Ohio State basketball: Does photo prove E.J. Liddell is back?

One of the biggest pieces that could determine how good the Ohio State basketball team can be this season is whether or not E.J. Liddell comes back. Does a photo posted by Chris Holtmann prove he’s coming back?

The Ohio State basketball team had a great season in 2020-21. They were a two-seed and had a lot of expectations for the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, they fell well short of those expectations after a round one loss to 15-seeded Oral Roberts.

For them to get back to that high of a seed in 2021-22 and really contend in the postseason, they need one of E.J. Liddell or Duane Washington back. While Washington has played well in some showcases and earned an NBA Combine invite, Liddell seems like he has a chance to come back.

If a photo posted by Chris Holtmann is any indication of what might happen, Liddell looks like he might be coming back. Holtmann posted a photo of the current team, posted in black jerseys, and a whole hose of Ohio State basketball alumni. Take a look at the photo below.

If you look in the back, you can see Liddell wearing a black jersey. That would seem to indicate that he is a current member of the team and is getting ready for the upcoming season. If he wasn’t coming back, he’d be wearing red or something other than black.

Liddell hasn’t made any formal announcement and won’t have to until just after the NBA Draft. He can wait to see if he gets drafted and then fully decide if he wants to come back to school. I think it would benefit him to come back, but it’s obviously something he has to talk about with his coaches and family.

We’ll see if Liddell says anything after this picture has been posted about his future. It’ll be interesting to see what he decides.