The phrase has come up twice during a preseason with Chris Holtmann at the helm. First, it was during the fall of 2018, when Ohio State welcomed a freshman class headlined by DJ Carton, Alonzo Gaffney and E.J. Liddell. More recently, it came up a few months ago, when Holtmann opened his comments during the team’s media day with the same phrase that was equal parts a promise and a plea. In order for a team that would be playing freshmen Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara, Brice Sensabaugh and Bruce Thornton significant minutes to reach its potential, the coaches would have to exercise their patience and learn through mistakes. Holtmann termed it “normalizing struggle.” Now, with the midpoint of the regular season looming in Thursday’s home game with Minnesota, it’s a fitting descriptor of where the 2022-23 Buckeyes are. With a 10-5 overall record, a 2-2 mark in Big Ten play…
Continue Reading: Ohio State, freshmen coping with growing pains as season approaches midpoint
