After a year in which Ohio State was led by a number of veteran players, the Buckeyes find themselves in a much different situation in 2018-19.
Three seniors and Keita Bates-Diop have moved on from their playing days at Ohio State, with Bates-Diop signing his rookie deal and Jae'Sean Tate and Kam Williams attempting to make it in the professional ranks. Andrew Dakich has already signed on to be a graduate assistant under Chris Holtmann, leaving just two seniors on Ohio State's roster.
C.J. Jackson is Ohio State's assumed leader as the only senior with significant playing experience and the Buckeyes' leading returning scorer at 12.6 points per game. However, there is one other player on the roster that has been around Columbus longer than anyone else, and that is former walk-on Joey Lane.
Lane came to Columbus as a walk-on in 2015-16, playing in just seven games off the bench. That season was the first year Ohio State had missed the NCAA Tournament in nearly 10 years, but that never deterred Lane from being one of the more positive, energetic forces on the Buckeye bench.
Lane eventually earned a scholarship and has led Ohio State's scout team each week during the season, preparing the starters for upcoming games. Despite his limited playing time throughout his career, Lane has earned the respect of his peers through his hard work and willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
"The other senior, Joey, he is big around here. He has been around. He brings a lot of stuff to the table," Andre Wesson said June 27. "The amount of passion he has for the university and the things he wants to see us do, that is a big thing for us."
Lane hasn't shied away from his role at Ohio State, openly tweeting about the life of a "benchwarmer" and starting his own hashtag, #TowelGang. Known for his three-point shooting ability once he is in the game, Lane took to Twitter in May, creating the #TowelGangChallenge, which got a sizable response on the social media outlet.
#TowelGangChallenge
— Joey Lane (@JoeySmoke11) May 10, 2018
Show me something. All you need is a bench and a towel. pic.twitter.com/xHqZ2DOgcw
Lane doesn't get into games often, but when he does the student section erupts. Once he scores however, most of the Schottenstein Center joins in. A three-pointer made with just two minutes to play in a blowout win against Maryland on Jan. 11 brought a comatose crowd to its feet, resulting in the picture below as captured by our own Andrew Lind.
Lane's energy and charisma has captivated the Ohio State team and student base over the years and has particularly rubbed off on the older Wesson brother, who said Lane's demeanor, despite rarely seeing game action, is hard for him to comprehend.
"Joey is the type of guy where he will talk your ear off. You come to the bench and he will tell you something he might have seen out there," Wesson said. "He is always on the scout team so he knows the scouting report really well. The passion that he has for this university and to be a walk-on, I don't know if I could do that personally. The passion that he has for this university is exceptional."
