BenFred: Liddell is leading Ohio State while inserting himself into national player of

E.J. Liddell was on the court.

Of course. Where else would he be? It was 20 minutes or so before the Ohio State men’s basketball team needed to be ready for one of this week’s practices, which meant the best place to find the junior forward was practicing. Before practice.

“Last game, Coach (Chris) Holtmann told me somebody was subbing me out,” Liddell said this week during a Zoom call, after taking a brief break from his pre-practice practice. “I was like, ‘Why?'”

Of all the impressive things the Belleville West High graduate and Post-Dispatch all-metro player of his decade has accomplished this season, the least discussed but perhaps most important one is his uptick in minutes logged.

Holtmann is relying on his 6-foot-7, 240-pound MVP for more than 31 minutes per game, and that impressive average for a forward is growing along with Liddell’s production as Ohio State (13-5, 6-3) forges deeper into rough and rugged Big Ten play. Against conference opponents, Liddell has been on the floor for just under 34 minutes per game, among the conference’s high for players at his position. More importantly for Liddell, it’s five more game minutes in Big Ten play than he averaged during a head-turning sophomore season.

“Just working hard, honestly,” he said. “You can’t just go in the gym and expect it to happen on game day. It’s about the times when the cameras aren’t on. I’ve just been grinding, trying to get better. I’m still trying to get better as the season goes on. I’m not my best self yet.”

More minutes mean more chances to make an impact. Liddell this season is averaging career-highs in scoring (19.7 points per game), rebounding (7.5), assists (2.8) and blocks (2.7) for the 16th-ranked Buckeyes. His field-goal percentage (51.5) and 3-point percentage (39.7) have reached career-highs. Yet he’s most proud of the time he does not spend catching his breath.

“My conditioning,” he said. “Just being able to go out and play 30 (or more) minutes, every night. My freshman year, I could not do that. I could get maybe one (of those games) in the whole year. I’m taking care of my body. I eat a lot better than I used to. My nutrition has gotten better. Same routine, every day. Not just practice, either. Good players go in and practice, do the stuff they are required do. But I’m trying to be a great player.”

Less than a month ago, he scored a career-high 34 points in a home win against Northwestern.

Last week, his active run of 29 consecutive games with 10-plus points scored turned him into the 60th Buckeye to join the program’s list of 1,000-point career scorers.

This week, he appeared on the watch list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.

His NBA draft stock is trending toward first-round sure thing, and he’s planted himself squarely in the conversation for national player of the year awards. That includes the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Oscar Robertson Trophy, which will be handed out this offseason in downtown St. Louis during a ceremony at the Missouri Athletic Club. The location of the USBWA dinner came as news to Liddell.

Wouldn’t that be something?

“Everybody has their opinion,” Liddell said about the player of the year debate. “Some people say I’m the best. Some people say I’m the worst. I just look at it as, I’m going to go out there and control the things I can control. That is my effort, and how hard I play every game.”

Learning to block out the things you can’t control comes with time. Liddell, unfortunately, has firsthand experience. Last season the first-team all-conference member stuffed the stat sheet in the Buckeyes’ first game of the NCAA Tournament, but missed a big free throw toward the end of regulation in what became Ohio State’s upset overtime loss to Oral Roberts. His social media messages were flooded with the worst examples of the Internet. Liddell published some of the worst taunts and threats, kick-starting a dialogue about how too many push past sports fandom and fall into the social-media sewer. He turned something toxic into an invitation for all to be better. What should not get overlooked in the aftermath is the motivation he has to create a much happier NCAA Tournament memory than his single, bitter taste.

The two-time Mr. Basketball from the state of Illinois won back-to-back state titles before he left for Ohio State. He’s used to seasons ending on a high note.

“I kind of compare my college career to my high school career,” Liddell said. “My freshman year, I played well. My sophomore year, I took a bigger step. My junior year, that’s when I won it all my first time. I’m looking at it like that.”

It should encourage Ohio State fans that Liddell is making that comparison, but if the Buckeyes’ star keeps playing like this, the magic will have to happen this March, because a senior season can’t be expected.