In his first game back in almost a full calendar year, Ohio State's Keita Bates-Diop put together one of the most consistent performances of his career.
After missing the majority of the 2016-17 season due to a stress fracture in his leg, Bates-Diop dropped 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting in a season-opening, 95-64 victory over Robert Morris on Friday night at Value City Arena.
The win, the first of the Chris Holtmann era at Ohio State, saw four Buckeyes score in double figures, but it was Bates-Diop's performance that stood out. The redshirt-junior from Normal, Ill., not only led Ohio State in points, but also collected seven offensive rebounds, finishing with a total of 11 boards in the victory. The double-double was the seventh of his Ohio State career.
Bates-Diop said after the game that while he hadn't played in a game that counted in close to a year, he didn't feel as though he had any rust to shake off.
"I am healthy, I am feeling great. It was a good game from everybody," he said after the game. "I came back a few months ago so it wasn't like I just came back. I had a lot of time in practice to kind of get back and feel good."
At halftime, Bates-Diop had collected 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting as the Buckeyes ran out to a 46-26 lead heading into the locker rooms. He played just seven minutes in the second half with the game in hand, but still managed to grab six more boards, score six points and block a shot in that span.
Robert Morris head coach Andrew Toole said Bates-Diop's length on both ends of the floor made him a tougher matchup than he initially expected after watching the Buckeyes on film.
Bates-Diop poured in a team-high 19 points and collected 11 rebounds in a 95-64 win over Robert Morris on Friday night. Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
"He is much bigger and longer than he look on film," Toole said. "He is just so smooth and effortless with a lot of his decisions. The way he was able to rebound the ball, the way he was able to shoot the ball, he is just so skilled. He is a hard matchup. Like good players, they take advantage of you when you relax or don't have the proper urgency. He is a very talented and skilled player."
Bates-Diop's 2014 classmate Jae'Sean Tate didn't quite have the same stat line against Robert Morris, as the Pickerington, Ohio, native finished with just seven points and seven boards while also turning the ball over six times. However, Holtmann said that both Bates-Diop and Tate are going to play pivotal roles as the season unfolds.
"We are going to go as they go. I really believe that. Our season in a lot of ways will be impacted by one or both of those guys," Holtmann said. "They are terrific kids and really good players. (Bates-Diop) has had really good moments in practice and I was pleased with his activity tonight. His ability to make the right play, he has to continue to do that. We had a couple of defensive miscues that hopefully he can improve on.
"Overall, his ability to impact things on both ends and his ability to get to the glass tonight was really important for us."
While both players are veterans for Ohio State, their leadership styles are different. Tate is more the vocal type, while Bates-Diop is more quiet and tends to lead by example.
Holtmann said after the season-opening win that he is looking forward to seeing how Bates-Diop's reserved attitude helps propel the Buckeyes forward.
"He has got a quiet confidence to him that I appreciate it. It balances J.T. They balance each other exceptionally well," Holtmann said.
The Buckeyes are set to return to action Sunday at 2:30 p.m. against Radford at Value City Arena.
