Ohio State men’s basketball landed a big (both literally and figuratively) transfer commitment from former Baylor center Josh Ojianwuna in May, but the news was quickly followed by the caveat that the 6-foot-10, 230-pound center is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in February while playing for the Bears.
Ojianwuna, who averaged 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season at Baylor, also shot an extremely efficient 77.4% from the floor last season before the knee injury. If healthy, the Nigerian-born
big man would’ve likely slid in right behind Christoph Tilly as Ohio State’s backup center, considering his size and success at the high-major level.
However, his status remains in doubt as the Buckeyes creep closer to official practices starting in October, and there is no guarantee that Ojianwuna will play for the Buckeyes this season, leaving the door open for a redshirt season followed by a (hopefully) healthy senior season in 2026-27.
On Wednesday, head coach Jake Diebler said that the coaching staff is not prepared to project a role for Ojianwuna, but that his recovery is going well and that he has been able to participate in some team activities and workouts. He did not divulge what Ojianwuna is able to do, or when he would be able to officially practice with the team.
When asked on Wednesday about his mindset going into the season, Diebler said the Buckeyes are preparing as if the guys who are currently practicing are the players that they will have this season. As of now, that does not include Ojianwuna.
“There’s going to be a time where we will be able to project something, right. Like an endgame. We’re certainly not there yet, but as far as our preparation, we are preparing with who is at practice right now. And I view Josh, if he’s able to play this year, then that’s icing on the cake.“
So, if you jumped on the Josh Ojianwuna hype train back in May, you may want to calmly get off at the next stop, because Diebler did not sound overly confident or optimistic about the big man’s chances of returning. However, he did tell Land-Grant Holy Land that there will be a point this fall where they should be able to make more of a long-term plan for Ojianwuna’s return, whether that’s this season or next.
“We’ll get a feel this fall for kind of (the timeline). At least, we’ll be able to see the finish line for Josh and understand what that means for the team. We’re just not quite there yet to understand “hey here’s where we’re projecting to have to make that decision.” To answer your other question about him, it’s going well. Recovery, rehab, PT is all going really well. He’s attacking it, he’s doing great. He’s gotten stronger, he’s able to do a little bit more now. It’s been good.“
If Ojianwuna is unable to play this season, sophomore center Ivan Njegovan will be the more obvious candidate to play backup center minutes for the Buckeyes this season. Njegovan appeared in 21 games last year as a freshman, averaging 5.6 minutes per game.
The 7-foot-1, 250 pounder averaged 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Wright State transfer Brandon Noel, Ohio State’s expected starting power forward, and freshman forward A’mare Bynum could also slide over and play some minutes at center if need be.
Diebler said that he has also toyed with the idea of Njegovan at center and Tilly at power forward in some lineups, as a way to go bigger and take advantage of Tilly’s playmaking ability. If Ojianwuna is able to play, he would assumedly also slot in at center alongside Tilly, in that particular lineup combination.
“We’re trying Tilly and Ivan together, trying a package to be prepared for Tilly and Ivan to play together, and potentially Josh to be in that lineup as well. But I think with Ivan this summer, I know I brought him up (already), but I think this summer’s been really good for him. I’m really proud of his development and how hard he’s working. He’s gained great experience and I think he’s playing with more and more confidence.”
