Coach Saul Phillips and university staff believe James Gollon will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn achilles tendon.
It’s a devastating blow to the Bobcats, who will lose a veteran leader and 3-point threat.
“James appears to have an achilles tear,“ Phillips said. “I’m not a doctor, but when there’s a gap where your achilles tendon should be, there’s an issue there structurally. I’m crushed for the kid. He really had it going tonight. He’s gone through so much to get back on the court, so many hours of rehab. Just a pit in my stomach.”
Gollon, a 6-foot-5 redshirt junior, ends his season on a night where he arguably played the best game of his career. He came off the bench, knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points in eight minutes. Gollon sparked a comeback to help the Bobcats defeat Western Michigan 81-76 at The Convo.
He was averaging 5.8 points, one rebound and one assist through five games this season. Gollon came back after recovering from an injury suffered in preseason.
Last season, Gollon averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He played the second half of last season after missing the first part due to rehabbing another injury; appearing in 31 games and starting seven.
Gollon’s had an injury-plagued career, missing his sophomore season to have surgery. In his freshman season, 2015-16, he appeared in 20 games.
In total, Gollon has gone through four surgeries in his career at Ohio.
“My heart kind of just sunk,“ teammate Gavin Block said. “Everything he’s gone through, with countless surgeries. He’s a workhorse. The most team-first guy that we got. It’s just unfortunate that it happened to him. It sucks. What’s great about him is, he’s going to be honest now on the sidelines.”
Phillips made sure to mention that the best days for Gollon are in front of him. A Biological Sciences — Preprofessional Program Major, the academic senior is on track to go to medical school and one day become a doctor.
Gollon will probably have to make a decision in the near future if he will want to rehab from another surgery and make a return to playing basketball for the Bobcats.
Ohio (10-8, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) plays Ball State in The Convo on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
