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C Byron 'B.J.' Mullens (Levanga Hokkaido Sapporo - Japan)

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LitlBuck;1308444; said:
I only think that there was one or two posters who went to the scrimmage and so you will have to wait on their reports. However, it is probably just like football you really can't tell much from an intrasquad scrimmage.

My big concern with BJ and his defense when it comes to the college game will be how he adjusts to the officiating and how the officiating will adjust to him. It's also like Junkie says that he is going to have to learn to play hard every time down the court. He certainly has the size and mobility to be a defensive presence around the basket. However, it will take some time for him to adjust.
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Thanks:)
 
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NCAA: Who Will be one and Done?
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By: Yannis Koutroupis Last Updated: 10/31/08 7:41 AM ET

BJ Mullens stock is extremely high going into the season, making it Thad Matta's third consecutive year of getting one of the best big men in the country for just a season. Mullens is more likely to see his lottery pick status secured in his one year stay at Ohio State rather than slip like Kosta Koufos' did last year.

What makes Mullens such an intriguing prospect is the re-emergence of the big man in the NBA game. With big men like Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Andrew Bynum, and Yao Ming ready to dominate the league for years to come teams are going to have to have a formidable big man inside the paint if they have any hopes of competing.

With the right work ethic and dedication Mullens could be viewed by NBA teams as the next player to become a big-time center in the league. BJ has all the tools, including tremendous athleticism and a polished skill set that is very similar to Chris Kaman's. While BJ is capable of finishing with either hand like Kaman, he's considerably more explosive and quicker.

The key is for Thad Matta to get BJ to do the little things that make a big man successful: boxing out on every single play, running the floor hard consistently, and looking to dominate every single night.
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Ten Things to Watch in 2008-09

By Mitch Light
Published: November 7th, 2008
Athlon Sports Senior Editor

Athlon Sports presents 10 things to watch during the 2008-09 college basketball season.
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5. Another Big to the Buckeyes

It started with Greg Oden. It continued with Kosta Koufos. Next in line is B.J. Mullens. For the third straight season, Thad Matta and his staff at Ohio State have secured the services of one of the nation?s elite prep centers. The 7'1" Mullens, a native of Canal Winchester, Ohio, committed to Matta as a high school freshman in 2004. He made it official last November, giving the Buckeyes yet another top-flight big man to anchor yet another stellar recruiting class.
?Back in the day, Arizona was known for point guards, and it should be noted in the history books that Columbus is where the big boys are created,? says Dave Telep, Scout.com?s national recruiting director.

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6. B.J. Mullens, Ohio State. People get overly excited when I compare him to Hakeem Olajuwon. That doesn't mean he looks like a Hall of Famer today. It means that for a 7-footer he runs, jumps and moves like someone much smaller. Mullens is extremely active around the goal. Remember, when Olajuwon was a freshman he was only a bit player for a Houston team that reached the Final Four. Mullens will be an essential player for the Buckeyes, although their first goal is just to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.
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Dispatch

Ohio State men's basketball
Matta wants Mullens to stay focused on steady progress
Freshman's transition requires time
Thursday, November 20, 2008 3:24 AM
By Bob Baptist


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The day before B.J. Mullens played his first game in an Ohio State men's basketball uniform last week, coach Thad Matta was asked to compare Mullens, at the same point, with Greg Oden and Kosta Koufos.
Matta paused, considering his words carefully so as not to malign any of the three or raise even higher the expectations for his latest 7-foot prodigy.
He smiled, finally, having come up with the properly disarming reply, and said, "He's a lot better than Greg was two years ago at this time -- because Greg wasn't playing."
So that's where the freshman from Columbus is as the Buckeyes prepare to open their regular season tonight against Delaware State in St. John Arena.

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Dispatch

OSU men's basketball: Mullens seeking his first big game
Freshman adapting to role on Buckeyes
Friday, November 28, 2008 3:10 AM
By Bob Baptist


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

When B.J. Mullens left the floor for good Monday night, with more than 13 minutes remaining in a tightening game against Bowling Green, he looked like one frustrated freshman as he plopped down in a seat next to Jon Diebler.
Diebler said a few words to him and lightly popped him with a fist.
"I just told him to be confident (and) don't worry about the last possession," Diebler said.
"I went through it all last year. It's only two games into the season. Just go out and play."
That's what everyone is waiting for -- B.J. Mullens, the next big thing in Ohio State men's basketball -- to just go out and play the way a one-and-done is expected to.
Two years ago, Greg Oden had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in his first two games -- with one good hand. Last year, Kosta Koufos had 37 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots in his first two games.
Mullens, the third 7-footer to play for the Buckeyes in as many seasons, came in as hyped as the other two but hasn't enjoyed their immediate success.

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I know that he is only played two regular-season games in an Ohio State uniform but never have seeing him play before but seeing were he has been projected as a lottery pick in next year's draft, he will really need to step up his game if it is going to be a one and done player like everyone has projected. Hopefully, it is just growing pains on his part because we will need him as we continue to go forward. Dallas can't play all the minutes at the C position this season.
 
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OSUBasketballJunkie;1340328; said:
It is early......but call me suprised of his lack of production to this point.....going in everyone assumed their would be a learning curve or transition period but I don't think anyone thought the transition would look to be so steep at this point........
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Agreed...with hize size and athleticisism alone you would think that even with zero offense run through him, he could get double digits on stick backs alone. He'll come around.
 
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Took a small step on Saturday......looked more comfortable out there and showed some aggressiveness..........also showed he can get nasty. :biggrin:

We will need him tonight against Miami.......

Dispatch

The Mullens watch

As I will note in the next edition of the OSU Insider in Monday’s newspaper (shameless plug to read it or, better yet, buy it), there was more than initially reported to the hard foul that B.J. Mullens delivered on Samford guard Gaby Bermudez with 10:25 left in the Buckeyes’ rout of the Bulldogs on Saturday.


I, like other media, am tucked in the northeast corner of the lower bowl of the arena. Not the best vantage point for reporting details of the game, but not the worst in the Big Ten, either.
What I missed before the Mullens incident _ because it occurred at the other end of the court and I was jotting down something in my notebook when it did _ was Bermudez trying to inbound the ball by firing it into what we can loosely refer to as Mullens’ groin.


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Mullens took another step against Miami.....finished with 5 points and 9 rebounds.............looked better on the boards and is getting comfortable in the paint..........looking forward to seeing what he can do against the size of Notre Dame........
 
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OSUBasketballJunkie;1345317; said:
Mullens took another step against Miami.....finished with 5 points and 9 rebounds.............looked better on the boards and is getting comfortable in the paint..........looking forward to seeing what he can do against the size of Notre Dame........
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I too was impressed with his rebounding last night. He was really going up and getting the ball. Not too many of those 9 were of the flat-footed variety that we've saw a lot of last season and some of early this year. 9 boards in 18 minutes against a strong rebounding team like Miami? I'll take it.
 
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