Ohio's Kenny Kaminski and Khari Harley has been skeptical early on.
The Post was able to talk to men’s basketball coach Saul Phillips and forward Antonio Campbell on Friday after practice.
Here were a few points taken from their interviews:
Ohio’s health remains in question
Per Phillips, forwards Kenny Kaminski and Khari Harley are still recovering from lingering injuries.
Kaminski reaggravated his right shoulder during practice earlier this week after being on the receiving end of a screen from freshman Doug Taylor. Kaminski still participated in Friday’s practice, showing almost no signs of pain during Ohio’s inter-squad scrimmage.
Phillips said Kaminski was ready to play three days ago, but Ohio’s staff is taking it’s time with Kaminski’s right shoulder, as he injured it during his senior year at Medina High school and again in 2012 at Michigan State. Kaminski would miss the entire 2012-13 season for the Spartans because of his shoulder injury.
“I would hate to see him live an entire year with it rather than take care of it upfront,” Phillips said. “But he’s itching to get out there.”
Harley, who went home during the offseason to Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, to help alleviate some back issues, sported a back brace at Friday’s practice.
Phillips said Harley should be ready to go by Ohio’s exhibition match against Indiana Tech, but his minutes could be monitored moving forward.
“He’s doing game-like activities right now for big chunks of time,” Phillips said. “Just trying to get him back as gradually as we can — as smartly as we can, I should say — and we’ll see. I wake up every day worrying we’re gonna have another setback, but at the same time, that doesn’t do you a whole lot of good to worry about it.”
More mature Bobcats
Campbell looked sharp during Friday’s inter-squad scrimmage, rolling to the basket in a ‘horns’ offensive set and improving on his left-handed jump hook during the offseason.
The Cincinnati-native said Friday that Ohio’s chemistry has improved, in relation to last year, because the team has bought into Phillip’s system more.
“The guys on this team are like a family already,” Campbell said. “We got five freshman, each and everyone of them already has good relationships already. It’s kinda crazy, I’ve never seen anything like it. Off the court stuff has a lot to do with on the court stuff, we know what we want to do: win and in order to win, you have to pass the ball, move the ball. Something we didn’t do pretty well last year.”
With five incoming freshman, and newer faces like Kaminski and point guard Jaaron Simmons, Ohio has been on the receiving end of a cultural change recently.
“We have a lot of freshman who all want to play,” Campbell said. “(We’re) Getting them that first stage … I think we’ll be good.”
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