Ohio State basketball's Isaac Likekele takes leave from team
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Ohio State will be without starter Isaac Likekele for its Big Ten opener against Rutgers and possibly longer.
Likekele, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State, has temporarily left the program to return home to address some personal matters, according to an Ohio State release. The Dispatch has learned that Likekele’s return to Texas is related to a family illness as well as the loss of at least one close friend.
Although it’s not immediately clear how long Likekele will be away from the program, he is expected to return.
Listed at 6-5, 215 pounds, Likekele arrived at Ohio State as a versatile player who can guard all five positions and who was the first player in Cowboys history to accumulate more than 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 400 assists.
Through his first eight games with the Buckeyes, Likekele leads the team in assists per game (3.1), is second in rebounding average (6.3), third in minutes played and eighth in scoring average (4.5) while running the point, playing down low and using his physicality to allow the Buckeyes to occasionally play without a true center – attributes that would have been of particular use against a physical Rutgers team.
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The Buckeyes will have a nine-day break in between games. After hosting Rutgers, they will head to Madison Square Garden to face North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 17 before returning to Value City Arena to host Maine on Dec. 21. Ohio State’s final game in December will be when Alabama A&M comes to Value City Arena on Dec. 28, the final tune-up before Big Ten play fully gets underway Jan. 1 at Northwestern.
Likekele has started all eight games this season and has primarily run the point when freshman Bruce Thornton has needed a break. Without Likekele, sixth-year forward Justice Sueing is likely to take on that role as he did two seasons ago when injuries decimated the point guard position. Freshman Roddy Gayle could also see time at the point.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Isaac Likekele taking leave of absence from Ohio State basketball
