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LGHL Uncut Podcast: Gayle, Battle, Diebler discuss opening-round NIT victory over Cornell
- News
- 0 Replies
Uncut Podcast: Gayle, Battle, Diebler discuss opening-round NIT victory over Cornell
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes shook off a feisty Cornell team in the opening round of the tournament.
Throughout the season, Land-Grant will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
After Ohio State’s 88-83 win over Cornell in the opening round of the NIT, we spoke to Jamison Battle, Roddy Gayle, and new head coach Jake Diebler about the win, how they prepared, and how they came to the decision to accept an invitation to this tournament.
Battle and Gayle spoke first. Battle talked about how there are four post-season tournaments, so four teams get to finish the season with a win. He wants Ohio State to be one of those four teams. Gayle added that he’s not ready “To be done with this family yet.” They also said that the way Cornell plays reminded them a lot of Miami of Ohio, who Ohio State beat 84-64 on December 6.
Diebler said that it was important to get his team some experience in the post-season — in “win or go home” basketball. He thought Battle’s three with 43 seconds left that gave Ohio State the lead was a “big time” shot, and gave his team credit for staying composed despite one Cornell player who was continuously trying to egg them on, and was eventually T’d up.
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes shook off a feisty Cornell team in the opening round of the tournament.
Throughout the season, Land-Grant will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
After Ohio State’s 88-83 win over Cornell in the opening round of the NIT, we spoke to Jamison Battle, Roddy Gayle, and new head coach Jake Diebler about the win, how they prepared, and how they came to the decision to accept an invitation to this tournament.
Battle and Gayle spoke first. Battle talked about how there are four post-season tournaments, so four teams get to finish the season with a win. He wants Ohio State to be one of those four teams. Gayle added that he’s not ready “To be done with this family yet.” They also said that the way Cornell plays reminded them a lot of Miami of Ohio, who Ohio State beat 84-64 on December 6.
Diebler said that it was important to get his team some experience in the post-season — in “win or go home” basketball. He thought Battle’s three with 43 seconds left that gave Ohio State the lead was a “big time” shot, and gave his team credit for staying composed despite one Cornell player who was continuously trying to egg them on, and was eventually T’d up.
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Theme music provided by www.bensound.com
Continue reading...
LGHL Downs, Hicks, Kanu, More: Five Silver Bullets to watch this spring
- News
- 0 Replies
Downs, Hicks, Kanu, More: Five Silver Bullets to watch this spring
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ohio State was led by its defense in 2023, and it could be even better in 2024 if these five players have a big spring.
This is a big year for the Silver Bullets as they gear up for a national championship run and look to right the wrong of three straight losses to Michigan. Ohio State’s chances of reaching its goals in 2024 rely on another dominant year from its defense. For that to happen, these five players must have big springs.
You could argue that Caleb Downs is the most important player on Ohio State’s defense this spring. Downs, a former freshman all-American, transferred to Ohio State when Nick Saban retired, allowing the Buckeyes to get a player they coveted in recruiting with three years of eligibility left.
The Silver Bullets were one of the best defenses in 2023, but they struggled to get stops in key moments against Michigan — and for much of the Notre Dame and Maryland games. Year three historically is when Knowles’ defenses are truly unlocked, and now he has the ultimate chess piece at safety.
It’s imperative that Downs picks up the defense and continues to develop for Ohio State to reach its stated goal of winning a national championship.
C.J. Hicks was one of the most highly touted recruits of Ryan Day’s tenure. A former five-star linebacker from Ohio, many expected Hicks to come in and compete for the job immediately. Two years into his career he’s played sparingly, while other teammates were instantly contributors as freshmen — such as Denzel Burke, Jermaine Matthews, and Carnell Tate.
Hicks is reaching “bust” territory for impatient fans, or he is the example used to explain why Ohio State is falling behind UGA and Bama due to not playing the young guys. In reality, linebacker is a hard position to learn in college, and Hicks had to adjust to the position.
This is not unusual, and you could argue that Ohio State should have used Hicks in roles similar to Abdul Carter and Harold Perkins, but neither of them played a traditional in-the-box linebacker role. Carter was just moved to the defensive line, and Perkins struggled last season when he wasn’t lined up on the line of scrimmage.
It’s sensible not to rush a player’s development, but it’s now or never for Hicks. If Hicks doesn’t play well Ohio State, will have a lack of talented depth in its linebacker corp. Hicks will most likely not be the starter, but he needs to be an impactful contributor in a three-man rotation with Cody Simon and Sonny Styles.
With the return of Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams, Ohio State’s defensive line is in a good place at the top, but they need to improve on their depth and their ability to get to the quarterback. After losing Michael Hall to the NFL, the Buckeyes are a little light at defensive tackle and will be needing a big spring from its young defensive tackles — namely Hero Kanu.
Kanu didn’t have a major impact on the stat sheet last year, but he earned his way into the rotation, proving he could play at this level. Kanu may have been a year early after playing football in Germany, but he is a breakout candidate this year. If Kanu can work his way into being a 1A/1B starter with Williams and Hamilton, the Buckeyes will be a force in the run game and have some surprising pop getting to the quarterback from the interior of the defensive line.
Jermaine Mathews Jr. broke onto the scene last year as a true freshman cornerback and made a name for himself. Mathews was ready to play, and his availability allowed Knowles and Tim Walton to feel confident in moving Jordan Hancock into the nickel position where he thrived.
Now entering year two, Mathews is expected to be an impact contributor, and if he continues to improve Ohio State will really be Best in America (BIA) with Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, and Mathews on the outside with Hancock mainly the nickel.
Mathews gets the benefit of playing against the best wide receivers in the country in practice, and after a successful freshman year, he will be looking to continue developing. If Mathews can have a good spring, he will be heading towards his all-American potential and could bring back Ohio State corners being drafted in the first round — if it doesn’t happen for Burke first in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sonny Styles was arguably the best player on Ohio State’s defense last year but also played out of position. Despite being lauded for his versatility — and he is a very versatile player — Styles is much better in the box and had some struggles in the slot covering smaller and quicker receivers.
He had the ability to shut down the opposing teams’ tight ends, and he’s a monster in the running game, which led to his transition to linebacker. Styles, maybe more than Hicks, is the most important player on this defense. As a unit, this defense will need the pass rush to step up to reach its potential, but on an individual player level, Styles may be the key.
After losing Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State is relying on Cody Simon and a bunch of inexperienced players to man the linebacker corp. Styles’ transition from safety to linebacker and his ability to run sideline to sideline will be crucial for this defense. Linebacker isn’t just about talent, and Styles will need to prove he can consistently read his keys, get off blocks, fill gaps, and play the pass.
We know he’s a willing and able tackler who is one of the most physically gifted players in the country. His transition to linebacker will be a major storyline this spring.
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ohio State was led by its defense in 2023, and it could be even better in 2024 if these five players have a big spring.
This is a big year for the Silver Bullets as they gear up for a national championship run and look to right the wrong of three straight losses to Michigan. Ohio State’s chances of reaching its goals in 2024 rely on another dominant year from its defense. For that to happen, these five players must have big springs.
Caleb Downs - Safety
You could argue that Caleb Downs is the most important player on Ohio State’s defense this spring. Downs, a former freshman all-American, transferred to Ohio State when Nick Saban retired, allowing the Buckeyes to get a player they coveted in recruiting with three years of eligibility left.
The Silver Bullets were one of the best defenses in 2023, but they struggled to get stops in key moments against Michigan — and for much of the Notre Dame and Maryland games. Year three historically is when Knowles’ defenses are truly unlocked, and now he has the ultimate chess piece at safety.
It’s imperative that Downs picks up the defense and continues to develop for Ohio State to reach its stated goal of winning a national championship.
C.J. Hicks - Linebacker
C.J. Hicks was one of the most highly touted recruits of Ryan Day’s tenure. A former five-star linebacker from Ohio, many expected Hicks to come in and compete for the job immediately. Two years into his career he’s played sparingly, while other teammates were instantly contributors as freshmen — such as Denzel Burke, Jermaine Matthews, and Carnell Tate.
Hicks is reaching “bust” territory for impatient fans, or he is the example used to explain why Ohio State is falling behind UGA and Bama due to not playing the young guys. In reality, linebacker is a hard position to learn in college, and Hicks had to adjust to the position.
This is not unusual, and you could argue that Ohio State should have used Hicks in roles similar to Abdul Carter and Harold Perkins, but neither of them played a traditional in-the-box linebacker role. Carter was just moved to the defensive line, and Perkins struggled last season when he wasn’t lined up on the line of scrimmage.
It’s sensible not to rush a player’s development, but it’s now or never for Hicks. If Hicks doesn’t play well Ohio State, will have a lack of talented depth in its linebacker corp. Hicks will most likely not be the starter, but he needs to be an impactful contributor in a three-man rotation with Cody Simon and Sonny Styles.
Hero Kanu - Defensive Tackle
With the return of Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams, Ohio State’s defensive line is in a good place at the top, but they need to improve on their depth and their ability to get to the quarterback. After losing Michael Hall to the NFL, the Buckeyes are a little light at defensive tackle and will be needing a big spring from its young defensive tackles — namely Hero Kanu.
Kanu didn’t have a major impact on the stat sheet last year, but he earned his way into the rotation, proving he could play at this level. Kanu may have been a year early after playing football in Germany, but he is a breakout candidate this year. If Kanu can work his way into being a 1A/1B starter with Williams and Hamilton, the Buckeyes will be a force in the run game and have some surprising pop getting to the quarterback from the interior of the defensive line.
Jermaine Mathews Jr. - Cornerback
Jermaine Mathews Jr. broke onto the scene last year as a true freshman cornerback and made a name for himself. Mathews was ready to play, and his availability allowed Knowles and Tim Walton to feel confident in moving Jordan Hancock into the nickel position where he thrived.
Now entering year two, Mathews is expected to be an impact contributor, and if he continues to improve Ohio State will really be Best in America (BIA) with Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, and Mathews on the outside with Hancock mainly the nickel.
Mathews gets the benefit of playing against the best wide receivers in the country in practice, and after a successful freshman year, he will be looking to continue developing. If Mathews can have a good spring, he will be heading towards his all-American potential and could bring back Ohio State corners being drafted in the first round — if it doesn’t happen for Burke first in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sonny Styles - Linebacker
Sonny Styles was arguably the best player on Ohio State’s defense last year but also played out of position. Despite being lauded for his versatility — and he is a very versatile player — Styles is much better in the box and had some struggles in the slot covering smaller and quicker receivers.
He had the ability to shut down the opposing teams’ tight ends, and he’s a monster in the running game, which led to his transition to linebacker. Styles, maybe more than Hicks, is the most important player on this defense. As a unit, this defense will need the pass rush to step up to reach its potential, but on an individual player level, Styles may be the key.
After losing Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State is relying on Cody Simon and a bunch of inexperienced players to man the linebacker corp. Styles’ transition from safety to linebacker and his ability to run sideline to sideline will be crucial for this defense. Linebacker isn’t just about talent, and Styles will need to prove he can consistently read his keys, get off blocks, fill gaps, and play the pass.
We know he’s a willing and able tackler who is one of the most physically gifted players in the country. His transition to linebacker will be a major storyline this spring.
Continue reading...
Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024
- Open Discussion (Work-safe)
- 134 Replies
Anyone planning on seeing this?
Might take a trip up to Hot Springs, AK to check it out.
science.nasa.gov
Might take a trip up to Hot Springs, AK to check it out.
2024 Total Eclipse: Where & When - NASA Science
The Monday, April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
science.nasa.gov
LGHL Ohio State picks up another prediction to land one of the top edge rushers in 2025
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State picks up another prediction to land one of the top edge rushers in 2025
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Marion Dye, Elkhart High School | Mick Walker, 247Sports
The Buckeyes also lock in a pair of official visits for this summer.
On Tuesday, the football Buckeyes got back to work following spring break and along with all of the excitement around the return to practice came some excitement from the recruiting trail. Yesterday, Ohio State and defensive line coach Larry Johnson were on the receiving end of a prediction to land one of the top prospects in the 2025 recruiting class.
On3’s Oklahoma recruiting expert Josh McCuistion logged a prediction that Elkhart, Indiana defensive end Mariyon Dye would eventually commit to play for OSU. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound edge rusher is the No. 191 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also the No. 16 edge rusher and No. 3 player from the Hoosier State. However, the On3 recruiting service has him at No. 47 in the 2025 cycle and the No. 5 edge rusher and top player from Indiana.
McCuistion’s prediction joins those of Ohio State experts Matt Parker and Alex Gleitman from Lettermen Row. This moves the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) percentage to 96.6% in favor of the Buckeyes to land Dye, with the Tennessee Volunteers at 1.8%.
Currently, Dye has four official visits lined up for this summer, including a June 14 trip to Columbus. He will be in Miami and Georgia the weeks before visiting the Buckeyes and then will head to Rocky Top on June 21.
Brian Hartline continues to Brian Hartline as yesterday, 247Sports’ Tom Loy reported that wide receiver Donovan Olugbode will visit the Buckeyes at the end of the month. Olugbode is originally from Illinois but will finish off his high school career playing for the IMG Academy in Florida. He currently ranks as the No. 145 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings and the No. 18 WR in his class.
Over the last two days, four-star Texas defensive tackle Landon Rink was in Columbus, and he already knows that he will be back. BuckNuts’ Bill Kurelic is reporting that the No. 311 player in the country and No. 36 defensive lineman in the 2025 cycle will take his official visit with the Buckeyes from May 31 to June 2.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Marion Dye, Elkhart High School | Mick Walker, 247Sports
The Buckeyes also lock in a pair of official visits for this summer.
Buckeyes Pick Up Prediction for Top 2025 Talent
On Tuesday, the football Buckeyes got back to work following spring break and along with all of the excitement around the return to practice came some excitement from the recruiting trail. Yesterday, Ohio State and defensive line coach Larry Johnson were on the receiving end of a prediction to land one of the top prospects in the 2025 recruiting class.
On3’s Oklahoma recruiting expert Josh McCuistion logged a prediction that Elkhart, Indiana defensive end Mariyon Dye would eventually commit to play for OSU. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound edge rusher is the No. 191 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also the No. 16 edge rusher and No. 3 player from the Hoosier State. However, the On3 recruiting service has him at No. 47 in the 2025 cycle and the No. 5 edge rusher and top player from Indiana.
McCuistion’s prediction joins those of Ohio State experts Matt Parker and Alex Gleitman from Lettermen Row. This moves the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) percentage to 96.6% in favor of the Buckeyes to land Dye, with the Tennessee Volunteers at 1.8%.
Currently, Dye has four official visits lined up for this summer, including a June 14 trip to Columbus. He will be in Miami and Georgia the weeks before visiting the Buckeyes and then will head to Rocky Top on June 21.
Quick Hits:
Brian Hartline continues to Brian Hartline as yesterday, 247Sports’ Tom Loy reported that wide receiver Donovan Olugbode will visit the Buckeyes at the end of the month. Olugbode is originally from Illinois but will finish off his high school career playing for the IMG Academy in Florida. He currently ranks as the No. 145 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings and the No. 18 WR in his class.
Over the last two days, four-star Texas defensive tackle Landon Rink was in Columbus, and he already knows that he will be back. BuckNuts’ Bill Kurelic is reporting that the No. 311 player in the country and No. 36 defensive lineman in the 2025 cycle will take his official visit with the Buckeyes from May 31 to June 2.
Continue reading...
Jake
- By AKAK
- Open Discussion (Work-safe)
- 27 Replies
Hi Everybody,
Probably the worst person to perform this task, so I'm just going to get into it. As you may or may not have noticed, and if you're around, you probably did. But, Jake hasn't posted in a while.
Of course part of the fun a place like this (and being online in general) is there's a little bit of anonymity and you can be someone that's a little different than you usually act. You can interact with strange and interesting people you wouldn't normally interact with and become friends. The downside is, we don't usually have a last will and testament with our user name and password on it for our next of kin to go let those strange and interesting people that you're not going to be back. Maybe we should.
So, to be perfectly honest, we don't KNOW for sure what happened to Jake. So, Jake, if you've decided to spend the spring in the Andes looking for Inca gold with no wi-fi, sorry man, I didn't mean to vote you off the island so quickly, send a postcard next time.
But here's what we think happened.
There's a deleted post from him out there that gives a hint, but I'll let that lie there because he deleted it. Other than that @heisman did most of the digging here, and he referred to himself as Jeff in PM's to me, and his IP addresses traced to Youngstown and the dates here match up to his last post. There are a few inconsistencies, but, people tell stories too (I don't ever fill out the right birthday on the internet either, stuff like that, not big things). We have reason to believe he had some health issues, and I heard that from a few people who might have more detail than I do.
I don't mean for this post to serve as a eulogy, I will leave that to all of you if you're so inclined. But 2 things I do want to mention, the first is numerical and I hate that it is, and I would never ever ever want to equate the value of our friends to a post count, but, on the other hand the guy made 60,000 posts here (and did a lot of the games and contests and all that stuff). His absence will leave a hole in our community from a participation perspective alone. Second, and I think this is much more illustrative. A few years ago when we started to explore finding new ownership for this website, he was the first person to reach out to me. Obviously we weren't able to put it all together, but, he thought enough of this place to at least ask if he could throw some significant money at it.
It sucks to have to make this post. It sucks that we don't have concrete information, and we even kind of put of making this post for a couple weeks hoping we were wrong. We thought it would suck more to not share what information we did have and have it just be another question mark in the MIA thread.
That's all I got.
Quick edit; I appreciate you guys reacting to this post and I thought long and hard how to break this to everyone but I am really struggling with this and the Kinch thing, so, add a comment instead. I can't explain why really but every time I pop in its more and... Well please understand I appreciate the thought. Thank you. But please stop!
Probably the worst person to perform this task, so I'm just going to get into it. As you may or may not have noticed, and if you're around, you probably did. But, Jake hasn't posted in a while.
Of course part of the fun a place like this (and being online in general) is there's a little bit of anonymity and you can be someone that's a little different than you usually act. You can interact with strange and interesting people you wouldn't normally interact with and become friends. The downside is, we don't usually have a last will and testament with our user name and password on it for our next of kin to go let those strange and interesting people that you're not going to be back. Maybe we should.
So, to be perfectly honest, we don't KNOW for sure what happened to Jake. So, Jake, if you've decided to spend the spring in the Andes looking for Inca gold with no wi-fi, sorry man, I didn't mean to vote you off the island so quickly, send a postcard next time.
But here's what we think happened.
There's a deleted post from him out there that gives a hint, but I'll let that lie there because he deleted it. Other than that @heisman did most of the digging here, and he referred to himself as Jeff in PM's to me, and his IP addresses traced to Youngstown and the dates here match up to his last post. There are a few inconsistencies, but, people tell stories too (I don't ever fill out the right birthday on the internet either, stuff like that, not big things). We have reason to believe he had some health issues, and I heard that from a few people who might have more detail than I do.
I don't mean for this post to serve as a eulogy, I will leave that to all of you if you're so inclined. But 2 things I do want to mention, the first is numerical and I hate that it is, and I would never ever ever want to equate the value of our friends to a post count, but, on the other hand the guy made 60,000 posts here (and did a lot of the games and contests and all that stuff). His absence will leave a hole in our community from a participation perspective alone. Second, and I think this is much more illustrative. A few years ago when we started to explore finding new ownership for this website, he was the first person to reach out to me. Obviously we weren't able to put it all together, but, he thought enough of this place to at least ask if he could throw some significant money at it.
It sucks to have to make this post. It sucks that we don't have concrete information, and we even kind of put of making this post for a couple weeks hoping we were wrong. We thought it would suck more to not share what information we did have and have it just be another question mark in the MIA thread.
That's all I got.
Quick edit; I appreciate you guys reacting to this post and I thought long and hard how to break this to everyone but I am really struggling with this and the Kinch thing, so, add a comment instead. I can't explain why really but every time I pop in its more and... Well please understand I appreciate the thought. Thank you. But please stop!
