OSU women's basketball: Summertime was no vacation
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
By Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Media day for the Ohio State women's basketball team broke yesterday in the practice gym of Value City Arena with its usual moments of mugging for the assorted cameras and weathering the usual series of machine-gun interviews.
The Buckeyes, six-time defending Big Ten champions, appeared to have fun with it all even though a serious storyline existed beneath the smiles and other pleasantries.
In the final game of 2009-10, Mississippi State handed Ohio State and its five returning starters an 87-67 beating in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The loss spurred a summer "vacation" that brought everyone, including the four-player freshman class, into the gym and weight room.
Sophomore guard Tayler Hill's experience seemed typical.
"We worked on our weaknesses," Hill said. "I put up a lot of shots this summer. I did that every day. I know we had workouts every day, but then on my own I went to the gym to work more."
Senior guard Brittany Johnson nodded.
"We were here every day," she said. "We want to get better. The season is going to be hard. Other teams are working hard, too. We have a chance to go really far this year if we stay focused."