West Coast Trip A Homecoming for Several Buckeyes
1/20/2022 10:30:23 AM | Men's Volleyball
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two thousand three hundred and fifty one miles.
This is the distance between Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, California and the Covelli Center at Ohio State.
It was the distance traveled by redshirt sophomore middle blocker Justin Howard, who chose to leave the sun and beaches of his Golden State home to continue his volleyball career as a Buckeye.
Howard and four teammates will be returning to their home state of California the next two weekends as the team takes on UCLA, USC, Long Beach State and UC-Santa Barbara, returning to campus for classes in the week between the matches.
While the next two weekends will undoubtedly feature high caliber volleyball, they also will give the West Coast natives a chance to play in front of family and friends.
For some, including Howard, this is the first time playing in their home state since beginning their college athletic careers, because of travel limitations brought on by COVID-19.
“I’m excited to just go back,” Howard said. “It should be a lot of fun.”
The men’s volleyball team has always been successful in out-of-state recruiting, and this is especially true of players coming from the west. Luke Lentin grew up in La Jolla, California, but the senior setter had always known that he was drawn toward Big Ten schools.
Lentin’s father, Ken, attended Indiana University, but the athletics department and academics at Ohio State made it the choice for Luke.
“It’s an incredible experience to get out of your comfort zone,” he said. “I have loved every second of being here!”
Hudson Bates, Ohio State associate head coach, said the program looks for opportunities to play in California to help the families cut down on travel to see and visit their sons.
“The coaches are just as excited as the players are to return to California,” Bates said. “The friends and families of the California natives are used to having to travel to Columbus to get a glimpse of their son’s playing. We actually had to cut some numbers down (on ticket requests because of current limits placed on fan attendance in California). While returning to your home state can be very exciting, some of the players expressed they are comfortable in their new home here in Columbus, and that speaks volumes about the community that is being formed throughout the program.”
The Buckeyes play No. 2 UCLA Friday and No. 12 USC Saturday in the 2022 B1G/Pac-12 Challenge. First serve for both matches is 8 p.m. ET and will be played at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus.
The Buckeyes return home and then return to California to face Long Beach State Jan. 28 and UC Santa Barbara Jan. 29 in the Battle of the Bigs.
For more on the B1G/Pac-12 Challenge click HERE.
–Story by Jordyn Robinson
- The matches in California will be a homecoming for five current Buckeyes. Freshmen Jason Kozak (Fremont) and Ben Braun (Camino Real) and seniors Luke Lentin (La Jolla), Justin Howard (Pacific Palisades) and Ethan Talley (Newport Beach) all will be back in their home state this weekend.
#GoBucks
