-
Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
- Thread starter OSUBasketballJunkie
- Start date
I'd have to say Slam is the closest to our ranking. With all of our people coming back and Jessica ready to take player of the year honors, this could be the year we win both men and womens national titles. Add that to footballs title and this could be one of the best hauls in NCAA history by one University.
Upvote
0
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
If all three sports were able to win a National Championship, I believe that would be a first in Division IA. 
Upvote
0
Hey, we got a first last year with both Football and Basketball winning a conference in the same year- still unbelievable that it wasn't done sooner. All that has to happen is the same type of performances as last season with a bit more stamina and a lot of luck.
Upvote
0
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Hoskins believes injury made her a better player
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
MIKE MUNDEN DISPATCH Ohio State?s Brandie Hoskins has worked hard to rehabilitate a torn Achilles? tendon.
What seemed like the worst moment in the basketball life of Brandie Hoskins dramatically changed in mid-dribble last March in Purdue?s Mackey Arena.
Ohio State was 79 seconds from a 79-69 upset loss to Boston College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament when the junior guard caught a pass and collapsed on the court in agony.
"When I dropped the ball, I thought somebody had kicked me," Hoskins said. "I was waiting on the ref to call a foul. When I watched the film, I could see on my face that I was looking around for a call. That?s when I felt the pain. That?s the most pain I?ve experienced physically since I?ve been playing basketball."
Hoskins didn?t know the cause yet, but soon would learn that she had ruptured her right Achilles? tendon. Surgery and 12 tortuous weeks on crutches followed with tough months of rehabilitation ahead.
When the defending Big Ten champions begin practice this week, Hoskins will be on the floor even though she won?t be 100 percent. The future, however, is no longer as murky as it appeared after the surgery. Hoskins is certain that she will be ready to play sooner than later.
"I?m jogging and running," she said. "I?m shooting. I?m jumping. I?m coming around real good. I can?t give you an exact time, but my rehab is going real well. My ankle is healing well. It?s about being patient and listening to what (OSU trainer Chalisa Fonza) tells me to do."
Being patient, however, wasn?t among the strengths that Hoskins brought to OSU from Dayton Chaminade-Julienne High School. The thought of being without basketball still brings tears today.
"I remember after the injury walking on crutches the first day ? I don?t think I was completely here," Hoskins said. "Basketball means everything to me. It?s all I do. I play all the time, nonstop every day. It was hard to accept that I was hurt."
Questions about her availability for this season surfaced quickly. Coach Jim Foster never wavered in his belief that Hoskins would provide the answer.
"Sometimes these injuries have reputations," Foster said. "What were considered catastrophic injuries 20 years ago are today almost routinely taken care of because they?ve gotten so much better at the actual procedure and so much better at the rehab.
"A lot of times people come back stronger and even more aware and in tune with their body. The mere getting back pushes some athletes to places they?ve never been."
In Hoskins? case, that place initially was a chair in the practice gym, where she worked for hours on her shooting form.
"When I was in the boot, I?d sit there and shoot," she said. "Overall, I think it probably made me a better player and a stronger player because this summer I got to work on form shooting and my left-hand dribble."
Foster watched her perseverance. Nobody had to tell him how much Hoskins wanted to come back.
"She is one of those kids who goes to the gym and plays all the time," he said. "And she?s good at it. It?s not like you?re a 15- or 20-handicap golfer and you put the clubs away for the winter months.
"It becomes a very reflective time. You learn a lot about yourself, and ask yourself a lot of questions, and answer a lot of them."
Beyond improving her mid-range game and left hand, Hoskins added something else to her wish list for the upcoming season.
"I want to be a leader on the court ? vocally, mentally and physically," she said.
She knows that her teammates are watching. The Buckeyes have five freshmen who have yet to play a college game. She can see herself in them and laughed at a reminder about how much she hated preseason conditioning as a freshman.
"They?re cool," Hoskins said. "They?re freshmen. They?re just getting into it. You don?t know what you?re getting yourself into. You go from being the best player on your high school team to just another player in one of the best programs in the country. You learn."
Foster expects Hoskins to teach.
"She?s already started," he said. "How you handle an injury is part sometimes of an athletic career. Five freshmen walked in and they?ve watched her in the rehab process all summer. That?s a lot of what leadership is."
Hoskins can?t wait to play again and show everyone what she has learned.
"I think God was teaching me to be patient, strong and to take nothing for granted," she said. "I think this injury has made me a stronger player and a better person."
[email protected]
Upvote
0
DDN
Buckeye women's notes
? Senior Brandie Hoskins (Chaminade-Julienne) said she's nearly recovered after rupturing her right Achilles tendon.
"I've got be a lot more mentally focused," she said. "Basketball means everything to me. To have a second chance to be able to play is just great."
? Ohio State women's basketball coach Jim Foster was complimentary toward freshman Maria Moeller (Marion Local).
"Moeller is a (true) point guard," said Foster, adding he hasn't had one in his other four seasons at OSU. "She already knows where everybody is supposed to be and when they're supposed to be there and her teammates understand that."
Buckeye women's notes
? Senior Brandie Hoskins (Chaminade-Julienne) said she's nearly recovered after rupturing her right Achilles tendon.
"I've got be a lot more mentally focused," she said. "Basketball means everything to me. To have a second chance to be able to play is just great."
? Ohio State women's basketball coach Jim Foster was complimentary toward freshman Maria Moeller (Marion Local).
"Moeller is a (true) point guard," said Foster, adding he hasn't had one in his other four seasons at OSU. "She already knows where everybody is supposed to be and when they're supposed to be there and her teammates understand that."
Upvote
0
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
WOMEN
Influx of youngsters energizes Buckeyes
Freshmen, sophomore give practice a new look
Friday, October 13, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG> All-American center Jessica Davenport returns to the Buckeyes, along with all-Big Ten guards Brandie Hoskins and Marscilla Packer.
At first glance, the possibility that the Ohio State women?s basketball team could surprise people this season seems as far-fetched as Simon Cowell being named Mr. Congeniality at the Emmy Awards.
The Buckeyes, under coach Jim Foster, have become a well-known commodity in the Big Ten and beyond. They have won the past two Big Ten championships and have twotime All-America center Jessica Davenport anchoring the lineup with all-conference guards Brandie Hoskins and Marscilla Packer.
Yet the practice gym in Value City Arena yesterday contained a certain spark that often accompanies youth. Ohio State will have six new faces vying for playing time when practice begins today in freshmen Cherise Daniel, Shavelle Little, Maria Moeller, Lesslee Mason-Cox and Andrea Walker, and sophomore transfer Ashlee Trebilcock.
Foster already has noticed the bouncy vibe.
"Youth, and its ignorance, is kind of fun to be around," he said, smiling. "With five freshmen, and you can throw Trebilcock in there, and some of the questions, it?s a much more of a learning environment.
"The upperclassmen end up answering questions, and get involved in that dimension. So it?s a lot more fun, I think, to be in the gym with youngsters. And this group has a lot of energy. We like them a lot."
What they bring to the court could surprise opponents who happily waved goodbye to graduating point guards Ashley Allen and Kim Wilburn and power forward Debbie Merrill from last season?s 29-3 team.
Packer misses her friends but thinks the new kids have the potential to surprise.
"Yeah, we?ll (show) a lot of different looks this year," Packer said. "One time we might be able to have people on the floor where everyone can shoot three-pointers. It?s just exciting to see where we?re going to be.
"I think we?ll have a lot more scorers from the guard position. Instead of just having big Jess inside, we might have two bigs in there with Andrea Walker. We?re just going to have a lot more scorers, and I think we?ll be able to run more."
Davenport, likewise, senses the changes and the possibilities.
"Having five freshmen coming in after losing five players, it?s like we have a whole new personality on the team," she said. "The freshmen have been receptive to what we?ve been telling them. They?re good to have around the gym. There?s a lot of new energy. I think it?s rejuvenated the older players."
With 6-foot-5 Walker joining 6-5 Davenport inside, the Buckeyes will be bigger than they were last season. Foster indicated that Moeller will receive an early look at point guard, and Mason-Cox is in the mix at power forward with senior Stephanie Blanton, juniors Tamarah Riley and Alice Jamen, and sophomore Star Allen. The competition is open.
"Every coach that I?ve ever observed has played their best players," Foster said. "And I?m going to play my best players. I don?t care how old they are."
Hoskins, who is coming off Achilles? tendon surgery, started as a freshman three seasons ago. She is looking forward to seeing this newest team evolve.
"I think it?s going to be completely different," she said. "We lost a lot of pieces to the puzzle, and we also added a lot of pieces. We?ve got more guards. We?ve got different post players. It?s going to be just as competitive, and just as good. But it?s just going to be different pieces to the puzzle."
Davenport promised one thing won?t change.
"We have new players," Davenport said. "We have people who can do different things with the ball. I think winning will be the same. It will just be new people in those roles."
[email protected]
Upvote
0
Link
Big Ten women?s coaches mixed on 10-second rule
By Phil Bloom
The Journal Gazette
CHICAGO ? One of the clear differences between women?s college basketball and the men?s game is their treatment of the midcourt line.
Men have 10 seconds to bring the ball across it or it?s a violation; women have no such rule.
That changes this year, at least experimentally. During scrimmages, exhibitions and certified games ? such as the Preseason WNIT ? women?s teams will test the 10-second rule.
The idea drew a mixed reaction Sunday at Big Ten media day.
?My question is always why?? Penn State coach Rene Portland said. ?There?s nothing wrong with the women?s game ? The men have it, but they have 35 seconds (on their shot clock).?
Women play with a 30-second shot clock, and that won?t change with the 10-second midcourt experiment.
?If we?re not going to expand our shot clock, it?s going to be pretty tough,? Portland said.
Purdue coach Sharon Versyp agreed.
?I feel if they do the 10-second backcourt, they need to give us maybe five more seconds,? she said.
Otherwise, Versyp is unsure of the rule?s effect.
?I don?t know if it?s going to make or break our women?s game or not,? she said. ?I just know most of the rules follow what the men do.
?We obviously will wait and see. For me, one way or the other, it?s going to be an advantage to the defense. If you don?t have ballhandlers, you don?t want it. It?s kind of a give-and-take.?
It is not uncommon in women?s games for a team to hold the ball in the backcourt to burn off precious seconds in a close contest knowing it won?t lose the ball to a 10-second count. Another strategy has been for a team to apply fullcourt pressure and burn seconds off the shot clock, leaving the other team less time to run its offense.
?It?s good when you have the ball and you?re trying to stall or when the other team is pressing and you don?t have to worry about getting the ball up the court,? Purdue guard Katie Gearlds said. ?When you?re trying to come back and you put a really aggressive trapping press on the other team (the 10-second rule) kind of adds that new dimension.
?You can actually trap a team and try to get a 10-second violation.?
That?s not a concern to Portland, who has built Penn State?s winning tradition around a long list of quality point guards.
?We?ve been very fortunate to have good point guards, so we dare people to press us,? she said. ?I still think I?m on the vein of having great point guards, so go ahead and give the rule. Who cares??
First-year Indiana coach Felisha Legette-Jack does.
?Change is good, but I don?t want it to come this year because we want to take the air out of the ball,? she said. ?We don?t want to go fast and hang out with Jessica Davenport (Ohio State?s All-America center).
?We don?t want to be 100 mph and then Katie Gearlds is at the other end for Purdue. We want to slowly and methodically use up 25 seconds and then really go fast to score in the last five seconds. We?ll experiment. I?m glad it?s only an experiment. Next year, we?ll be a little more prepared to go a little bit more fast.?
Buckeyes No. 1
Ohio State was the unanimous choice in separate surveys of league coaches and the media to repeat as Big Ten champion.
Led by Davenport, the two-time conference player of the year, the Buckeyes not only are looking to extend their record total of conference titles to 10 but also beyond.
?We want to be the best team, one of the best teams in the country and just go out and play hard every night,? Davenport said. ?Winning a national championship is something that we think we?re able to do and capable of doing.
?We just have to make sure when that time comes, when the postseason comes, that we are able to play at the right level.?
Purdue was picked to finish second and Michigan State third by the coaches and media.
In fact, the coaches and media agreed on the top seven teams in their preseason predictions, as well as a last-place finish for Northwestern.
[email protected]
Predictions
Coaches
Media
1. Ohio State?Ohio State
2. Purdue?Purdue
3. Michigan St.?Michigan St.
3. Penn State?Penn State
4. Iowa?Iowa
5. Wisconsin?Wisconsin
6. Illinois?Illinois
7. Minnesota?Indiana
8. Michigan?Minnesota
9. Indiana?Michigan
10.N?western?N?western
Preseason All-Conference
(Coaches and media picks)
Jessica Davenport, Ohio State-x
Megan Skouby, Iowa
Amanda Brown, Penn State
Katie Gearlds, Purdue
Jolene Anderson, Wisconsin
Big Ten women?s coaches mixed on 10-second rule
By Phil Bloom
The Journal Gazette
CHICAGO ? One of the clear differences between women?s college basketball and the men?s game is their treatment of the midcourt line.
Men have 10 seconds to bring the ball across it or it?s a violation; women have no such rule.
That changes this year, at least experimentally. During scrimmages, exhibitions and certified games ? such as the Preseason WNIT ? women?s teams will test the 10-second rule.
The idea drew a mixed reaction Sunday at Big Ten media day.
?My question is always why?? Penn State coach Rene Portland said. ?There?s nothing wrong with the women?s game ? The men have it, but they have 35 seconds (on their shot clock).?
Women play with a 30-second shot clock, and that won?t change with the 10-second midcourt experiment.
?If we?re not going to expand our shot clock, it?s going to be pretty tough,? Portland said.
Purdue coach Sharon Versyp agreed.
?I feel if they do the 10-second backcourt, they need to give us maybe five more seconds,? she said.
Otherwise, Versyp is unsure of the rule?s effect.
?I don?t know if it?s going to make or break our women?s game or not,? she said. ?I just know most of the rules follow what the men do.
?We obviously will wait and see. For me, one way or the other, it?s going to be an advantage to the defense. If you don?t have ballhandlers, you don?t want it. It?s kind of a give-and-take.?
It is not uncommon in women?s games for a team to hold the ball in the backcourt to burn off precious seconds in a close contest knowing it won?t lose the ball to a 10-second count. Another strategy has been for a team to apply fullcourt pressure and burn seconds off the shot clock, leaving the other team less time to run its offense.
?It?s good when you have the ball and you?re trying to stall or when the other team is pressing and you don?t have to worry about getting the ball up the court,? Purdue guard Katie Gearlds said. ?When you?re trying to come back and you put a really aggressive trapping press on the other team (the 10-second rule) kind of adds that new dimension.
?You can actually trap a team and try to get a 10-second violation.?
That?s not a concern to Portland, who has built Penn State?s winning tradition around a long list of quality point guards.
?We?ve been very fortunate to have good point guards, so we dare people to press us,? she said. ?I still think I?m on the vein of having great point guards, so go ahead and give the rule. Who cares??
First-year Indiana coach Felisha Legette-Jack does.
?Change is good, but I don?t want it to come this year because we want to take the air out of the ball,? she said. ?We don?t want to go fast and hang out with Jessica Davenport (Ohio State?s All-America center).
?We don?t want to be 100 mph and then Katie Gearlds is at the other end for Purdue. We want to slowly and methodically use up 25 seconds and then really go fast to score in the last five seconds. We?ll experiment. I?m glad it?s only an experiment. Next year, we?ll be a little more prepared to go a little bit more fast.?
Buckeyes No. 1
Ohio State was the unanimous choice in separate surveys of league coaches and the media to repeat as Big Ten champion.
Led by Davenport, the two-time conference player of the year, the Buckeyes not only are looking to extend their record total of conference titles to 10 but also beyond.
?We want to be the best team, one of the best teams in the country and just go out and play hard every night,? Davenport said. ?Winning a national championship is something that we think we?re able to do and capable of doing.
?We just have to make sure when that time comes, when the postseason comes, that we are able to play at the right level.?
Purdue was picked to finish second and Michigan State third by the coaches and media.
In fact, the coaches and media agreed on the top seven teams in their preseason predictions, as well as a last-place finish for Northwestern.
[email protected]
Predictions
Coaches
Media
1. Ohio State?Ohio State
2. Purdue?Purdue
3. Michigan St.?Michigan St.
3. Penn State?Penn State
4. Iowa?Iowa
5. Wisconsin?Wisconsin
6. Illinois?Illinois
7. Minnesota?Indiana
8. Michigan?Minnesota
9. Indiana?Michigan
10.N?western?N?western
Preseason All-Conference
(Coaches and media picks)
Jessica Davenport, Ohio State-x
Megan Skouby, Iowa
Amanda Brown, Penn State
Katie Gearlds, Purdue
Jolene Anderson, Wisconsin
Upvote
0
Dispatch
OHIO STATE WOMEN?S BASKETBALL
Media, coaches pick OSU to win Big Ten
Monday, October 30, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
CHICAGO ? A four-year spike in success for the Ohio State women?s basketball team bred another round of great expectations for the Buckeyes yesterday at the annual Big Ten media day. Conference coaches and media unanimously picked OSU to win a third consecutive regular-season championship and chose senior center Jessica Davenport to capture what would be an unprecedented third player of the year award.
"It?s what I voted for," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "I think it?s great for our conference that we have a reigning Kodak All-American within our conference. And I think Ohio State is clearly the best team coming in."
The double-anointing drew a wry smile from OSU coach Jim Foster.
"So do you think we should hold a banquet because Jess is the preseason player of the year?" he asked.
A season has yet to be played, he said, but high expectations are nothing new for the Buckeyes.
"It was in our (coaching staff?s) first year, and it is in the fifth year," Foster said. "It?s what you have to work for. It?s always there. In its essence, we are coaching young people, and that never changes. They?re always young.
"How they handle the environment is always educational in nature. Fortunately, we?ve been through being preseason No. 1. We?ve had that experience in regards to the large nucleus of our team."
Besides Davenport, a twotime All-American, Foster returns starting guards Brandie Hoskins and Marscilla Packer from a team that posted a 29-3 record in 2005-06.
He also has five freshmen who have yet to play a game for the Buckeyes. Foster expects the returning players to help him teach those lessons.
"It?s up to them to transfer that to our freshmen," Foster said. "Is there a sense of urgency to some of the details necessary to be successful? It?s something that veteran players have and young players need to learn."
Davenport is happy to teach by example.
"They have the skills," she said. "They just need the experience. Our big thing is that communication is the key on and off the court. Upperclassmen are making sure that the underclassmen are getting that point."
The Buckeyes were good enough to land a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The season ended badly when Boston College upset them in the second round. Davenport?s reaction to the defeat demonstrated how much expectations have changed within the OSU camp.
"You take from it the feeling that you got after the game ? the feeling of not accomplishing what you set out for," Davenport said. "I tried not to think about it the whole summer. I just thought about me getting better as a player so that I won?t have that situation again.
"We want to be one of the best teams in the country. Winning a national championship is something we think we?re capable of doing."
OHIO STATE WOMEN?S BASKETBALL
Media, coaches pick OSU to win Big Ten
Monday, October 30, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
CHICAGO ? A four-year spike in success for the Ohio State women?s basketball team bred another round of great expectations for the Buckeyes yesterday at the annual Big Ten media day. Conference coaches and media unanimously picked OSU to win a third consecutive regular-season championship and chose senior center Jessica Davenport to capture what would be an unprecedented third player of the year award.
"It?s what I voted for," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "I think it?s great for our conference that we have a reigning Kodak All-American within our conference. And I think Ohio State is clearly the best team coming in."
The double-anointing drew a wry smile from OSU coach Jim Foster.
"So do you think we should hold a banquet because Jess is the preseason player of the year?" he asked.
A season has yet to be played, he said, but high expectations are nothing new for the Buckeyes.
"It was in our (coaching staff?s) first year, and it is in the fifth year," Foster said. "It?s what you have to work for. It?s always there. In its essence, we are coaching young people, and that never changes. They?re always young.
"How they handle the environment is always educational in nature. Fortunately, we?ve been through being preseason No. 1. We?ve had that experience in regards to the large nucleus of our team."
Besides Davenport, a twotime All-American, Foster returns starting guards Brandie Hoskins and Marscilla Packer from a team that posted a 29-3 record in 2005-06.
He also has five freshmen who have yet to play a game for the Buckeyes. Foster expects the returning players to help him teach those lessons.
"It?s up to them to transfer that to our freshmen," Foster said. "Is there a sense of urgency to some of the details necessary to be successful? It?s something that veteran players have and young players need to learn."
Davenport is happy to teach by example.
"They have the skills," she said. "They just need the experience. Our big thing is that communication is the key on and off the court. Upperclassmen are making sure that the underclassmen are getting that point."
The Buckeyes were good enough to land a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The season ended badly when Boston College upset them in the second round. Davenport?s reaction to the defeat demonstrated how much expectations have changed within the OSU camp.
"You take from it the feeling that you got after the game ? the feeling of not accomplishing what you set out for," Davenport said. "I tried not to think about it the whole summer. I just thought about me getting better as a player so that I won?t have that situation again.
"We want to be one of the best teams in the country. Winning a national championship is something we think we?re capable of doing."
Upvote
0