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LGHL Behind Enemy Lines: Wisconsin hoping for a return to prominence under Luke Fickell
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Behind Enemy Lines: Wisconsin hoping for a return to prominence under Luke Fickell
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY Sports
The former Buckeye is back in the Big Ten and looking to unseat his alma mater as the king of the conference.
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 checking in on Ohio State’s opponents. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Behind Enemy Line” articles here.
The Wisconsin Badgers began their 2022 football season two up, three down (2-3), including a stinker of a home loss to Washington State and two other losses in which they had their doors blown completely off by Ohio State and Illinois. These embarrassing early defeats – as well as the general malaise of the program – led to head coach Paul Chryst’s firing on Oct. 2, 2022, putting an end to his otherwise solid tenure.
I guess the power of Chryst no longer compelled... And I stand by that joke.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24775321/1422955222.jpg)
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
The former Badger quarterback and 2x Big Ten Coach of the Year led his alma mater to three Big Ten West division titles in 2016, 2017, and 2019, but then oddly forgot how to put points on the board post-pandemic. I say ‘oddly’ because Chryst made his coaching bones as a QB whisperer and offensive coordinator. You never would have guessed it by watching him and Graham Mertz struggle to figure out the forward pass like it was a million-piece jigsaw puzzle, but the former once coached/mentored a 4,000-yard passer at Oregon State (Derek Anderson, 2003).
No points led to no job for Chryst, leaving UW’s (former) defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard to try and pick up the pieces of a broken 2022 season. Leonhard guided the Badgers to a 4-3 record and seemed to have the players’ support when it came to potentially landing the permanent HC position. But Wisconsin’s decision makers had something – or someone – much bigger in mind. A move and a hire that would send shockwaves through the world of college football.
On Nov. 27, 2022, the school officially named Luke Fickell as its 31st head football coach, stealing him away from Cincinnati where he had risen to national prominence. Fickell is one of college football’s best active coaches and should lead the Badgers back to some sort of glory. He is, however, joining a loaded Big Ten conference — and taking a big step up in competition from the AAC.
Fickell did not arrive in Madison planning to battle opponents all by himself. After just one month on the job, he brought in Phil Longo to be Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator, fresh off the latter’s successful run at North Carolina. Leonhard departed as the team’s defensive coordinator, but his loss should be minimized by the presence of both Fickell and Mike Tressel, who joined the new HC in coming over from UC. This new staff should infuse new life into the former B1G West juggernaut and force the entire conference to take the Badgers seriously once again.
In addition to Fickell and his coaching staff, there are plenty of other fresh faces in Madison. Wisconsin brought in several transfer players to not only provide depth, but also give the team a new offensive identity. In years past, the Badgers would rack up 30, 40, even 50 rushing attempts per game and be quite happy grinding away games. But with former Oklahoma and SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai expected to start in 2023, and Longo calling the plays, one can reasonably expect to see the ball in the air much more frequently.
Because Mordecai and Longo are adept at running/calling an air raid-style offense; the exact opposite of what Wisky fans are used to. Fickell’s squad also added two other QBs and four wide receivers via the portal, with the WRs expected to contribute immediately. Of course, star running back Braelon Allen is still a Badger, which is great news for UW.
The homegrown battering ram is a hell of a talent and one of the most dangerous RBs in the country. Similar in size to Derrick Henry, Allen rushed for 1,242 yards in 2022, despite receiving all the focus and attention from opposing defenses. If Wisconsin can keep him fed and chuck the ball downfield efficiently, then the rest of the Big Ten could be in for a very rude awakening.
On defense, the Badgers are going to badger... opponents, like they always have and always do. Despite lacking ‘stars’ in 2022, Wisconsin’s defense finished the season ranked 11th (nationally) in total defense and 17th in points per game allowed. And that PPG stat was actually a huge step back compared to previous seasons! Leonhard’s unit had finished 10th, 9th, and 4th in the previous three.
But I do not expect his former team to experience a drastic dropoff. Fickell and Tressel are great defensive minds in their own right, and they will have plenty of tools with which to work.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24775331/usa_today_20441891.jpg)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY Sports
Big man Keeanu Benton and sack artist Nick Herbig are gone from last year’s UW defense, but the team’s top three tacklers return. Maema Njongmeta, Jordan Turner, and C.J. Goetz are all back in the fold after having combined for 222 tackles and 25.5 tackles for loss last season. Behind them, the secondary is not nearly as strong, but one could have said the same thing going into 2022. And the Badgers still only allowed 204 passing yards per game. Shootouts might present a bit of an issue, but with the team’s improved (on paper) offense, they should at least be better equipped to trade football bullets if the situation arises.
What’s going to be interesting is whether Wisconsin can come together – as a new staff and a new team – while completely changing their offensive style and trying to win games in a tough, tough conference. The Badgers’ 2023 schedule did work out quite well for a potential transition season, as they avoid(ed) both Penn State and TTUN. And they don’t play a ‘solid’ team until mid-October... But then they get Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio State in three consecutive weeks.
The last team mentioned above is the only one LGHL and its readers really care about, so I would just remind everybody that the Buckeyes stomped the Badgers 52-21 last season. But that was then, and this is now. Luke Fickell is a heck of a coach, and as a fan of his, I hope that he brings Wisconsin back to prominence. I expect that he will, and in relatively short order. However, I don’t think he has the horses quite yet.
Give him and his staff a year or two to replenish talent, then we’re probably talking about a top-2, 3, or 4 team in the Big Ten. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if they put together a strong 2023 season.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY Sports
The former Buckeye is back in the Big Ten and looking to unseat his alma mater as the king of the conference.
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 checking in on Ohio State’s opponents. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Behind Enemy Line” articles here.
The Wisconsin Badgers began their 2022 football season two up, three down (2-3), including a stinker of a home loss to Washington State and two other losses in which they had their doors blown completely off by Ohio State and Illinois. These embarrassing early defeats – as well as the general malaise of the program – led to head coach Paul Chryst’s firing on Oct. 2, 2022, putting an end to his otherwise solid tenure.
I guess the power of Chryst no longer compelled... And I stand by that joke.
The former Badger quarterback and 2x Big Ten Coach of the Year led his alma mater to three Big Ten West division titles in 2016, 2017, and 2019, but then oddly forgot how to put points on the board post-pandemic. I say ‘oddly’ because Chryst made his coaching bones as a QB whisperer and offensive coordinator. You never would have guessed it by watching him and Graham Mertz struggle to figure out the forward pass like it was a million-piece jigsaw puzzle, but the former once coached/mentored a 4,000-yard passer at Oregon State (Derek Anderson, 2003).
No points led to no job for Chryst, leaving UW’s (former) defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard to try and pick up the pieces of a broken 2022 season. Leonhard guided the Badgers to a 4-3 record and seemed to have the players’ support when it came to potentially landing the permanent HC position. But Wisconsin’s decision makers had something – or someone – much bigger in mind. A move and a hire that would send shockwaves through the world of college football.
On Nov. 27, 2022, the school officially named Luke Fickell as its 31st head football coach, stealing him away from Cincinnati where he had risen to national prominence. Fickell is one of college football’s best active coaches and should lead the Badgers back to some sort of glory. He is, however, joining a loaded Big Ten conference — and taking a big step up in competition from the AAC.
Fickell did not arrive in Madison planning to battle opponents all by himself. After just one month on the job, he brought in Phil Longo to be Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator, fresh off the latter’s successful run at North Carolina. Leonhard departed as the team’s defensive coordinator, but his loss should be minimized by the presence of both Fickell and Mike Tressel, who joined the new HC in coming over from UC. This new staff should infuse new life into the former B1G West juggernaut and force the entire conference to take the Badgers seriously once again.
In addition to Fickell and his coaching staff, there are plenty of other fresh faces in Madison. Wisconsin brought in several transfer players to not only provide depth, but also give the team a new offensive identity. In years past, the Badgers would rack up 30, 40, even 50 rushing attempts per game and be quite happy grinding away games. But with former Oklahoma and SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai expected to start in 2023, and Longo calling the plays, one can reasonably expect to see the ball in the air much more frequently.
Because Mordecai and Longo are adept at running/calling an air raid-style offense; the exact opposite of what Wisky fans are used to. Fickell’s squad also added two other QBs and four wide receivers via the portal, with the WRs expected to contribute immediately. Of course, star running back Braelon Allen is still a Badger, which is great news for UW.
The homegrown battering ram is a hell of a talent and one of the most dangerous RBs in the country. Similar in size to Derrick Henry, Allen rushed for 1,242 yards in 2022, despite receiving all the focus and attention from opposing defenses. If Wisconsin can keep him fed and chuck the ball downfield efficiently, then the rest of the Big Ten could be in for a very rude awakening.
On defense, the Badgers are going to badger... opponents, like they always have and always do. Despite lacking ‘stars’ in 2022, Wisconsin’s defense finished the season ranked 11th (nationally) in total defense and 17th in points per game allowed. And that PPG stat was actually a huge step back compared to previous seasons! Leonhard’s unit had finished 10th, 9th, and 4th in the previous three.
But I do not expect his former team to experience a drastic dropoff. Fickell and Tressel are great defensive minds in their own right, and they will have plenty of tools with which to work.
Big man Keeanu Benton and sack artist Nick Herbig are gone from last year’s UW defense, but the team’s top three tacklers return. Maema Njongmeta, Jordan Turner, and C.J. Goetz are all back in the fold after having combined for 222 tackles and 25.5 tackles for loss last season. Behind them, the secondary is not nearly as strong, but one could have said the same thing going into 2022. And the Badgers still only allowed 204 passing yards per game. Shootouts might present a bit of an issue, but with the team’s improved (on paper) offense, they should at least be better equipped to trade football bullets if the situation arises.
What’s going to be interesting is whether Wisconsin can come together – as a new staff and a new team – while completely changing their offensive style and trying to win games in a tough, tough conference. The Badgers’ 2023 schedule did work out quite well for a potential transition season, as they avoid(ed) both Penn State and TTUN. And they don’t play a ‘solid’ team until mid-October... But then they get Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio State in three consecutive weeks.
The last team mentioned above is the only one LGHL and its readers really care about, so I would just remind everybody that the Buckeyes stomped the Badgers 52-21 last season. But that was then, and this is now. Luke Fickell is a heck of a coach, and as a fan of his, I hope that he brings Wisconsin back to prominence. I expect that he will, and in relatively short order. However, I don’t think he has the horses quite yet.
Give him and his staff a year or two to replenish talent, then we’re probably talking about a top-2, 3, or 4 team in the Big Ten. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if they put together a strong 2023 season.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State women’s basketball forward Eboni Walker finds peace 13,000 feet off the ground
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State women’s basketball forward Eboni Walker finds peace 13,000 feet off the ground
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jay LaPrete/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
How degree requirements and graduate school pressures fell from the sky for the Buckeye super senior.
There are high pressure moments in the life of college basketball players. After practicing, strategizing and listening to coaches, everything comes down to putting all the talk and preparation into practice. It all goes into the moment where seconds matter. When the heart is racing and eyes shift to look at you. How will the athlete perform?
For Ohio State women’s basketball forward Eboni Walker, this isn’t the precursor to an NCAA March Madness game. It’s the final moments before the graduate senior did something that, for many, is unthinkable: When she jumped out of a plane.
Walker’s taken many leaps in her college basketball career. After Gatorade named the forward the 2019 Nevada Player of the Year, Walker moved out of state to join the Arizona State Sun Devils. Following two seasons and a soon-to-be coaching change, Walker moved to the other side of the country and into a tumultuous Syracuse University team that soon after lost its head coach for allegations of mistreatment and bullying.
The forward stuck with the team, ultimately suffered an injury that made Walker unavailable for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. That’s when the aspiring mechanical engineer transferred to Ohio State.
Somewhere along the way, all of Walker’s college credits went into a Communications degree. When the Las Vegas, Nevada native came to Columbus, a single Spanish class was all she needed to graduate, but there was a problem: She needed to take more classes to fulfill her scholarship.
“What do you mean? I have nothing else to take,” recalled Walker when she spoke with her advisor. The aspiring engineer had a solution. “I didn’t want to pick something where I had to use my brain. I wanted to have fun.”
Walker held to her word. The forward enrolled in kitchen sciences, a chocolate course and a beer and wine class. During a summer practice, Walker proudly told head coach Kevin McGuff she was heading home after practice to drink some beer, which wasn’t nearly as fulfilling once Walker completed the assignment.
“I took one little swig and I was so upset, having to drink it,” said Walker. “It just tasted terrible to me.”
Drinking beer and making and eating homemade chocolate sounds like most folks ideal weekend, but for Walker, who also doesn’t like sweets, its different. Each choice is a smaller example of the mindset of the 21-year-old. Walker’s someone who’s always up for a challenge. The final class for Walker exemplified that the best when she signed up for skydiving.
It wasn’t simply all for fun. It’s been a stressful road for Walker, who despite graduating this summer with a Communications degree is still pursuing her dream of becoming a mechanical engineer.
“Instead of me getting upset, let me try to have fun because I feel this is my time to break because I’m really going to jump back into it in my next section of studies,” said Walker. “I might be certified in chocolate making by the end of my college career.”
Starting in 2020, Ohio State started a skydiving course where, following a handful of classroom sessions, the students fly into the sky and jump from 13,000 feet above the ground. Even talking about the idea of skydiving elicits a multitude of responses, normally questions of sanity. Walker’s experience was no different when she let people know it was a sure thing.
In the halls of the Ohio State Athletic Department, it began with a member of the Buckeyes’ support staff telling Walker she didn’t think she’d be allowed to jump. Walker quickly told her it was happening. The first coach Walker ran into was assistant coach Carla Morrow.
Coach Morrow initiated conversation, letting Walker know she heard something about the forward. Walker kept her secret close and wondered what the coach was going to say, ultimately bringing up something about basketball. Walker let her in on the real news.
“‘Yeah, so, I’m going skydiving.’ She was like ‘Eboni, no you’re not,’” said Walker.
Guard Jacy Sheldon, who Walker connected with in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the game-winning assist, wasn’t connecting to the idea of her teammate skydiving.
“I told her she was crazy,” said Sheldon, laughing. “But I think it was really cool.”
The one person who could still put the kabash on the entire idea was head coach Kevin McGuff. After all, the stories of athlete’s extracurricular activities resulting in injury are well-documented. Was he going to risk his starting forward for the Buckeyes’ Elite Eight stretch run take that chance?
“‘No, that’s great! I went skydiving!’ I said ‘what!?’ recalled Walker about McGuff’s response to the announcement.
“It was pretty cool. I was, at the time, living in Oxford, Ohio,” said McGuff about his skydiving experience. “I did what we call a static line where the parachute is attached to the line and attached to the plane. It was a cool experience. I don’t have to do it again but I was glad I did it once.”
McGuff’s support was huge for the senior who played for three coaches on two teams before coming to Ohio State. As practice continued in the week following the announcement, McGuff even joked with the team, saying they were having a “farewell party” for Walker the day before.
“He was more excited than I was,” said Walker. “That’s the little things that I try to tell people about Ohio State. He was encouraging me to jump out of the sky. Not ‘no you’re going to fall and injure yourself. That’s an experience you want to encourage people to do. Especially after I’ve been through it I want to encourage people to do it.’”
The mixed reactions Walker received within her team, the one person who wasn’t surprised at all was her mom, who found out from multiple people calling her to see if Walker was serious about the upcoming jump.
On a family trip to Hawaii, when Walker wasn’t yet 10-years-old, the future basketball star from Las Vegas was up for any challenge. On a zipline, the instructor challenged Walker to go backwards, then backwards and upside down. No matter what he said, Walker followed suit.
“‘I should have known after seeing you do that that you’d jump out of the sky,’” said Walker about her mom’s reaction.
In Walker’s young life, she’s continually stepped up to challenges. When joining the Buckeyes, it was almost two years since the forward played basketball consistently. After injury and declining conditioning, Walker worked throughout the entire 22-23 season and stepped in when needed.
Following an injury to forward Rebeka Mikulášiková on Feb. 8, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Walker got back into the starting rotation for the first time since Jan. 24, 2021, as a Sun Devil.
Walker started the stretch with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in a defeat to the Indiana Hoosiers. On March 25, in the last second win over the North Carolina Tar Heels, Walker scored a season high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Performances showed her fight but basketball only scratches the surface of the person that is Eboni Walker.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24783463/1476282558.jpg "Ohio State v Connecticut")
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images
“If you expect anyone to do the craziest thing, while trying to play basketball, and be like an athlete and get my work done and try and get these good grades, know that I’m going to drive a monster truck on the weekend,” said Walker. “I might jump out of the sky. I need to find that balance in life.”
Nothing represents it better than Walker’s tattoo that, ironically, says “Temporary.”
“Life is too short to try to be too serious about certain things,” said Walker. “Everyone knows at Ohio State, we have fun all the time. And because we have fun and because we care about each other more than just ‘that’s my teammate.’ That’s my family. That’s my sister. It translates onto the court. I feel like that goes with everything in life.”
It’s that attitude that Walker brought to her skydiving course. Walker reinforced what she already knew from basketball that if you practice to do the right things, your actions will follow. Also, important reminders like the parachute wants to work and its only really five seconds of falling before the parachute cord is pulled. The class went well, until the final session.
That’s when someone, who Walker can’t remember, possibly out of resentment, brought up all the things that could go wrong. It meant watching videos of people falling too close to the ground, and the normally cool under pressure Walker began to feel the nerves.
Those feelings subsided, even up to the day of the jump. Walker, a natural leader, went from the student to the the one her classmates looked to for guidance and reassurance. As her former Buckeyes all asked her if she was nervous, the athlete’s motivational response until the jump was consistent “just pull it.”
Instructor Bud Prenatt, who’s taught skydiving for 21 years, put Walker in the front of the plane and was going to jump with the graduate senior. Walker thinks its because she was Prenatt’s favorite.
As his favorite sat near the pilot, Walker’s nerves were still in check as she watched the altimeter read off how far the plane was off the ground. Walker saw a 1.3, and looked down, thinking that it wasn’t too bad of a jump. Then the plane kept climbing and climbing. And climbing.
“I was like, wait a minute. I read 1,300 feet,” said Walker. “So, I thought we were high enough to be at 13,000. I was not even close. As we started going up more, then I was like ‘wait a minute. I think this may have not been the best idea.’”
Then the door opens. With it comes a rush of wind. Walker didn’t have time to second guess it at that point, because she was up first. Walker went back to her training, telling herself “I have to stay focused and remember my training.”
Stepping to the edge of the plane, with everyone watching, the taller-than-average skydiving student held onto the top of the plane with her hand and leaned out of the open door, looking 13,000 feet to the Earth below.
“My teacher made a joke: “Whats the worse that could happen? You fall out of the plane? We’re trying to jump out of the plane anyway.’”
Walker made the leap.
“When I jumped, all my fear smacked me immediately,” said Walker. “I started to get nervous. I started to get scared because if feels like you’re on a roller coaster and you’re just on that constant down. You’re thinking through your head ‘I’m falling to the ground. The ground’s right there. I can see this. I can see that. I can’t see where I’m going to land.’”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24783435/Image.jpeg)
Eboni Walker
After a few seconds of panic, Walker did what she does on the court: She went back to her training. Walker thought back to the practice touches her and her classmates did on the ground to find the parachute cord.
Initially, it was painful for the aspiring engineer. When the parachute deployed, the strap on the bag rose up to push up on her neck, choking her momentarily.
Walker adjusted and went full flare. A term used when the descent slows as the person jumping pulls down on the parachute. It’s a technic that even Walker’s instructor has trouble explaining, outside of how everything goes silent in that moment.
“After I did a full flare I was like ‘Oh my gosh,’” said Walker. “You could see the whole land, and its so quiet. So peaceful and you’re just floating down. Nice and slowly.”
When Walker landed on the ground, she wasn’t the same.
“It’s rare that she (Walker) doesn’t walk in and have a smile on her face and have a great attitude,” said coach McGuff. “She’s always in a pretty good mood but she’s been super upbeat all summer.”
That’s when Walker is on the ground, but since the jump the forward still finds herself in the clouds. The normal worries of an adult in college hit differently after falling a thousand feet in a second.
Sometimes the forward has to be reminded she’s at practice. Walker snaps back to reality, but a new one.
“What I really learned from that class, from that experience, is going to help me forever,” said Walker. “Now people make jokes in the gym ‘Hey, you’re different now.’ I say ‘Yes, I am!’” I am very different because nothing will ever be as serious as jumping out of the sky. Now if I have a two-page or a 10-page paper, I’m like ‘Cool, I’ll get it done.’”
Walker’s now stronger than ever worry-free attitude is rubbing off on her teammates, kind of. Fellow forward Taylor Thierry noticed a different in Walker too.
“Her outlook in life has changed,” said Thierry. “For me personally, I’d love to go sky-diving. I’m a little timid at first but hearing her experience about skydiving makes me want to do it too.”
When asked when, Thierry laughed “Maybe when my career’s over.”
Read through a post from Walker across social media and her faith takes center stage. Call it confirmation but that same day Walker told coach McGuff that she was soon going to jump out of a plane, Walker not only gave but received some exciting news.
It was when Walker found out the Buckeyes start their regular season in her hometown of Las Vegas.
The community of actual residents of Las Vegas is tightknit, far from the stereotype of the strip, sin and “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
Once the news went live, Walker’s phone blew up with friends, family and members of the even more tightknit Las Vegas women’s basketball community ecstatic about not only Walker’s return but many of her youth basketball teammates.
“That’s just amazing. It’s always a testament to the staff. They always try to do stuff like that for us,” said Walker. “it was so hard for me not to tell everybody in the world that I was coming back.”
Going up against Ohio State are the USC Trojans, full of players who played with and against Walker in the Vegas community. With the USC men’s team also making the trip, that means a potential visit by avid Ohio State fan LeBron James, whose son Bronny James committed to the Trojans this year.
The quadruple header at T-Mobile Arena even includes Angel Reese and the NCAA championship-winning LSU Tigers.
“It’s a huge opportunity for womens basketball. We already set the numbers this past year so you can imagine the numbers when you have USC there and us there, a rising team that when we play you we’re coming ready,” said Walker. “This is a one-time opportunity; By all means, Ohio State is going to make the best of it.”
It’s easy to trust Walker when she says the Buckeyes will make the best of it. Look through Walker’s life and she’s made a habit of doing just the same.
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jay LaPrete/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
How degree requirements and graduate school pressures fell from the sky for the Buckeye super senior.
There are high pressure moments in the life of college basketball players. After practicing, strategizing and listening to coaches, everything comes down to putting all the talk and preparation into practice. It all goes into the moment where seconds matter. When the heart is racing and eyes shift to look at you. How will the athlete perform?
For Ohio State women’s basketball forward Eboni Walker, this isn’t the precursor to an NCAA March Madness game. It’s the final moments before the graduate senior did something that, for many, is unthinkable: When she jumped out of a plane.
Fulfilling Requirements
Walker’s taken many leaps in her college basketball career. After Gatorade named the forward the 2019 Nevada Player of the Year, Walker moved out of state to join the Arizona State Sun Devils. Following two seasons and a soon-to-be coaching change, Walker moved to the other side of the country and into a tumultuous Syracuse University team that soon after lost its head coach for allegations of mistreatment and bullying.
The forward stuck with the team, ultimately suffered an injury that made Walker unavailable for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. That’s when the aspiring mechanical engineer transferred to Ohio State.
Somewhere along the way, all of Walker’s college credits went into a Communications degree. When the Las Vegas, Nevada native came to Columbus, a single Spanish class was all she needed to graduate, but there was a problem: She needed to take more classes to fulfill her scholarship.
“What do you mean? I have nothing else to take,” recalled Walker when she spoke with her advisor. The aspiring engineer had a solution. “I didn’t want to pick something where I had to use my brain. I wanted to have fun.”
Walker held to her word. The forward enrolled in kitchen sciences, a chocolate course and a beer and wine class. During a summer practice, Walker proudly told head coach Kevin McGuff she was heading home after practice to drink some beer, which wasn’t nearly as fulfilling once Walker completed the assignment.
“I took one little swig and I was so upset, having to drink it,” said Walker. “It just tasted terrible to me.”
Drinking beer and making and eating homemade chocolate sounds like most folks ideal weekend, but for Walker, who also doesn’t like sweets, its different. Each choice is a smaller example of the mindset of the 21-year-old. Walker’s someone who’s always up for a challenge. The final class for Walker exemplified that the best when she signed up for skydiving.
It wasn’t simply all for fun. It’s been a stressful road for Walker, who despite graduating this summer with a Communications degree is still pursuing her dream of becoming a mechanical engineer.
“Instead of me getting upset, let me try to have fun because I feel this is my time to break because I’m really going to jump back into it in my next section of studies,” said Walker. “I might be certified in chocolate making by the end of my college career.”
Farewell Party
Starting in 2020, Ohio State started a skydiving course where, following a handful of classroom sessions, the students fly into the sky and jump from 13,000 feet above the ground. Even talking about the idea of skydiving elicits a multitude of responses, normally questions of sanity. Walker’s experience was no different when she let people know it was a sure thing.
In the halls of the Ohio State Athletic Department, it began with a member of the Buckeyes’ support staff telling Walker she didn’t think she’d be allowed to jump. Walker quickly told her it was happening. The first coach Walker ran into was assistant coach Carla Morrow.
Coach Morrow initiated conversation, letting Walker know she heard something about the forward. Walker kept her secret close and wondered what the coach was going to say, ultimately bringing up something about basketball. Walker let her in on the real news.
“‘Yeah, so, I’m going skydiving.’ She was like ‘Eboni, no you’re not,’” said Walker.
Guard Jacy Sheldon, who Walker connected with in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the game-winning assist, wasn’t connecting to the idea of her teammate skydiving.
“I told her she was crazy,” said Sheldon, laughing. “But I think it was really cool.”
The one person who could still put the kabash on the entire idea was head coach Kevin McGuff. After all, the stories of athlete’s extracurricular activities resulting in injury are well-documented. Was he going to risk his starting forward for the Buckeyes’ Elite Eight stretch run take that chance?
“‘No, that’s great! I went skydiving!’ I said ‘what!?’ recalled Walker about McGuff’s response to the announcement.
“It was pretty cool. I was, at the time, living in Oxford, Ohio,” said McGuff about his skydiving experience. “I did what we call a static line where the parachute is attached to the line and attached to the plane. It was a cool experience. I don’t have to do it again but I was glad I did it once.”
McGuff’s support was huge for the senior who played for three coaches on two teams before coming to Ohio State. As practice continued in the week following the announcement, McGuff even joked with the team, saying they were having a “farewell party” for Walker the day before.
“He was more excited than I was,” said Walker. “That’s the little things that I try to tell people about Ohio State. He was encouraging me to jump out of the sky. Not ‘no you’re going to fall and injure yourself. That’s an experience you want to encourage people to do. Especially after I’ve been through it I want to encourage people to do it.’”
The mixed reactions Walker received within her team, the one person who wasn’t surprised at all was her mom, who found out from multiple people calling her to see if Walker was serious about the upcoming jump.
On a family trip to Hawaii, when Walker wasn’t yet 10-years-old, the future basketball star from Las Vegas was up for any challenge. On a zipline, the instructor challenged Walker to go backwards, then backwards and upside down. No matter what he said, Walker followed suit.
“‘I should have known after seeing you do that that you’d jump out of the sky,’” said Walker about her mom’s reaction.
Temporary
In Walker’s young life, she’s continually stepped up to challenges. When joining the Buckeyes, it was almost two years since the forward played basketball consistently. After injury and declining conditioning, Walker worked throughout the entire 22-23 season and stepped in when needed.
Following an injury to forward Rebeka Mikulášiková on Feb. 8, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Walker got back into the starting rotation for the first time since Jan. 24, 2021, as a Sun Devil.
Walker started the stretch with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in a defeat to the Indiana Hoosiers. On March 25, in the last second win over the North Carolina Tar Heels, Walker scored a season high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Performances showed her fight but basketball only scratches the surface of the person that is Eboni Walker.
“If you expect anyone to do the craziest thing, while trying to play basketball, and be like an athlete and get my work done and try and get these good grades, know that I’m going to drive a monster truck on the weekend,” said Walker. “I might jump out of the sky. I need to find that balance in life.”
Nothing represents it better than Walker’s tattoo that, ironically, says “Temporary.”
“Life is too short to try to be too serious about certain things,” said Walker. “Everyone knows at Ohio State, we have fun all the time. And because we have fun and because we care about each other more than just ‘that’s my teammate.’ That’s my family. That’s my sister. It translates onto the court. I feel like that goes with everything in life.”
It’s that attitude that Walker brought to her skydiving course. Walker reinforced what she already knew from basketball that if you practice to do the right things, your actions will follow. Also, important reminders like the parachute wants to work and its only really five seconds of falling before the parachute cord is pulled. The class went well, until the final session.
That’s when someone, who Walker can’t remember, possibly out of resentment, brought up all the things that could go wrong. It meant watching videos of people falling too close to the ground, and the normally cool under pressure Walker began to feel the nerves.
Those feelings subsided, even up to the day of the jump. Walker, a natural leader, went from the student to the the one her classmates looked to for guidance and reassurance. As her former Buckeyes all asked her if she was nervous, the athlete’s motivational response until the jump was consistent “just pull it.”
What’s the Worst That Could Happen?
Instructor Bud Prenatt, who’s taught skydiving for 21 years, put Walker in the front of the plane and was going to jump with the graduate senior. Walker thinks its because she was Prenatt’s favorite.
As his favorite sat near the pilot, Walker’s nerves were still in check as she watched the altimeter read off how far the plane was off the ground. Walker saw a 1.3, and looked down, thinking that it wasn’t too bad of a jump. Then the plane kept climbing and climbing. And climbing.
“I was like, wait a minute. I read 1,300 feet,” said Walker. “So, I thought we were high enough to be at 13,000. I was not even close. As we started going up more, then I was like ‘wait a minute. I think this may have not been the best idea.’”
Then the door opens. With it comes a rush of wind. Walker didn’t have time to second guess it at that point, because she was up first. Walker went back to her training, telling herself “I have to stay focused and remember my training.”
Stepping to the edge of the plane, with everyone watching, the taller-than-average skydiving student held onto the top of the plane with her hand and leaned out of the open door, looking 13,000 feet to the Earth below.
“My teacher made a joke: “Whats the worse that could happen? You fall out of the plane? We’re trying to jump out of the plane anyway.’”
Walker made the leap.
“When I jumped, all my fear smacked me immediately,” said Walker. “I started to get nervous. I started to get scared because if feels like you’re on a roller coaster and you’re just on that constant down. You’re thinking through your head ‘I’m falling to the ground. The ground’s right there. I can see this. I can see that. I can’t see where I’m going to land.’”
After a few seconds of panic, Walker did what she does on the court: She went back to her training. Walker thought back to the practice touches her and her classmates did on the ground to find the parachute cord.
Initially, it was painful for the aspiring engineer. When the parachute deployed, the strap on the bag rose up to push up on her neck, choking her momentarily.
Walker adjusted and went full flare. A term used when the descent slows as the person jumping pulls down on the parachute. It’s a technic that even Walker’s instructor has trouble explaining, outside of how everything goes silent in that moment.
“After I did a full flare I was like ‘Oh my gosh,’” said Walker. “You could see the whole land, and its so quiet. So peaceful and you’re just floating down. Nice and slowly.”
When Walker landed on the ground, she wasn’t the same.
Her Outlook in Life Has Changed
“It’s rare that she (Walker) doesn’t walk in and have a smile on her face and have a great attitude,” said coach McGuff. “She’s always in a pretty good mood but she’s been super upbeat all summer.”
That’s when Walker is on the ground, but since the jump the forward still finds herself in the clouds. The normal worries of an adult in college hit differently after falling a thousand feet in a second.
Sometimes the forward has to be reminded she’s at practice. Walker snaps back to reality, but a new one.
“What I really learned from that class, from that experience, is going to help me forever,” said Walker. “Now people make jokes in the gym ‘Hey, you’re different now.’ I say ‘Yes, I am!’” I am very different because nothing will ever be as serious as jumping out of the sky. Now if I have a two-page or a 10-page paper, I’m like ‘Cool, I’ll get it done.’”
Walker’s now stronger than ever worry-free attitude is rubbing off on her teammates, kind of. Fellow forward Taylor Thierry noticed a different in Walker too.
“Her outlook in life has changed,” said Thierry. “For me personally, I’d love to go sky-diving. I’m a little timid at first but hearing her experience about skydiving makes me want to do it too.”
When asked when, Thierry laughed “Maybe when my career’s over.”
Read through a post from Walker across social media and her faith takes center stage. Call it confirmation but that same day Walker told coach McGuff that she was soon going to jump out of a plane, Walker not only gave but received some exciting news.
It was when Walker found out the Buckeyes start their regular season in her hometown of Las Vegas.
The community of actual residents of Las Vegas is tightknit, far from the stereotype of the strip, sin and “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
Once the news went live, Walker’s phone blew up with friends, family and members of the even more tightknit Las Vegas women’s basketball community ecstatic about not only Walker’s return but many of her youth basketball teammates.
“That’s just amazing. It’s always a testament to the staff. They always try to do stuff like that for us,” said Walker. “it was so hard for me not to tell everybody in the world that I was coming back.”
Going up against Ohio State are the USC Trojans, full of players who played with and against Walker in the Vegas community. With the USC men’s team also making the trip, that means a potential visit by avid Ohio State fan LeBron James, whose son Bronny James committed to the Trojans this year.
The quadruple header at T-Mobile Arena even includes Angel Reese and the NCAA championship-winning LSU Tigers.
“It’s a huge opportunity for womens basketball. We already set the numbers this past year so you can imagine the numbers when you have USC there and us there, a rising team that when we play you we’re coming ready,” said Walker. “This is a one-time opportunity; By all means, Ohio State is going to make the best of it.”
It’s easy to trust Walker when she says the Buckeyes will make the best of it. Look through Walker’s life and she’s made a habit of doing just the same.
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LGHL Ohio State Football Countdown: 52
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Ohio State Football Countdown: 52
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joshua A. Bickel/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
One play or big moment per day as we count down to the start of Ohio State’s 2023 football season.
As we count down to the start of the 2023 season, we will be looking back at one play or big moment in Ohio State history over the past decade or so that corresponds to the remaining days left until Buckeyes take the field against Indiana on Sept. 2. There are 52 days remaining.
Sure, this run came against Tulsa, but it was a special moment for TreVeyon Henderson as it broke the single-game freshman rushing record set by Archie Griffin in 1972. Henderson’s 277 yards and three touchdowns now stands atop the heap among Buckeye first-years, and Ohio State needed the record-breaking performance from Tre in this one in a sleepy 41-20 win over the Golden Hurricane. The 185 yards passing for C.J. Stroud was by far the lowest of his 2021 campaign, and the OSU defense allowed Davis Brin to throw for over 400 yards.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joshua A. Bickel/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
One play or big moment per day as we count down to the start of Ohio State’s 2023 football season.
As we count down to the start of the 2023 season, we will be looking back at one play or big moment in Ohio State history over the past decade or so that corresponds to the remaining days left until Buckeyes take the field against Indiana on Sept. 2. There are 52 days remaining.
Play of the Day: TreVeyon Henderson’s 52-yard TD vs. Tulsa (2021)
Sure, this run came against Tulsa, but it was a special moment for TreVeyon Henderson as it broke the single-game freshman rushing record set by Archie Griffin in 1972. Henderson’s 277 yards and three touchdowns now stands atop the heap among Buckeye first-years, and Ohio State needed the record-breaking performance from Tre in this one in a sleepy 41-20 win over the Golden Hurricane. The 185 yards passing for C.J. Stroud was by far the lowest of his 2021 campaign, and the OSU defense allowed Davis Brin to throw for over 400 yards.
Players to Wear the #52 (since 2010):
- Johnathan Hankins (2010-12)
- Donovan Munger (2014-15)
- Noah Donald (2016)
- Wyatt Davis (2017-20)
- Dante Booker (2017-18)
- Antwuan Jackson (2018-21)
- Joshua Mickens (present)
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LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: The boys go behind (Big Ten) enemy lines, with or without Owen Wilson
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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: The boys go behind (Big Ten) enemy lines, with or without Owen Wilson
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
This week, Josh and Chuck recap a busy week in Ohio State football recruiting before pivoting to take a look at the Buckeyes’ 2023 opponents.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they cover Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On this episode of Hangout in the Holy Land, Josh and Chuck kick things off by discussing recent developments in the world of Ohio State football recruiting. From a five-star surprise to a (Hurri)Canes caper, the Hangout boys have you covered. And they both agree that while OSU is currently hot on the trail, Ryan Day and company must maintain momentum through the end of this 2024 recruiting cycle.
The hosts then catch you up on recent contracts signed by former Buckeye hoopers. D’Angelo Russell stays in LA, Keita Bates-Diop will head to the desert, and E.J. Liddell finally gets rewarded!
And it would not be a summer episode without at least some theme-week-related conversation. LGHL’s theme this week is Behind Enemy Lines, meaning the guys get a chance to break down Ohio State’s 2023 opponents. What better way to do so than by looking at potential Big Ten sleepers?
Plus, a few questions sent in by you, the listener(s).
Make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
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Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
This week, Josh and Chuck recap a busy week in Ohio State football recruiting before pivoting to take a look at the Buckeyes’ 2023 opponents.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they cover Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On this episode of Hangout in the Holy Land, Josh and Chuck kick things off by discussing recent developments in the world of Ohio State football recruiting. From a five-star surprise to a (Hurri)Canes caper, the Hangout boys have you covered. And they both agree that while OSU is currently hot on the trail, Ryan Day and company must maintain momentum through the end of this 2024 recruiting cycle.
The hosts then catch you up on recent contracts signed by former Buckeye hoopers. D’Angelo Russell stays in LA, Keita Bates-Diop will head to the desert, and E.J. Liddell finally gets rewarded!
And it would not be a summer episode without at least some theme-week-related conversation. LGHL’s theme this week is Behind Enemy Lines, meaning the guys get a chance to break down Ohio State’s 2023 opponents. What better way to do so than by looking at potential Big Ten sleepers?
Plus, a few questions sent in by you, the listener(s).
Make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
LGHL Buckeyes finalists for top-50 offensive tackle, Ohio State still recruiting recent Miami commit
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Buckeyes finalists for top-50 offensive tackle, Ohio State still recruiting recent Miami commit
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Guerby Lambert | Twitter | @GuerbyLambert
And all of the vibes are bad around Aaron Scott right now.
College football is in the middle of a quiet period until the last few days of the month, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no news to discuss during July. While it has been almost a full week since Ohio State got its last commitment, there is certainly more to discuss until the next BOOM comes.
I don’t know about you, but I like the prospects that are so under the radar that when they announce their final schools and commitment date, I have to look up who they are. That is even more exciting when Ohio State is one of the player’s finalists and he is the No. 47 player in the country and the No. 2 offensive tackle in his class.
That is the case with West Roxbury, Mass. native Guerby Lambert. On Tuesday, the Catholic Memorial rising senior confirmed to 247Sports that he had narrowed down his finalists list to the Buckeyes, Notre Dame, Boston College, and... Harvard. Yes, that Harvard; the Stansbury of the East.
No one has logged any crystal balls for the 6-foot-6, 280-pound four-star prospect thus far, but the Buckeyes certainly seem to be the one school that doesn’t belong here. BC is just five minutes from his high school, he has a high school teammate that just committed to Harvard, and Notre Dame is a small Catholic institution like his high school.
While no date has officially been set, Lambert told 247’s Brian Dohn that he plans to commit prior to the start of his high school season, most likely in “mid-August.” Practically no one has any concrete insight into Lambert’s thinking at this point, but the general consensus is that Ohio State is a longshot here. But seeing as he talks to practically nobody, your bet is as good as mine as to where he will end up.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Buckeye Nation was at least a somewhat surprised last week as four-stare defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot committed to the Miami Hurricanes, despite the general consensus throughout his recruitment (until the final few days) having been that he would be a Buckeye.
Even though Lightfoot pledged to play for the Canes, his would-be Ohio State position coach Larry Johnson has continued to keep in touch. Lightfoot is the No. 62 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings and the No. 5 edge rusher, so the Buckeyes don’t plan on throwing in the towel on the prospect any time soon. According to Bucknuts’ Bill Kurelic, Lightfoot said that he appreciates the fact that Johnson isn’t giving up on him.
“He told me he’s going to recruit me all the way till I sign with them,” the prospect said. “I told him I was honored, it made me feel good that he wants me so much.”
However, Scott has always been a player that has seemingly enjoyed the recruitment process, so this could all be a bit of a troll job ahead of his July 30 commitment, but short of that, no one in Buckeye Nation should feel confident at this point.
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Guerby Lambert | Twitter | @GuerbyLambert
And all of the vibes are bad around Aaron Scott right now.
College football is in the middle of a quiet period until the last few days of the month, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no news to discuss during July. While it has been almost a full week since Ohio State got its last commitment, there is certainly more to discuss until the next BOOM comes.
Top-50 Prospect Guerby Lambert Likely to Announce Mid-August
I don’t know about you, but I like the prospects that are so under the radar that when they announce their final schools and commitment date, I have to look up who they are. That is even more exciting when Ohio State is one of the player’s finalists and he is the No. 47 player in the country and the No. 2 offensive tackle in his class.
That is the case with West Roxbury, Mass. native Guerby Lambert. On Tuesday, the Catholic Memorial rising senior confirmed to 247Sports that he had narrowed down his finalists list to the Buckeyes, Notre Dame, Boston College, and... Harvard. Yes, that Harvard; the Stansbury of the East.
No one has logged any crystal balls for the 6-foot-6, 280-pound four-star prospect thus far, but the Buckeyes certainly seem to be the one school that doesn’t belong here. BC is just five minutes from his high school, he has a high school teammate that just committed to Harvard, and Notre Dame is a small Catholic institution like his high school.
While no date has officially been set, Lambert told 247’s Brian Dohn that he plans to commit prior to the start of his high school season, most likely in “mid-August.” Practically no one has any concrete insight into Lambert’s thinking at this point, but the general consensus is that Ohio State is a longshot here. But seeing as he talks to practically nobody, your bet is as good as mine as to where he will end up.
Larry Johnson Keeping in Contact with Marquise Lightfoot
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Buckeye Nation was at least a somewhat surprised last week as four-stare defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot committed to the Miami Hurricanes, despite the general consensus throughout his recruitment (until the final few days) having been that he would be a Buckeye.
Even though Lightfoot pledged to play for the Canes, his would-be Ohio State position coach Larry Johnson has continued to keep in touch. Lightfoot is the No. 62 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings and the No. 5 edge rusher, so the Buckeyes don’t plan on throwing in the towel on the prospect any time soon. According to Bucknuts’ Bill Kurelic, Lightfoot said that he appreciates the fact that Johnson isn’t giving up on him.
“He told me he’s going to recruit me all the way till I sign with them,” the prospect said. “I told him I was honored, it made me feel good that he wants me so much.”
Quick Hits:
- The Buckeyes have only two commits to their 2025 class, but one of them is already making plans to be on campus during the upcoming fall campaign. Having committed nearly a year ago, five-star safety Jontae Gilbert will be making at least one trip to Columbus to take in a game this fall. The No. 24 player in his cycle will visit from his home in Atlanta on Sept. 16 for the matchup against Western Kentucky and might be back in town on Oct. 21 to see the Buckeyes take on Penn State according to Eleven Warriors.
- All of the vibes around the Aaron Scott recruitment are bad at this point (at least from an Ohio State perspective). The Springfield, Ohio native recently tweeted that he wants to “shock da world,” adding even more smoke to the nearly suffocating amount coming from Ann Arbor in recent weeks. The pain got even worse on Monday as the No. 52 player in the 2024 recruiting cycle wore Michigan gloves and cleats at a 7-on-7 event on Tuesday, making it feel like the scales are tipping even more in TTUN’s favor.
However, Scott has always been a player that has seemingly enjoyed the recruitment process, so this could all be a bit of a troll job ahead of his July 30 commitment, but short of that, no one in Buckeye Nation should feel confident at this point.
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