John Mobley Jr.'s early-morning workouts and confident, aggressive play with better decision-making are fueling some great performances
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John Mobley Jr. Hitting January Stride Through Early-Morning Workouts, Aggressive Play
John Mobley Jr.’s been shooting basketballs through nets before the sun peaks above the horizon every morning he can for the last few weeks.
He gets up most days in time to hit the gym by 5 a.m., putting up shots.
“It's why I have such trust and belief in him, because I know the work he puts in,” Diebler said after Ohio State’s 86-74 win over UCLA. “And I'm kind of cut from the same cloth. That's how I was brought up. You're shooting it well, you get in the gym. You're not shooting it well, you get in the gym. You're playing great, get in the gym. Maybe you struggle, get in the gym. And he's the same way. He's been raised that same way. So he had been playing so much better that I knew and I told our staff, this is going to be kind of a blip on the radar, this Washington game, because I knew how he's been working.”
Mobley’s extra efforts solicited perhaps the best, most efficient game of his one-and-a-half-year career against UCLA on Saturday. On top of a career-high 28 points, he hit a career-high six 3-pointers on an efficient 6-of-12 shooting record from behind the arc. His effective field goal percentage for the game was 73.3%, and he dished out three assists with zero turnovers.
It’s a peak example of how Mobley has elevated his game – outside of a lapse at Washington – in the month of January with Ohio State trying to stay on track for an NCAA Tournament berth.
“I’ve been getting in the gym, 5 a.m., every day,” Mobley said. “I knew it was gonna be a turnaround (for me). Just a matter of time. And just sticking with it, doing what I do.”
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