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tBBC 2015-16 Men’s Basketball Preview: Marc Loving

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2015-16 Men’s Basketball Preview: Marc Loving
Scott
via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
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With all the youth the BasketBucks have, junior Marc Loving finds himself as the elder statesman.

He’s the most experienced player on the roster and no doubt will be looked upon to provide leadership to the younger guys and pass that knowledge on to the guys who will lead after him. That’s how Loving became a leader himself.

“I learned a lot from last year’s seniors,” hesaid during B1G Media Days. “They have a lot of experience playing college basketball and it’s been good to pick up a lot of tips from those guys to help implement this year.”

Loving has been a steadying, calming factor for the young Bucks.

“Practice has gone very well, especially with a young group of guys,” he said. “Not everybody knows where to be at the right time yet but that’s where we as veterans need to step in and help take a guy under our wing. We have to help let guys know different rotations and different places to be on offense to help us become more consistent.

Marc Loving

Hometown: Toledo

High school: St. John Jesuit

Position: Forward (3)

Year: Junior

Height: 6-7

Weight: 220

High School Awards

– No. 1-ranked prospect in Ohio for 2013 as ranked by MaxPreps, Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN.

– 2013 Parade All-American.

– 2013 and 2012 Associated Press Ohio Division I player of the year.

– 2011 Associated Press Division I Second Team All-State selection.

– Helped St. John Jesuit to a 72-19 record in four seasons, including a 19-2 mark in 2010-11. Team reached regional finals during the 2009-10 season before losing to eventual state champion Massillon Jackson.

– Averaged 21.3 points and 8.2 rebounds as a senior while shooting 60 percent from the field.

– All-time scoring leader and all-time rebounding leader at St. John Jesuit.



OSU Awards/Accomplishments

– Played in 32 games as a sophomore, making 19 starts.

– Scored a career-best 19 points while grabbing four boards against North Carolina last year.

– Averaged 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 23.7 minutes per game. last season.

Strengths

A good ball handler and passer, Loving can also shoot the ball. He isn’t afraid to shoot from anywhere and his long-range touch will help open things up inside for Ohio State.

Because of the backcourt youth, he may be asked to handle to ball a lot more. His ability to penetrate and pass will be key.

As the most experienced player in terms of playing time, Loving will need to be a leader on and off the court. He was suspended for three games last year and will obviously need to make better decisions.

Weaknesses

In reality, this section should be called questions. Loving doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. He didn’t shoot the ball as well in conference games but his season percentages of 45.9 percent on field goals, 46.1 percent on 3-pointers and 76.8 percent from the line weren’t hateful.

As he moves into more of a ball-handline role, he will need to do better than 20 assists and 37 turnovers.

The big questions: How will he respond to being a focal point of the offense and the need for him to be a leader? Despite being the most experienced on the roster where playing time is concerned, he only started 19 games last season.

Role on the Team

Loving will undoubtedly be the leader of this extremely young team. He will be looked upon to provide an offensive spark and make key baskets during critical times.

Even though he may not be an official point guard, he will be a floor general for Ohio State as nobody knows the offense better than him.

The post 2015-16 Men’s Basketball Preview: Marc Loving appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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