Jake Diebler, Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson Expect Big Things From Buckeye Backcourt

COLUMBUS — Ohio State men’s basketball coach Jake Diebler spent a few minutes with reporters on Thursday to discuss the recent season-ending injury to guard Taison Chatman. Following that, OSU guards Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson answered questions about Johnson’s return to Ohio State, how the two will mesh on the court, and much more. The highlights of everything that was said can be found below.

Jake Diebler

• Heart breaks for Taison Chatman following his knee injury. It was the same knee he has had issues with before but unrelated to his previous issue. It will be a hard recover but he will be supported throughout.
• How do you help Chatman through this and how does this impact the roster? You support him by keeping him around and part of the team. EJ Liddell has been around and has talked to him. Liddell missed a season with injury and he had some words of wisdom for him. He’s gotten support from different people around the program. Regarding the roster, it felt like depth at guard was a strength for them, which included Taison Chatman. “I still think depth is a strength for us.” They are still evaluating the team and where to make any additions. The injury impacts the team but not in a way that they can’t recover from.
• Diebler wants to play more ball handlers and he wants to play faster, which will include some of the forwards getting involved and pushing the past, as Evan Mahaffey did last year.
• Having former OSU vets back this month: They get to experience what makes this program so special all the time, but it’s always impactful to see NBA guys like D’Angelo Russell and Keita Bates-Diop working out with the team, as well as guys like Will Buford and Ron Lewis recently. “I’ve talked extensively about the family that is Ohio State basketball…and we got to really feel that and see that” these last couple of days.
• Is there anybody in the portal that can help at this late date? “We’re looking at all options, and one of them is sitting tight too.” Don’t want to rush into something but they’re evaluating the portal still.
• What did you envision for Taison Chatman’s role being this year before the injury? He provided competition for time on the roster. Roles have not been defined yet and that’s still being worked out in workouts and practices. “I love that we have competition across the board with this team.”
• Meechie Johnson’s growth as a man and a leader is different than when he was first a Buckeye. He’s still a fun-loving, hard-working man, but he has grown as a leader. “I’ve been really impressed with his consistency in those areas since he’s been here.” “I’m so excited about what our backcourt can be. It’s going to drive our season all year long.”

Meechie Johnson

• How is it being back? “It’s been a blessing to be back and honored to be welcomed back.” You can feel the culture of what it’s like to be here. “It’s just about winning.”
• How have you jelled? “Me and Bruce will be one of the best backcourts in the nation this year.”
• Losing Taison Chatman hurts because they know what he could do for this team.
• On the opportunity to play against Oregon: Excited for the opportunity at revenge against them. That’s how they have to approach every game.
• Why did you leave? It just wasn’t going the way he wanted it to. It wasn’t ultimately his decision. On returning, there were a lot of places he could go but he wanted to play with another good guard like Bruce Thornton and he wants to play in the tournament again.
• Who is the point guard? They will both be on the ball and off the ball. You have to be able to play off the ball and he’s been able to do that before.
• What is most different for you since you left? His play has changed and he has shown what he can do. He’s learned to win at South Carolina. He went through some struggles but eventually figured it out. “I want to do something that ain’t been done in a couple of years.” And not to just make the tournament but win it.
• What did you learn about yourself? “I learned a lot.” It was just him and his dog. He learned that basketball doesn’t define him as a person. He has had more fun with the game. “I’m a hard worker and I’m focused.” “I want to prove that I’m a winner.”
• On freshman Juni Mobley? “Kinda reminds me of me a little bit.” He is not afraid to shoot. He listens and competes.

Bruce Thornton

• He didn’t really pay attention on Twitter or social media that Meechie Johnson was a possibility to return.
• Meechie Johnson was his recruiting host years ago. His visit was the football loss to Oregon. Things have come full circle.
• What can this backcourt be? “I feel like we can accomplish anything we put our mind to.” There are pieces here to be very good.
• What’s it like to be the only guy still here from your recruiting class? It’s crazy. He is still in contact with them. They’ll be friends forever. He hasn’t reached his goals at Ohio State. That’s one of the reasons he returned. Jake Diebler is another. He still has a lot to prove to himself and the fans. He wants to show everybody that Ohio State is the real deal.
• Focus this offseason was being better on defense off the ball. Also getting better as a leader closing out games. Being more vocal. They lost too many games when they had the game in the bag with 10 minutes left. He understands that every game matters and closing out games is very important.
• It’s been great to have NBA guys working out with them because “that’s the goal, that’s the dream” to get to the NBA. They are seeing that there really are levels to this.
• On Juni Mobley: He competes at a very high level. He makes big shots. He really wants to win. “He has a super-bright future…” if he keeps the consistency going.
• How do you and Meechie Johnson complement each other? Johnson is an explosive scorer but is also an underrated playmaker. He has helped Thornton be a better off-ball defender.
• It is difficult to mold and build a structure with a new staff and new players from the portal. It doesn’t just happen. You have to really work at it and try to get better every single day.
• How will you and Meechie Johnson lead this team? “To be honest, he has made the tournament and I haven’t.” Thornton has been learning from Johnson. He’s asking a lot of questions. He is trying to figure out how to help this team make the tournament and also make himself better.

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