Two members of Ohio State's basketball team were hit with some bad news earlier this week.
Sophomore point guard JaQuan Lyle and junior forward Keita Bates-Diop each left the team recently to deal with a pair of separate family emergencies, head coach Thad Matta announced Friday. Lyle is back in Indiana as his sister deals with complications from giving birth; Bates-Diop is home in Illinois after his younger brother collapsed during a basketball practice.
Neither player is with the team as it preps for Saturday's game against Maryland.
Ohio State's Joey Lane posted a photo on Twitter ahead of the game where he wrote the names of each of the siblings on his shoes. The photo can be seen in full below.
We are all one family. Life is bigger than basketball. @JMamba13@KBD_33@OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/XdIiNew0HB
— Joey Lane (@JoeySmoke11) February 11, 2017
Lyle showed his appreciation shortly after Lane posted the photo.
Preciate u, homie. https://t.co/eQwhiZGv69
— JaQuan Lyle (@JMamba13) February 11, 2017
