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LGHL You’re Nuts: Which non-football Ohio State record feels unbreakable?
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You’re Nuts: Which non-football Ohio State record feels unbreakable?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State AD Gene Smith with OSU Hall of Fame inductee Justin Fry (2019) | Via Ohio State Athletics
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about records, the ones that have been broken, the ones that could be broken, and the ones that will never be broken. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Broken Records” articles here.
Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, Wayne Gretzky 1,963 assists, and Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in an NBA game are just a few records that feel like they are unbreakable. The closest challenger to DiMaggio’s hitting streak was Pete Rose in 1978 and he still fell 12 games short of tying the record. Even if Wayne Gretzky hadn’t scored a goal in his career, he’d still be the all-time leading point scorer in NHL history because of all his assists. When it comes to Chamberlain’s 100-point game, nobody has come closer than Kobe Bryant in 2006 when he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. For anyone to challenge these records, it feels like a superhuman effort is going to be needed.
Today we are going to look at some Ohio State records we feel will never be broken. With some many great athletes who passed through Columbus over the years, there are plenty of marks that have been set that seem like they’ll never be broken. Although it would be fun to imagine a star Buckeye setting sights on these records and doing their best to try and match it, the college game in pretty much all sports has changed so much over the years, which makes it even tougher to reach these marks than those who set these records had it.
It’s safe to say Ohio State basketball isn’t going to see another shot blocker as prolific as Ken Johnson. From 1998 to 2001, Johnson was credited with 444 blocked shots, which is 116 more blocks than the previous record holder Herb Williams, who has over 100 more blocks than third-place Dallas Lauderdale.
In his four seasons as a Buckeye, Johnson totaled at least 100 blocks in three of those seasons. Since 2002, there has only been one Ohio State player with at least 100 blocks in a season, as Greg Oden had 105 blocks during the 2006-07 season.
The fact is basketball isn’t played like it used to be, both on and off the court. The transfer portal and some players leaving for the NBA after just a season or two has assured many old records are going to stand for quite some time because players aren’t on campus nearly as long as they used to be.
Just look at Felix Okpara, who was a shot-blocking machine while at Ohio State. Okpara blocked 83 shots last year and had 44 swats in 2022-23. Even with his 127 career blocks, Okpara was still over 200 blocks shy of second place in school history. To catch Williams, Okpara would have to be just the third different Buckeye to record at least 100 blocks in a season, and he would have to do that twice!
These days basketball is played more on the perimeter and less in the paint, which has cut down on the number of blocked shots. When you look at the leaders in blocked shots in Division I recently, the last time the leader in the country had over 150 blocked shots was during the 2011-12 season when Anthony Davis had 186 rejections.
Those stats alone should tell you that if any Buckeye is going to challenge the block record of Johnson, they’ll have to not only be prolific, they’ll also have to stick around in Columbus for three or four years. While that could become a thing with NIL, it’s hard to imagine a defensive force not jumping to the NBA after a couple years in college.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: Ohio State’s 40-year-old offensive line coach somehow played baseball for the Buckeyes in the ‘90s? The answer to that is obviously no, as the football staffer is spelled Justin Frye, and is of course no relation to the OSU baseball legend Justin Fry.
Fry is unquestionably the greatest pitcher to ever toe the rubber in the scarlet and gray. The 6-foot-3 right-hander is the program record-holder in wins (36), innings pitched (419.2), and strikeouts (382). Fry was named the 1997 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, posting a 10-3 record, but was perhaps his best in his final season at Ohio State in 1999. In that senior campaign, Fry was named a First Team All-American and Big Ten Pitcher of the Year with an 11-2 record and 3.70 ERA.
While many of pitcher’s records seem unbreakable, the one I want to look at specifically is his strikeout total. With 382 punch-outs in his career, Fry is nearly 100 ahead of the next-highest player on the list — Steve Arlin with 294 from 1965-66. The only Ohio State pitchers in the last decade to even break the 200-strikeout mark were Seth Lonsway (266) in 2019-21 and Ryan Feltner (204) in 2016-18.
The reason Fry was able to accomplish such a loft strikeout total was his incredible consistency. Fry recorded at least 100 strikeouts in three consecutive seasons, fanning 101 in 1997, 113 in 1998 and 104 in 1999. In addition to that, Fry was someone who regularly pitched deep into games — something not many starting pitchers do in today’s era of baseball. Fry pitched 24 complete games in his Ohio State career, good for third-most in school history.
That combination of skill, longevity and consistency makes this record virtually unbeatable. Even if another star pitcher was to play four collegiate seasons with the Buckeyes, starting pitchers just don't throw as many pitches or go as deep into games as they used to. There’s a reason only two players have even cracked the 200-mark in the last decade, and it seems unthinkable that there will ever be another player to crack 300, let alone hit the 382 mark necessary to unseat Fry.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State AD Gene Smith with OSU Hall of Fame inductee Justin Fry (2019) | Via Ohio State Athletics
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about records, the ones that have been broken, the ones that could be broken, and the ones that will never be broken. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Broken Records” articles here.
Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, Wayne Gretzky 1,963 assists, and Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in an NBA game are just a few records that feel like they are unbreakable. The closest challenger to DiMaggio’s hitting streak was Pete Rose in 1978 and he still fell 12 games short of tying the record. Even if Wayne Gretzky hadn’t scored a goal in his career, he’d still be the all-time leading point scorer in NHL history because of all his assists. When it comes to Chamberlain’s 100-point game, nobody has come closer than Kobe Bryant in 2006 when he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. For anyone to challenge these records, it feels like a superhuman effort is going to be needed.
Today we are going to look at some Ohio State records we feel will never be broken. With some many great athletes who passed through Columbus over the years, there are plenty of marks that have been set that seem like they’ll never be broken. Although it would be fun to imagine a star Buckeye setting sights on these records and doing their best to try and match it, the college game in pretty much all sports has changed so much over the years, which makes it even tougher to reach these marks than those who set these records had it.
Today’s question: Which Ohio State record feels unbreakable?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Ken Johnson’s 444 career blocks
It’s safe to say Ohio State basketball isn’t going to see another shot blocker as prolific as Ken Johnson. From 1998 to 2001, Johnson was credited with 444 blocked shots, which is 116 more blocks than the previous record holder Herb Williams, who has over 100 more blocks than third-place Dallas Lauderdale.
In his four seasons as a Buckeye, Johnson totaled at least 100 blocks in three of those seasons. Since 2002, there has only been one Ohio State player with at least 100 blocks in a season, as Greg Oden had 105 blocks during the 2006-07 season.
The fact is basketball isn’t played like it used to be, both on and off the court. The transfer portal and some players leaving for the NBA after just a season or two has assured many old records are going to stand for quite some time because players aren’t on campus nearly as long as they used to be.
Just look at Felix Okpara, who was a shot-blocking machine while at Ohio State. Okpara blocked 83 shots last year and had 44 swats in 2022-23. Even with his 127 career blocks, Okpara was still over 200 blocks shy of second place in school history. To catch Williams, Okpara would have to be just the third different Buckeye to record at least 100 blocks in a season, and he would have to do that twice!
These days basketball is played more on the perimeter and less in the paint, which has cut down on the number of blocked shots. When you look at the leaders in blocked shots in Division I recently, the last time the leader in the country had over 150 blocked shots was during the 2011-12 season when Anthony Davis had 186 rejections.
Those stats alone should tell you that if any Buckeye is going to challenge the block record of Johnson, they’ll have to not only be prolific, they’ll also have to stick around in Columbus for three or four years. While that could become a thing with NIL, it’s hard to imagine a defensive force not jumping to the NBA after a couple years in college.
Gene’s Answer: Justin Fry’s 382 career strikeouts
Now, I know what you’re thinking: Ohio State’s 40-year-old offensive line coach somehow played baseball for the Buckeyes in the ‘90s? The answer to that is obviously no, as the football staffer is spelled Justin Frye, and is of course no relation to the OSU baseball legend Justin Fry.
Fry is unquestionably the greatest pitcher to ever toe the rubber in the scarlet and gray. The 6-foot-3 right-hander is the program record-holder in wins (36), innings pitched (419.2), and strikeouts (382). Fry was named the 1997 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, posting a 10-3 record, but was perhaps his best in his final season at Ohio State in 1999. In that senior campaign, Fry was named a First Team All-American and Big Ten Pitcher of the Year with an 11-2 record and 3.70 ERA.
While many of pitcher’s records seem unbreakable, the one I want to look at specifically is his strikeout total. With 382 punch-outs in his career, Fry is nearly 100 ahead of the next-highest player on the list — Steve Arlin with 294 from 1965-66. The only Ohio State pitchers in the last decade to even break the 200-strikeout mark were Seth Lonsway (266) in 2019-21 and Ryan Feltner (204) in 2016-18.
The reason Fry was able to accomplish such a loft strikeout total was his incredible consistency. Fry recorded at least 100 strikeouts in three consecutive seasons, fanning 101 in 1997, 113 in 1998 and 104 in 1999. In addition to that, Fry was someone who regularly pitched deep into games — something not many starting pitchers do in today’s era of baseball. Fry pitched 24 complete games in his Ohio State career, good for third-most in school history.
That combination of skill, longevity and consistency makes this record virtually unbeatable. Even if another star pitcher was to play four collegiate seasons with the Buckeyes, starting pitchers just don't throw as many pitches or go as deep into games as they used to. There’s a reason only two players have even cracked the 200-mark in the last decade, and it seems unthinkable that there will ever be another player to crack 300, let alone hit the 382 mark necessary to unseat Fry.
Continue reading...
LGHL Sunday marks the end of Gene Smith’s tenure as Ohio State’s athletic director
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Sunday marks the end of Gene Smith’s tenure as Ohio State’s athletic director
Brett Ludwiczak 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
Smith has been one of the most influential figures in college athletics administration during his time at Ohio State.
Sunday marks the final day of Gene Smith’s tenure as Ohio State’s athletic director, wrapping up a career spanning almost 40 years as a Division I athletics director, with the last 19 coming in Columbus at Ohio State. During his time at Ohio State, Smith has strengthened the Buckeye athletic department as one of the best in the country, while also helping student-athletes be prepared for life after college.
Smith was born in Cleveland before attending college at Notre Dame, where he was a part of the Fighting Irish football team from 1973 to 1976. Not only was Smith a part of Notre Dame’s national championship team in 1973, in 1977 he was an assistant football coach under head coach Dan Devine, and in Smith’s first year of the coaching staff the Fighting Irish won another national title. Smith was an assistant at Notre Dame until 1981.
After moving on from Notre Dame, Smith’s next stop in college athletics was at Eastern Michigan, where he was named assistant athletics director in 1983 before being promoted to the school’s athletics director in 1986, a position he would hold until 1993 when he moved on to take the same role at Iowa State.
During his time in Ames with the Cyclones, Smith would become the first Black president of the National Association of College Directors of Athletics. Smith would lead Iowa State until 2000 when he moved on to Arizona State.
On March 5, 2005, Smith would become Ohio State’s eighth athletic director, taking over for Andy Geiger. Even though Smith was new to Ohio State, he had already built a strong reputation among his peers, and was a member of the NCAA Division I Basketball Committee from 2006 to 2011, serving as chairman of the committee for the 2010-11 season.
The Ohio State athletic director was also a part of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee from 2017 to 2019.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25511719/1420645347.jpg "Notre Dame v Ohio State")
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
Ohio State’s first national championship under Smith was won by the rowing team in 2008. By the end of Smith’s time as athletic director, Ohio State won 13 NCAA team national titles, 35 total team national championships, and 122 individual event national titles. No national championship was bigger than the college football national championship the Buckeyes won in 2014, which gave Smith national titles in college football as a player, coach, and athletic director.
Along with their national success, the Buckeyes have also been a force in the Big Ten under Smith, winning 117 team Big Ten championships and 384 individual event Big Ten titles.
As well as Ohio State’s achievements on the field, Smith has also been instrumental at helping Buckeyes be ready for life after their playing careers are over. Smith’s biggest contribution has been by creating the Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute, which provides leadership, character, and career development to best prepare Ohio State student-athletes for life after graduation. Recently Ohio State posted a record-high APR score of 993, with 17 programs posting perfect scores.
With his tireless work to expand Ohio State’s brand and influence, along with the tremendous work of the student-athletes both in and out of the classroom, it’s no surprise Smith has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards and honors over the years. In 2007, Smith became a NACDA Hall of Fame member as part of their inaugural Legends Class of Minority Athletics Administrators.
Three years later, Sports Business Journal named Smith Athletic Director of the Year. Smith’s biggest honor came in 2016 when he was named the 50th James J. Corbett Memorial Award recipient, which is the highest honor in college athletics administration.
Not that there haven’t been controversial moments during Smith’s time at Ohio State. The biggest mess for Smith to clean up came during the “Tatgate” scandal, which led to the resignation of head coach Jim Tressel and the school self-imposing a bowl ban for the 2012, which was a season that would see the Buckeyes go 12-0 in Urban Meyer’s first season as head coach.
Then there was the fallout from the Zach Smith scandal, which resulted in the suspension of Meyer for the first three games of the 2017 season, which would end up being Meyer’s final season as the team’s football coach.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25511722/1068458150.jpg "Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer Press Conference")
Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Even during the toughest moments, Smith handled himself like a true professional. There is no doubt Smith’s legacy for the work he has done at Ohio State will extend years beyond his retirement. While Ohio State hired a huge name in Ross Bjork to replace Smith as athletic director, it will be impossible for Bjork to live up to the impact Smith had during his nearly two decades on the job in Columbus.
Thanks for all your hard work over the years, Gene. Wishing you nothing but the best during your retirement!
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak 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
Smith has been one of the most influential figures in college athletics administration during his time at Ohio State.
Sunday marks the final day of Gene Smith’s tenure as Ohio State’s athletic director, wrapping up a career spanning almost 40 years as a Division I athletics director, with the last 19 coming in Columbus at Ohio State. During his time at Ohio State, Smith has strengthened the Buckeye athletic department as one of the best in the country, while also helping student-athletes be prepared for life after college.
Smith was born in Cleveland before attending college at Notre Dame, where he was a part of the Fighting Irish football team from 1973 to 1976. Not only was Smith a part of Notre Dame’s national championship team in 1973, in 1977 he was an assistant football coach under head coach Dan Devine, and in Smith’s first year of the coaching staff the Fighting Irish won another national title. Smith was an assistant at Notre Dame until 1981.
After moving on from Notre Dame, Smith’s next stop in college athletics was at Eastern Michigan, where he was named assistant athletics director in 1983 before being promoted to the school’s athletics director in 1986, a position he would hold until 1993 when he moved on to take the same role at Iowa State.
During his time in Ames with the Cyclones, Smith would become the first Black president of the National Association of College Directors of Athletics. Smith would lead Iowa State until 2000 when he moved on to Arizona State.
On March 5, 2005, Smith would become Ohio State’s eighth athletic director, taking over for Andy Geiger. Even though Smith was new to Ohio State, he had already built a strong reputation among his peers, and was a member of the NCAA Division I Basketball Committee from 2006 to 2011, serving as chairman of the committee for the 2010-11 season.
The Ohio State athletic director was also a part of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee from 2017 to 2019.
Ohio State’s first national championship under Smith was won by the rowing team in 2008. By the end of Smith’s time as athletic director, Ohio State won 13 NCAA team national titles, 35 total team national championships, and 122 individual event national titles. No national championship was bigger than the college football national championship the Buckeyes won in 2014, which gave Smith national titles in college football as a player, coach, and athletic director.
Along with their national success, the Buckeyes have also been a force in the Big Ten under Smith, winning 117 team Big Ten championships and 384 individual event Big Ten titles.
As well as Ohio State’s achievements on the field, Smith has also been instrumental at helping Buckeyes be ready for life after their playing careers are over. Smith’s biggest contribution has been by creating the Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute, which provides leadership, character, and career development to best prepare Ohio State student-athletes for life after graduation. Recently Ohio State posted a record-high APR score of 993, with 17 programs posting perfect scores.
With his tireless work to expand Ohio State’s brand and influence, along with the tremendous work of the student-athletes both in and out of the classroom, it’s no surprise Smith has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards and honors over the years. In 2007, Smith became a NACDA Hall of Fame member as part of their inaugural Legends Class of Minority Athletics Administrators.
Three years later, Sports Business Journal named Smith Athletic Director of the Year. Smith’s biggest honor came in 2016 when he was named the 50th James J. Corbett Memorial Award recipient, which is the highest honor in college athletics administration.
Not that there haven’t been controversial moments during Smith’s time at Ohio State. The biggest mess for Smith to clean up came during the “Tatgate” scandal, which led to the resignation of head coach Jim Tressel and the school self-imposing a bowl ban for the 2012, which was a season that would see the Buckeyes go 12-0 in Urban Meyer’s first season as head coach.
Then there was the fallout from the Zach Smith scandal, which resulted in the suspension of Meyer for the first three games of the 2017 season, which would end up being Meyer’s final season as the team’s football coach.
Even during the toughest moments, Smith handled himself like a true professional. There is no doubt Smith’s legacy for the work he has done at Ohio State will extend years beyond his retirement. While Ohio State hired a huge name in Ross Bjork to replace Smith as athletic director, it will be impossible for Bjork to live up to the impact Smith had during his nearly two decades on the job in Columbus.
Thanks for all your hard work over the years, Gene. Wishing you nothing but the best during your retirement!
Continue reading...
LGHL You’re Nuts: What is the most impressive program record for Ohio State men’s basketball?
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You’re Nuts: What is the most impressive program record for Ohio State men’s basketball?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
For ‘Broken Records’ week, our basketball writers pick two program records that they think may not be touched ever again.
Welcome to “Broken Records” week at Land-Grant Holy Land, where we discuss Big Ten and Ohio State records that we think will be broken soon, or will never be broken, or could possibly be broken, or are currently in the process of being broken, or.... you get it. Specifically, our basketball writers are looking at records associated with the men’s basketball program.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what head coach Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes should do with the final available scholarship. Justin said Ohio State should try to add former Northern Illinois gurd David Coit, who averaged over 20 points per game last season and has one year of eligibility remaining. Connor said that Diebler can just carry on with adding the international post player he seems intent to add, because any other addition would subtract opportunities from someone like John Mobley Jr.
By the skin of his teeth, Justin won the poll with support from 54% of readers. Connor picked up 46%, falling by a single-digit margin.
Connor- 76
Back to records! This week, Connor and Justin each picked an Ohio State men’s basketball program record that they think is the most impressive, especially with the advantage of looking back years after the fact. These are records that will be difficult to break, but not ones that we necessarily think are unbreakable.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25509748/140986708.jpg "Ohio State University vs Michigan State University")
Set Number: X86841 TK1 R6 F16
Something that has become abundantly clear to me over the last four or five seasons — Ohio State fans may support the program, but they absolutely do not support the Schottenstein Center. While the building itself is in great shape and the university continues to pour money into it for renovations and upgrades, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an Ohio State fans who thinks “The Schott” is a good or appreciable venue for men’s college basketball.
I’ve written about this in length previously, but people don’t think the Schottenstein Center is a good basketball venue for several reasons — the biggest one being the size of the arena.
The cavernous, 26-year old building can hold nearly 19,000 people, including nearly half of that capacity in the upper level, which feels incredibly far from the action when seated up top. Even on a good night when Ohio State puts more than 14,000 people in the seats, the large swaths of empty seats are very noticable in the upper level — and for the record, averaging 14,000 people per game would sell out several of the other Big ten basketball venues.
The temperature fluctuates throughout the year because it also hosts hockey games during most of the basketball season, and the arena isn’t anywhere near the academic campus, which can be a hindrance for student turnout (although it hasn’t been in recent years). Ohio State’s attendance has dropped drastically the last few seasons, including setting a few record lows this past season in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
The Buckeyes did not sell out a single home game last season, which means it’s now been two full seasons since the last home sellout. But during the 1999-2000 seasons and the 2006-2007 season, Ohio State sold out the building 12 times each!
The thought of a singular sellout inside that cavernous hall of sport feels so far-fetched right now, it’s almost impossible to imagine selling out that building for nearly every home game. But that’s exactly what happened during both of those seasons, with the home crowd sitting totalling 19,100 twelve different times during the 1999-2000 season and topping 18,800 12 different times seven years later.
Ohio State has not made the NCAA Tournament in two seasons, so I understand why fans haven’t wanted to spend the money on a bad product. I do think the program is on the come up, but I think Jake Diebler would need to turn this team into the bully of the Big Ten conference to all of a sudden start selling out games again. 12 sellouts in one year is a record that will probably outlive the building itself.
There are a lot of impressive and surprising records that guys hold in the Ohio State men’s basketball program.
David Lighty holds the record for Ohio State games played with 157. For context, that is an average of 39.25 games played per season. Lighty played from 2006-11 for the Buckeyes.
This is impressive for multiple reasons. First of all, the longevity of Lighty playing for five seasons and only getting hurt once. That injury was significant, and he missed most of his junior season, but he never had to sit out with a minor injury or a nagging injury issue outside of that.
He also participated in a couple of deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, including as a freshman on the 2006-07 NCAA runner-up team, where he played in all 39 games that season and started in seven of them.
Lighty played in 39 games as a freshman, and then he played in 37 games as a sophomore, starting in all of them. He got hurt his junior season, only playing in seven games and earning a medical redshirt. In his redshirt junior season, he played in 37 games, and in his redshirt senior season, he also played in 37 games. He started in all of those games except for one.
For his career, he played in 157 games, starting in 124 and averaging 29.2 minutes per contest for his career. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game
Basically, to beat this record, you need a guy who plays immediately, doesn’t leave early, makes a couple of deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, and is healthy for at least most of their career.
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
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
For ‘Broken Records’ week, our basketball writers pick two program records that they think may not be touched ever again.
Welcome to “Broken Records” week at Land-Grant Holy Land, where we discuss Big Ten and Ohio State records that we think will be broken soon, or will never be broken, or could possibly be broken, or are currently in the process of being broken, or.... you get it. Specifically, our basketball writers are looking at records associated with the men’s basketball program.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what head coach Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes should do with the final available scholarship. Justin said Ohio State should try to add former Northern Illinois gurd David Coit, who averaged over 20 points per game last season and has one year of eligibility remaining. Connor said that Diebler can just carry on with adding the international post player he seems intent to add, because any other addition would subtract opportunities from someone like John Mobley Jr.
By the skin of his teeth, Justin won the poll with support from 54% of readers. Connor picked up 46%, falling by a single-digit margin.
After 158 weeks:
Connor- 76
Justin- 62
Other- 16
(There have been four ties)
Back to records! This week, Connor and Justin each picked an Ohio State men’s basketball program record that they think is the most impressive, especially with the advantage of looking back years after the fact. These are records that will be difficult to break, but not ones that we necessarily think are unbreakable.
This week’s question: What is the most impressive Ohio State men’s basketball program record?
Connor: Home sell-outs in one season (12)
Something that has become abundantly clear to me over the last four or five seasons — Ohio State fans may support the program, but they absolutely do not support the Schottenstein Center. While the building itself is in great shape and the university continues to pour money into it for renovations and upgrades, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an Ohio State fans who thinks “The Schott” is a good or appreciable venue for men’s college basketball.
I’ve written about this in length previously, but people don’t think the Schottenstein Center is a good basketball venue for several reasons — the biggest one being the size of the arena.
The cavernous, 26-year old building can hold nearly 19,000 people, including nearly half of that capacity in the upper level, which feels incredibly far from the action when seated up top. Even on a good night when Ohio State puts more than 14,000 people in the seats, the large swaths of empty seats are very noticable in the upper level — and for the record, averaging 14,000 people per game would sell out several of the other Big ten basketball venues.
The temperature fluctuates throughout the year because it also hosts hockey games during most of the basketball season, and the arena isn’t anywhere near the academic campus, which can be a hindrance for student turnout (although it hasn’t been in recent years). Ohio State’s attendance has dropped drastically the last few seasons, including setting a few record lows this past season in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
The Buckeyes did not sell out a single home game last season, which means it’s now been two full seasons since the last home sellout. But during the 1999-2000 seasons and the 2006-2007 season, Ohio State sold out the building 12 times each!
The thought of a singular sellout inside that cavernous hall of sport feels so far-fetched right now, it’s almost impossible to imagine selling out that building for nearly every home game. But that’s exactly what happened during both of those seasons, with the home crowd sitting totalling 19,100 twelve different times during the 1999-2000 season and topping 18,800 12 different times seven years later.
Ohio State has not made the NCAA Tournament in two seasons, so I understand why fans haven’t wanted to spend the money on a bad product. I do think the program is on the come up, but I think Jake Diebler would need to turn this team into the bully of the Big Ten conference to all of a sudden start selling out games again. 12 sellouts in one year is a record that will probably outlive the building itself.
Justin: David Lighty games played (157)
There are a lot of impressive and surprising records that guys hold in the Ohio State men’s basketball program.
David Lighty holds the record for Ohio State games played with 157. For context, that is an average of 39.25 games played per season. Lighty played from 2006-11 for the Buckeyes.
This is impressive for multiple reasons. First of all, the longevity of Lighty playing for five seasons and only getting hurt once. That injury was significant, and he missed most of his junior season, but he never had to sit out with a minor injury or a nagging injury issue outside of that.
He also participated in a couple of deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, including as a freshman on the 2006-07 NCAA runner-up team, where he played in all 39 games that season and started in seven of them.
Lighty played in 39 games as a freshman, and then he played in 37 games as a sophomore, starting in all of them. He got hurt his junior season, only playing in seven games and earning a medical redshirt. In his redshirt junior season, he played in 37 games, and in his redshirt senior season, he also played in 37 games. He started in all of those games except for one.
For his career, he played in 157 games, starting in 124 and averaging 29.2 minutes per contest for his career. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game
Basically, to beat this record, you need a guy who plays immediately, doesn’t leave early, makes a couple of deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, and is healthy for at least most of their career.
Continue reading...
