Justice Sueing excited for future of Ohio State with Felix Okpara, Roddy Gayle Jr.

Justice Sueing played his last game in an Ohio State uniform this week as the Buckeyes knocked off Maryland on Senior Night. But even though he’s getting ready for what’s next, he made it clear he’s excited for what’s lies ahead for the program.

Sueing pointed to Ohio State’s young core as a reason for optimism even though this year hasn’t gone as many fans hoped. Specifically, Felix Okpara and Roddy Gayle Jr. can help lead the charge in years to come. Okpara notched his second career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Maryland while Gayle is one of six players on the roster to play in 30 games this year.

Add in Bruce Thornton, who’s turned in an impressive freshman year with 9.6 points per game, and Sueing sees pieces the buckeyes can build around.

“Those two guys are going to be great guys in the system,” Sueing said. “Rod and ‘Fe,’ Bruce, all the young guys. Brice [Sensabaugh], even. You know how that goes [with the NBA Draft]. They’re really special guys, real special kids, man. Just to be able to play minutes early on is going to be able to create the foundation for them and for this program.

“We’re trying to leave our legacy for them to continue to carry it on for time to come, especially for the guys that played before. That’s the main thing, I think, I can say about that. It’s a special group of guys and it’s something to look forward to, definitely, for the years to come.”

Chris Holtmann shares excitement over Felix Okpara’s future at Ohio State

Chris Holtmann also praised Okpara’s standout performance and how it showed off his improvements throughout the season.

“Well, he got in foul trouble last time, so he couldn’t get in a rhythm. That limited him a little bit, but he’s just a better player than he was at their place. I think all of our freshmen are better than they were at that time,” Holtmann said. “He understands more of what we’re trying to do. He’s a better player. They played Reese a lot in this game, so we needed some size against him.”