How the Ohio State basketball team was able to add another player with size

The Ohio State basketball player finalized their roster on Tuesday by grabbing a center.
Jul 9, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler watches his team during a summer workout in the practice gym at the Schottenstein Center.
Jul 9, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler watches his team during a summer workout in the practice gym at the Schottenstein Center. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Ohio State basketball team was able to do something very unique this offseason. They've had an open scholarship open for quite some time. It looked like the Buckeyes were going to use it on Ques Glover after grabbing him from the transfer portal. Instead, he will join the team without a scholarship.

With Glover not taking that final scholarship, it allows the Buckeyes to get another player who might actually be able to help the team. Glover missed all of last season with a knee injury, so there's no guarantee that he would even get playing time this year.

Ohio State decided to bring in Ivan Njegovan, a 6'11 center from Croatia. Njegovan is someone who can bring size to a frontcourt that needs shot-blocking now that Felix Okpara is off the roster. Ohio State struggled with rebounding at times as well, so he can help with that.

How much playing time will Njegovan see this year? That much remains to be seen. I doubt it will be very much. He's just 19 years old and didn't put up impressive stats while abroad. He averaged just 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. His 1.6 blocks per game is what makes him intriguing.

Njegovan will likely get time if Aaron Bradshaw gets hurt or gets in foul trouble early on. Otherwise, he is likely going to sit and learn for most of the season. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just going to be hard for him to jump Austin Parks for playing time as the backup center.

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Jake Diebler has done a nice job of filling out his roster as he prepares for his first full season as a head coach. He should feel good about the talent that he has on his roster as he heads into a tough new Big Ten.