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Men's Basketball
Two-Minute Drill: Lenzelle Hurting, Ross Welcomed Back
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It has already been a big week at Ohio State, and the news just keeps getting better.

After nearly a calendar year of torment in Columbus, the Buckeyes are trending upward, both on the football and the basketball court.

Thad Matta and his Buckeyes are coming off a 22-point victory over Duke in one of the biggest games ever held at Value City Arena, and they received more good news on Friday concerning both LaQuinton Ross and Lenzelle Smith Jr.

LaQuinton Ross to Join Buckeyes

• Matta confirmed Friday that Ross has regained his eligibility and will rejoin the Buckeyes on Dec. 9, the first day after the completion of finals for Ohio State’s fall quarter.

• Matta said Ross is unlikely to play at Kansas because he will not have practiced with the team.

• Ross did practice with the Buckeyes over the summer, but it was only briefly. Matta said it was the first two practices, and they were really introductory practices.

• Aaron Craft said it might be harder to add a guy like Ross to the mix at this point in the season if he hadn't been here all summer. They saw him put in the work, and consider him a part of the team.

• Matta said the key for Ross will be how he prepared while he was away.

• Matta told him it's important to come in asking what he can do to help the team, not what they can do to help him.

• Craft said Ross will not going to come in and change the team completely. He's going to come in and find his niche.

• Both Craft and Lenzelle Smith talked about his ability to shoot from long range. Smith said he wants to see Ross in transition because he's long and he can score. Makes smart decisions.

Lenzelle Smith on the Mend

• Lenzelle Smith said his fall caused a sore bruise on the muscle in his backside.

• He said he is getting better every day, but didn't feel so hot Wednesday. Should be ready to play Saturday against Texas-Pan American.

• Smith said he was thankful he landed directly on his butt and not on his back. Said he thought about Evan Turner’s fall from a few years ago.

• Lenzelle said his rehab has been a lot of stretching, with a little icing. “Everyone here knows I hate ice. The first time I almost cried. I'll do almost anything to avoid an ice bath.”

 

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