Ohio State men's basketball power rankings: No. 1 Justice Sueing
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A year unlike any other is about to get underway at Ohio State.
One year after a roster bolstered by players enjoying the extra year of eligibility afforded to all who played though the COVID-19 pandemic topped out at 15 members, the 2022-23 Buckeyes will be a team facing unprecedented turnover. With coach Chris Holtmann entering his sixth season, a combination of early departures for the NBA, the exhaustion of collegiate eligibility and the allure of the transfer portal have all combined to create a roster featuring only two players who played in at least three games for Ohio State last season.
That’s not to say there aren’t familiar faces in Columbus. They are simply outnumbered by a five-man freshman class, ranked tops in the Big Ten, and a three-man transfer class that combines to comprise more than half the roster. Those new faces, combined with a few veterans, will attempt to outshoot their projected sixth-place finish in the preseason media poll and find a way to Ohio State’s first Sweet 16 since the 2012-13 season.
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Before the Buckeyes get the year underway with an exhibition against Chaminade on Nov. 1 and the season opener against Robert Morris on Nov. 7, The Dispatch will be producing its annual preseason individual power rankings list. These rankings are an educated guess at which players will have the most significant on-court impact during the course of the entire season and will feature each player on the roster.
We've reached the summit with sixth-year graduate forward Justice Sueing at No. 1.
No. 1 – Justice Sueing
Position: Forward
Eligibility: Sixth year (zero remaining)
Height/weight: 6 feet 6 / 210 pounds
Jersey number: 14
Major: Public management (graduate certificate)
Background
A native of Honolulu, Hawai’i, Sueing played for Maryknoll School as a freshman and sophomore before transferring and spending his final two seasons at prep powerhouse Santa Ana (California) Mater Dei. He committed to the University of California as a three-star prospect ranked No. 171 nationally in the class of 2017 according to the 247Sports.com composite database. Sueing signed with California after also landing offers from Hawai’i, Montana, San Francisco, Vanderbilt, and Utah.
As a sophomore, Sueing led California in scoring and rebounding at 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, good for 12th and 13th best, respectively, in the Pac-12. Following the 2018-19 season, Sueing transferred following an 8-23 record that led to the firing of coach Wyking Jones.
When Sueing opted to transfer, Ohio State called him within 20 minutes of his name entering the portal. In an era before the one-time transfer waiver for immediate eligibility, ESPN ranked Sueing as the 13th best “sit-one” transfer option on the market. As he entered the portal and began to explore his options, Sueing said he wanted to look at a school on the West Coast and another somewhere out east and pick between the two. San Diego State and Ohio State landed his two visits, with his Buckeyes visit taking place during the weekend of May 3, 2019. He committed roughly a week later.
He sat out for the 2019-20 season and suffered a foot injury in practice that would sideline him for a few weeks and also complicate life when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The Lisfranc injury required a screw to be inserted into his left foot, and the need to have it removed kept him in Columbus for a few extra weeks when the pandemic made all non-essential medical procedures more difficult to schedule.
During the 2020-21 season, Sueing passed the 1,000-point career scoring mark in a January 3 loss at Minnesota and the 500 rebound mark when he pulled down eight in a loss to Illinois on March 6. A small forward by trade, Sueing was thrust into the backcourt when mid-season injuries decimated the position and proved capable of handling the ball and initiating the offense while remaining productive. Among the attributes Ohio State coach Holtmann particularly prized about Sueing was his ability to get to the free-throw line. He finished the season ranked 55th nationally in free-throw rate according to KenPom.com, the best mark of his career.
In 96 games spread across time at California and Ohio State, Sueing has averaged 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 31.3% (99 for 316) from 3-point range, 44.6% (411 for 912) from the field and 74.0% (310 for 419) from the free-throw line.
2021-22 recap
To be blunt, it was not the season Sueing – or Ohio State – had anticipated. A primary contributor during his first season of eligibility with the Buckeyes, Sueing had been slowed by a groin injury at the tail end of the 2020-21 season but figured he would be fully recovered by the time the 2021-22 season got underway.
“I think you’ll see Justice Sueing take another step offensively,” Holtmann said during the preseason. “He’ll clearly play both positions and primary ball-handling role whether he’s playing the wing spot or even potentially a backup point guard role some for sure or even a point guard role at some point. I think the ball will be in his hands a fair amount.”
That proved to be false hope. At the team’s media day, Sueing said he was still trying to get his groin fully healthy and that he was hoping things would be fine by the time the season got underway. During open practice settings, Sueing looked like a player primed to assume a significant role as playmaker, shot-maker and overall contributor on a team otherwise anchored by the likes of first-team all-Big Ten forward E.J. Liddell and fifth-year forward Kyle Young.
Instead, Sueing would see only two games’ worth of action. He came off the bench in the opener against Akron and looked little like the player who had averaged 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds to finish third and tied for second, respectively, the season prior. He had 2 points, three rebounds and a turnover in 14 minutes as the Buckeyes won, 67-66, in the final seconds. Three days later, Sueing reached double figures with 10 points and added four rebounds in 16 minutes as Ohio State handled Niagara, 84-74.
It would be the final time he would see game action for the Buckeyes. From there, Sueing was shut down and sought out medical care from a specialist. Although he was never officially ruled out for the remainder of the season, Sueing would not return as the injury healed. He frequently was mentioned as having made progress, and prior to a Jan. 18 home game against IUPUI Sueing went through a significant on-court workout in front of early-arriving reporters.
He would eventually undergo a second, undisclosed procedure, announce his decision to return to Ohio State for a final year and enter the 2022-23 season with a clean bill of health after a difficult road.
“Shoot, I think I’ve had the injury for about a year before everything got better,” he said at Big Ten media day this year. “It was a dark time, a tough time, but during those times I looked to God, my family to help push me through those hurdle that everyone is going to experience at some point. Mine happened to be this injury. I look at it as a testament to me, overcoming something so I can get to my end goal.
“Regardless of how long it took, I knew I was gonna get back and healthy and I knew I was going to be able to help this team win.”
Need to know
Sueing is a two-time captain as voted on by the players at Ohio State and the first Hawai’i native to play for the Buckeyes.
He shares his first name with his father, who was given it by his father, Otis L. Sueing, who served in Vietnam. He was recruited by Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann while he was at Butler. Sueing can play the ukulele and outside of basketball has interests in fashion, painting, art and video games.
He has signed with The Foundation collective to capitalize on his name, image and likeness rights and recently spent a morning visiting with children with disabilities at Lifetown Columbus. He has also signed a NIL deal with The O Foundation, a collective founded by alumnus Ron Stokes to specifically assist the men’s basketball program.
2022-23 season outlook
From the moment Sueing received a fully clean bill of health, the veteran instantly became Ohio State’s most important player for the season.
“I think he’s a young man who’s anxious,” Holtmann said at Ohio State’s media day in late September. “He’s anxious to get out there, he’s anxious to be healthy and he wants to stay healthy. For a kid like him to have a whole season taken away from him with the exception of (two games), you really want it for him.”
His versatility should manifest itself in multiple ways for the Buckeyes. Defensively, Ohio State struggled significantly on the defensive end in his absence, particularly when it came to keeping opponents off the glass. In Big Ten play two seasons ago, Sueing’s defensive rebounding percentage as calculated by KenPom.com was 24th best in Big Ten play. Offensively, he was eighth in free-throw rate, 19th in fouls drawn per 40 minutes and 17th in offensive rebounding percentage and had the 24th-best offensive rating in the league.
All of that is to say that a healthy Sueing is expected to contribute in nearly every phase of the game for this year’s Ohio State team.
“I think we’re really early as far as roles in general, but for myself, something I’ve always been pretty consistent with is being a leader out there to these guys, especially with a younger group, as well as being able to produce however we need, whether it’s scoring, defending, making plays,” he said as the preseason got underway. “I’m excited to see how we mesh together.”
There will be rust. Sueing did not participate in the team’s two exhibition games in the Bahamas, and he has been slowed by a sprained ankle during the preseason that cost him a few days. That time off showed during Ohio State’s “secret” scrimmage against Wake Forest in late October, and it’s fair to expect Sueing to need some time to regain the timing and form that made him such an important piece two seasons ago.
But on a team with so much turnover, Sueing is expected to be the anchor.
Asked what fans will see from him this season, Sueing said, “Man, you’re going to see a healthy Justice and hopefully I can bring a lot of wins to this program this year as well as me playing my game, being the best overall player I can be.”
Additional reading
Justice Sueing: Justice is more than just a name for Ohio State senior forward Sueing
Ohio State Buckeyes: Justice Sueing, Ohio State Buckeyes show off new look at open practice
Justice Sueing: Healthy Justice Sueing out to give Ohio State basketball answers after season of questions
Ohio State Buckeyes: Ohio State's Justice Sueing, Seth Towns getting healthier as Bahamas trip approaches
Justice Sueing: Forward settling into well-rounded role for Ohio State
Justice Sueing: In point guard debut, Ohio State's Justice Sueing shines in win against Northwestern
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What makes Justice Sueing Ohio State basketball's best player
