving to turn the corner.
“With Duane, I think we saw towards the final third of the season what he could be,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “He’s got to utilize his unique gifts in scoring. Certainly, of all of our perimeters, he had the highest usage rate by a significant margin. I think he now has to read defenses a little bit better while he’s playmaking for us.”
Washington had 14 double-digit scoring games a year ago, including a career-high 20 against Penn State, and will now surely be relied on following the departures of D.J. Carton, Andrew Wesson and others. His sophomore season was cut short due to the CoVID-19 pandemic, and the offseason was anything but ordinary for many college athletes striving to develop.
“We were fortunate enough to have a full-court gym (back home) for me, my cousin and my dad,” Washington said about the recent lockdown. “One of the main things for me, coming into this year, is I need to be stronger and control my body, to take hits from big guys. We had a weight room in there as well, and I was in there every day. That was our routine.”
Now, Washington is focused on his personal development while mentoring younger players such as true freshmen Eugene Brown III and Zed Key. He wants them to have a more stable path than he might have, and knows they are all enduring this unique time together.
Ohio State is slated to open the season come November 25, per a recent NCAA ruling. Complete schedule and opponents is still being determined.
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