Back from concussion, Eugene Brown III trying to find his place in Buckeyes rotation

COLUMBUS — Ohio State guard Eugene Brown III initially felt like his concussion last year against Xavier was more concerning than the one he suffered leading up to the 2022-23 regular season.

Last fall, he hit his head after a hard landing in Xavier’s Cintas Center. Brown discussed Wednesday that the way it happened and looked seemed more serious than the preseason practice concussion he sustained this time around.

Brown explained that this season’s concussion occurred during a live period when he and freshman center Felix Okpara were both contesting a shot. After turning, Brown took an incidental elbow to the head from the 6-foot-11 Okpara.

“I didn’t think it was going to take that long,” Brown admitted of his nearly two-month absence.

While the first concussion sidelined the Conyers, Georgia, native for only four games last season, this one kept him out 11 games. It was seven weeks before he was cleared from the concussion and at least another week until he was somewhat back into game shape, he said.

“Before the concussion, I just felt really good about where I was,” said Brown, a team captain. “Coaches felt confident in me, I felt confident in myself. It was just really good basketball being played.

“Just trying to get back to that point, really.”

Brown said it was difficult completing the recovery process because in-season there aren’t many live periods. Those are cut down since the team is playing multiple games per week. Without many scrimmaging opportunities, conditioning for actual games proved tough, Brown said.

Consistency has been hard to come by for the 6-foot-7 wing, who head coach Chris Holtmann said dealt with “various ailments” this offseason — an offseason that, otherwise, was going well for Brown.

Brown appeared in all but six games last season and made 10 starts in the process, although he averaged only 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per outing in 2021-22.

This was such a good play by Eugene Brown to anticipate and block the game-winning putback attempt 👀 pic.twitter.com/KHODRvGTrk

— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) January 3, 2022

Brown’s most memorable performances last season were his 10-point, six-rebound, three-steal, two-block stat line in the Buckeyes’ overtime win over Indiana in February, and his game-saving block in regulation that set the stage for an overtime victory against Nebraska in January.

He offers Ohio State unique size at the guard position and is capable of defending three through five. Plus, he has experience. Brown, center Zed Key and sixth-year forward Justice Sueing were the only Buckeyes rotational contributors returning from last season.

“We missed him a lot,” Key said Wednesday. “On the defensive end, even on offense getting us extra possessions. It’s definitely good to have him back, and I look forward to playing with him on the court.”

5:40 left in 1H: Ohio State 29, Northwestern 8.

Hello, Eugene Brown III.

In his 2nd game since his 2-month absence (concussion), the junior throws down a two-handed slam. Brown was left alone on the baseline.

Before that dunk, Sean McNeil hit a 3-pointer from the parking lot. pic.twitter.com/W4VkD4F6zE

— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) January 2, 2023

Brown has played in each of Ohio State’s last three games, but he has combined for just 16 minutes. He slammed home a two-handed dunk along the base line during the Buckeyes’ convincing win at Northwestern last week. Then, on Thursday, he ended a Purdue first-half flurry with a 3-pointer to reclaim Ohio State’s lead before intermission.

Finding floor time will be a tall task for Brown. The Buckeyes run 10 deep — at least they did before Key went down with a left shoulder sprain early in the first half against the Boilermakers — and Ohio State is already in league play.

“He’s got to find his way,” Holtmann said Wednesday. “We’ve played really well with the rotation we’ve had set, so he’s got to come back and find a way just like anybody returning from injury.

“Figure out how he can impact the game. I know he’ll do that. More than anything, again, I’m just really happy he’s back and healthy.”

Brown said getting back in the swing of things with his teammates was even more enjoyable than his first few games.

Brown admitted that it was a struggle having to watch the first chunk of the Buckeyes season from the sideline. But he did observe what he called the “definition of roles,” noting that he enjoyed watching Ohio State’s mix of youth and experience merge.

He said he was able to offer his teammates some insight, from the perspective of a player spectator. That role, of course, was no true replacement for playing alongside his teammates.

“Just starting that process of coming back and becoming part of the team again was nice.

“It was really nice.”