Duane Washington Welcomes Holtmann's Soul-Piercing Stare
While only a sophomore, Duane Washington Jr. is still far too old to gain air time on the hit television show, "Kids Say the Darndest Things."
Washington does, though, or did say the darndest thing Friday, and while it wasn't as innocently clever as, "Sometimes I wake up Grumpy and sometimes I just let my mom sleep in," it still made Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann laugh.
"Every once and awhile, you look over and you kind of feel he's staring through your whole soul," Washington said.
That's the danger of playing for a coach who played guard in college, which Holtmann did at Division II Taylor University.
So the OSU coach has a distinct idea how he wants his guards to play, and the charitable way to characterize Washington is that he's a bit more free-spirited in his default approach.
The next shot he turns down because he doubts he can make it will be the first of Washington's career, and the mere sight of a sliver of a possibility of an opening to the rim often prompts him to dive into the opportunity that's often a defensive trap set by the opponent.
"I see a lot of potential in him," Holtmann said of Washington, "I see a lot of really good stuff in him. We're trying our darndest as a coaching staff to bring that level of consistency out in him. That's our job, and its a full-time job."
You've seen why throughout this season, with Washington at his best being the catalyst to wins over Villanova, North Carolina and Michigan.
But Washington at his worst played only eight minutes in a loss at Indiana because Holtmann found his effort lacking, and he also drew a one-game suspension during Big Ten play for an as-yet-unspecified off-court transgression.
"He's a great kid," Holtmann said. "Duane is a great kid. I love coaching Duane Washington. I really do. He just needs to be coached.
"When we recruited him, everybody said, 'Coach, you have to stay on him. You have to stay on him.' That includes his dad. That's who (Duane) is, but he has the potential. I think what we all see is the opportunity for him as a player to really grow."
Washington is doubly important to the Buckeyes (15-7, 5-6) now that freshman D.J. Carton has taken a leave of absence to attend to his mental health.
That leaves OSU in need of someone to share ball-handling duties with C.J. Walker, and Washington has drawn that assignment.
He's had five assists against only three turnovers since taking on more of that role in wins over Indiana and Michigan, but a 1 p.m. Sunday tip at Wisconsin will be his toughest test yet.
The Badgers (13-10, 6-6) need a win over an opponent with Ohio State's NCAA resume to bolster their own, and if they get it will have a season's sweep of the Buckeyes given a 61-57 win at Columbus last month.
Points are always at a premium against Wisconsin, which turns every game into a root canal.
Washington had 18 points in the first meeting, but needed 19 field goal attempts to get there.
Holtmann wants, and Sunday will need, better offensive efficiency than that to get a fourth straight win and back to .500 in the Big Ten.
"He drives me batty but there are very few days do I not enjoy coaching him," Holtmann said.
As for Washington, he's learned to process his Holtmann's scoldings and soul-piercing looks differently than he did a year ago.
"I know the intention behind it," Washington said. "It's to get us better, to get you better as a player, to get us better as a team. To have somebody behind you like that who cares a lot means a lot, and it gives me confidence. It sounds weird, but it does.
"I know if he isn't screaming at me or doesn't yell at me, then he doesn't care. That's the most important part that I value. This year, I've valued it and understood it more.
"...In the moment, it's definitely hard to take it. The emotions are rising and falling. At the end of the day he knows what he's telling me is meant to benefit me and not to hurt me. It's maturing me and growing me as a player and learning that those conversations and those situations are only to benefit me, that's what I've been working on.
"I appreciate it from him and I'll just keep learning from it. Hopefully I can cut those down a little bit more."
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