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LGHL John Mobley, Bruce Thornton among Buckeyes who showed out at the Kingdom Summer League
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John Mobley, Bruce Thornton among Buckeyes who showed out at the Kingdom Summer League
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Brandon Noel and Ivan Njegovan both had big games as well at Columbus East High School.
Ohio State fans are hoping the trio of John Mobley Jr., Bruce Thornton, and Devin Royal will lead the Buckeye basketball program back to the promised land this season. In a world where rosters are always in flux and so few players stay in the same place for multiple years, bringing back their top three returning scorers was a big deal for Jake Diebler and his coaching staff.
This past weekend at the Kingdom Summer League, fans got a sneak peak of what they might see from Ohio State’s starting backcourt, with both guards scoring more than 20 points at Columbus East High School.
Founded in 2014, the Kingdom Summer League is a men’s league that brings together the best basketball talent in the state of Ohio, focusing on central Ohio. Current, former, and even future Buckeyes have played and continue to play in “The Kingdom” each summer, with current players requiring approval from the coaching staff. Ohio State has typically allowed its players to compete, although Chris Holtmann went against precedent in 2023 and did not allow his players to compete. Jake Diebler has allowed the Buckeyes to play each of the past two summers.
While the competition is nowhere near what these Buckeyes will see during the season, dozens of current and former NBA players, including Trey Burke and Gary Trent Jr., have competed, as well as overseas pros, current college players, and D-I-bound high schoolers.
On Sunday afternoon, Thornton scored 23 points, grabbed five rebounds, and recorded six assists for Team 4 Deep. He also hit four three-pointers, and will look to improve on his career-high 42.4% three-point percentage from last season. Three of his six assists were on baskets scored by his Ohio State teammate, Ivan Njegovan.
Mobley Jr. scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had six assists for Team Focus Sports Ventures. He is ticketed for a huge role this season after starting 22 games and playing 27.8 minutes per game as a freshman last year.
Brandon Noel, who transferred to Ohio State from Wright State in April, had a huge game for Team Committed to My Craft. The 6-foot-8 forward scored 26 points, had three rebounds and recorded one assist. Included in those 26 points was a trio of three-pointers. Noel will likely start at power forward this season for Ohio State.
Sophomore big man Ivan Njegovan had a double-double playing with Thornton, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Three of his seven baskets came directly off feeds from Thornton, as well as multiple offensive putbacks. Njegovan could play a pivotal role for the Buckeyes this season as the main backup to Christoph Tilly, who himself has never played more than 22 minutes per game in a season.
Speaking of Tilly, the former Santa Clara Bronco-turned Buckeye scored four points and grabbed eight rebounds for Team Focus Sports Ventures, alongside Mobley. German guard Mathieu Grujicic scored three points and had two rebounds for Team New World Financial Group.
Other noteworthy performances from former and future Buckeyes:
Deshaun Thomas: 26 points, six rebounds, three assists
Alex Smith (2026 OSU commit): 13 points, five rebounds
Musa Jallow: 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists
The Kingdom Summer League plays every Sunday from June 22 to August 3 at various locations throughout central Ohio, but most often at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. This past weekend the games were played at Columbus East High School. Admission is free, but the Kingdom takes donations at the door.
Game times and locations can be found weekly at the Kingdom Summer League’s Facebook page.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Brandon Noel and Ivan Njegovan both had big games as well at Columbus East High School.
Ohio State fans are hoping the trio of John Mobley Jr., Bruce Thornton, and Devin Royal will lead the Buckeye basketball program back to the promised land this season. In a world where rosters are always in flux and so few players stay in the same place for multiple years, bringing back their top three returning scorers was a big deal for Jake Diebler and his coaching staff.
This past weekend at the Kingdom Summer League, fans got a sneak peak of what they might see from Ohio State’s starting backcourt, with both guards scoring more than 20 points at Columbus East High School.
Founded in 2014, the Kingdom Summer League is a men’s league that brings together the best basketball talent in the state of Ohio, focusing on central Ohio. Current, former, and even future Buckeyes have played and continue to play in “The Kingdom” each summer, with current players requiring approval from the coaching staff. Ohio State has typically allowed its players to compete, although Chris Holtmann went against precedent in 2023 and did not allow his players to compete. Jake Diebler has allowed the Buckeyes to play each of the past two summers.
While the competition is nowhere near what these Buckeyes will see during the season, dozens of current and former NBA players, including Trey Burke and Gary Trent Jr., have competed, as well as overseas pros, current college players, and D-I-bound high schoolers.
On Sunday afternoon, Thornton scored 23 points, grabbed five rebounds, and recorded six assists for Team 4 Deep. He also hit four three-pointers, and will look to improve on his career-high 42.4% three-point percentage from last season. Three of his six assists were on baskets scored by his Ohio State teammate, Ivan Njegovan.
Mobley Jr. scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had six assists for Team Focus Sports Ventures. He is ticketed for a huge role this season after starting 22 games and playing 27.8 minutes per game as a freshman last year.
Brandon Noel, who transferred to Ohio State from Wright State in April, had a huge game for Team Committed to My Craft. The 6-foot-8 forward scored 26 points, had three rebounds and recorded one assist. Included in those 26 points was a trio of three-pointers. Noel will likely start at power forward this season for Ohio State.
Sophomore big man Ivan Njegovan had a double-double playing with Thornton, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Three of his seven baskets came directly off feeds from Thornton, as well as multiple offensive putbacks. Njegovan could play a pivotal role for the Buckeyes this season as the main backup to Christoph Tilly, who himself has never played more than 22 minutes per game in a season.
Speaking of Tilly, the former Santa Clara Bronco-turned Buckeye scored four points and grabbed eight rebounds for Team Focus Sports Ventures, alongside Mobley. German guard Mathieu Grujicic scored three points and had two rebounds for Team New World Financial Group.
Other noteworthy performances from former and future Buckeyes:
Deshaun Thomas: 26 points, six rebounds, three assists
Alex Smith (2026 OSU commit): 13 points, five rebounds
Musa Jallow: 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists
The Kingdom Summer League plays every Sunday from June 22 to August 3 at various locations throughout central Ohio, but most often at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. This past weekend the games were played at Columbus East High School. Admission is free, but the Kingdom takes donations at the door.
Game times and locations can be found weekly at the Kingdom Summer League’s Facebook page.
Continue reading...
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U.S. Men's National Soccer (Official Thread)
- By AKAK
- Other OSU and Professional Sports
- 6470 Replies
You know its a party when they're giving dudes stitches on the field .
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LGHL Unreasonable Expectations: Max Klare will be the top-producing tight end in the NCAA
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Unreasonable Expectations: Max Klare will be the top-producing tight end in the NCAA
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
The transfer from Purdue has the talent, if only he can get the touches to accumulate the numbers he needs.
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 our Unreasonable Expectations. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our Unreasonable Expectations here.
When Ohio State landed Max Klare via the transfer portal, the tight end was coming off an impressive season at Purdue in which he totaled 685 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 51 catches, good for an average of 13.4 yards per play.
What makes those numbers even more impressive is that he managed to accrue them on a Boilermaker team that finished last in the conference with only one win on the season (against Indiana State in Week One).
In the part of his role that required him to function as a receiver, Klare created opportunities for the Boilermakers with much less offensive line support than he will have this season at Ohio State. In spite of this, Klare managed to create big plays, even against top teams like Notre Dame and Oregon.
Now, with the power of the Buckeyes’ offense behind him, Klare has the opportunity to be the most productive tight end in the country in 2025.
If this is an unreasonable expectation for Klare, it’s not a reflection of his talent. Rather, it’s a sheer numbers game: Ohio State has so many offensive weapons that, unlike last season, Klare will have to share offensive touches. More guys sharing the ball equals fewer opportunities to accumulate yards. That part is basic math.
Because of this, the odds would tell us the most productive tight end will be one who is used as the main receiving target, rather than someone on a team with guys like Jeremiah Smith.
Still, while it might be a stretch, it’s also not out of the realm of possibility. The same reason that it is unreasonable (sharing touches) could also work in Klare’s favor: Precisely because he is not the primary receiving target, there is an opportunity for Klare to catch opposing defenses off guard.
Though it would be unwise for defenses to sleep on Klare, the temptation to focus solely on containing the wide receiver room is understandable. Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and Mylan Graham all pose formidable threats, and if defenses get distracted by them, it could open the door for Klare to go off.
Klare will also benefit from a starting new quarterback, something that allows him to establish rapport with QB1 without having to play catch-up to the other receiving targets.
If he can capitalize on these factors, even with fewer touches, it’s not outrageous to think he could average more yards per carry and put up the top numbers for a tight end in the NCAA this season.
To take this a step further, when we look at the guys who are predicted to be the top tight ends in the country, Klare’s numbers last season out-produced both TEs ranked higher than him heading into 2025.
Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, widely expected to be the top tight end this season, totaled 638 yards and five touchdowns—comparable numbers to Klare’s—in 2024. However, Stowers was his team’s top receiving target, meaning defenses this season will be able to focus on containing him. This could impact his ability to accrue numbers.
Behind Stowers is Jack Endries, who transferred from Cal to Texas for his final year of eligibility. Endries had 623 receiving yards and two touchdowns, averaging 11.1 yards per catch last season at Cal. As a Longhorn, Endries will find himself sharing touches with offensive targets such as Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr., neither of whom offers the same caliber of distraction as Smith.
All of this leaves us with a lot of “ifs” — if defenses are distracted by Smith, if Klare establishes a strong rapport with his quarterback, if Stowers gets shut down because he’s the top target, if Endries gets fewer touches, if…, if…, if…—then Klare could be the most productive tight end in 2025.
It’s not entirely within Klare’s control, and the most likely scenario is that he simply won’t have enough touches to do this. But “unreasonable” doesn’t mean “impossible,” and only time will tell if the “ifs” are on Klare’s side.
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
The transfer from Purdue has the talent, if only he can get the touches to accumulate the numbers he needs.
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 our Unreasonable Expectations. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our Unreasonable Expectations here.
When Ohio State landed Max Klare via the transfer portal, the tight end was coming off an impressive season at Purdue in which he totaled 685 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 51 catches, good for an average of 13.4 yards per play.
What makes those numbers even more impressive is that he managed to accrue them on a Boilermaker team that finished last in the conference with only one win on the season (against Indiana State in Week One).
In the part of his role that required him to function as a receiver, Klare created opportunities for the Boilermakers with much less offensive line support than he will have this season at Ohio State. In spite of this, Klare managed to create big plays, even against top teams like Notre Dame and Oregon.
Now, with the power of the Buckeyes’ offense behind him, Klare has the opportunity to be the most productive tight end in the country in 2025.
If this is an unreasonable expectation for Klare, it’s not a reflection of his talent. Rather, it’s a sheer numbers game: Ohio State has so many offensive weapons that, unlike last season, Klare will have to share offensive touches. More guys sharing the ball equals fewer opportunities to accumulate yards. That part is basic math.
Because of this, the odds would tell us the most productive tight end will be one who is used as the main receiving target, rather than someone on a team with guys like Jeremiah Smith.
Still, while it might be a stretch, it’s also not out of the realm of possibility. The same reason that it is unreasonable (sharing touches) could also work in Klare’s favor: Precisely because he is not the primary receiving target, there is an opportunity for Klare to catch opposing defenses off guard.
Though it would be unwise for defenses to sleep on Klare, the temptation to focus solely on containing the wide receiver room is understandable. Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and Mylan Graham all pose formidable threats, and if defenses get distracted by them, it could open the door for Klare to go off.
Klare will also benefit from a starting new quarterback, something that allows him to establish rapport with QB1 without having to play catch-up to the other receiving targets.
If he can capitalize on these factors, even with fewer touches, it’s not outrageous to think he could average more yards per carry and put up the top numbers for a tight end in the NCAA this season.
To take this a step further, when we look at the guys who are predicted to be the top tight ends in the country, Klare’s numbers last season out-produced both TEs ranked higher than him heading into 2025.
Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, widely expected to be the top tight end this season, totaled 638 yards and five touchdowns—comparable numbers to Klare’s—in 2024. However, Stowers was his team’s top receiving target, meaning defenses this season will be able to focus on containing him. This could impact his ability to accrue numbers.
Behind Stowers is Jack Endries, who transferred from Cal to Texas for his final year of eligibility. Endries had 623 receiving yards and two touchdowns, averaging 11.1 yards per catch last season at Cal. As a Longhorn, Endries will find himself sharing touches with offensive targets such as Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr., neither of whom offers the same caliber of distraction as Smith.
All of this leaves us with a lot of “ifs” — if defenses are distracted by Smith, if Klare establishes a strong rapport with his quarterback, if Stowers gets shut down because he’s the top target, if Endries gets fewer touches, if…, if…, if…—then Klare could be the most productive tight end in 2025.
It’s not entirely within Klare’s control, and the most likely scenario is that he simply won’t have enough touches to do this. But “unreasonable” doesn’t mean “impossible,” and only time will tell if the “ifs” are on Klare’s side.
Continue reading...