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- Thread starter crazybuckfan40
- Start date
DaytonBuck
I've always liked them
MaxBuck;1293462; said:Andy Katz's credibility is thoroughly shot when he puts both BYU and Siena ahead of us.
I'm really tempted to email him and ask him if he just forgot about us
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Ranked #30 in Rivals preseason top 65.
Rivals.com College Basketball - Top 65 Countdown: No. 30 Ohio State
Rivals.com College Basketball - Top 65 Countdown: No. 30 Ohio State
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I just dont see how they could have them finishing as low as 8th
after Purdue Michigan State and Wisconsin I dont see much competition in the big 10 this year........
this team should be a near lock to finish at least 4th
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NOTREDAMECHIEF
Legend
BengalsAndBucks;1293495; said:
Rivals has ND at 5 ???? PLEASE!! I wish...
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
The whole key to our season is finding consistency and production from the point guard position and from early reports it seems as if it will be several guys splitting time early in the season............we need someone to step up at point guard........Crater, Hill, Simmons need to get it done.
Without solid play from this position......I am not real sure how anyone can predict where we will finish.......
Without solid play from this position......I am not real sure how anyone can predict where we will finish.......
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crazybuckfan40
Head Coach
LitlBuck;1292985; said:
If BJ were to get in foul trouble, then you go with 4 guards and I would think up the tempo and we would score more that way just struggle a little on the defensive end...
We have our chance in non-conference to put ourselves on the map...Notre Dame, Miami, and West Virginia should all be ranked...Not sure who Butler has back this year...
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
crazybuckfan40;1294347; said:
I might be misinterpreting what you are saying here but are you saying that if BJ is not in foul trouble that we will still not have a 4 guard along with him. I don't think we are very to see him and Dallas on the floor at the same time so for the majority of the time it will always be 4 guards and one big guy or am I wrong.
Butler will not have a very good team this year. They lost AJ Graves who was probably their best player and Mike Green there PG is also not returning. Those were their two best players and they don't have much else coming back or in.
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buckeydoptimist
certified hoops nut
Our definitions of "been there done that" differ. I personally don't feel anyone with a year or less of college experience, even if a "mostly" starter, qualifies for what I mean by that. Butler did LAST YEAR. Lighty does THIS YEAR. No one else on this year's team does. NONE of the others have played in an NCAA tourney game even. They haven't faced B10 hostile road crowds at the same place multiple times. ETC. We had a lot of guys who qualified on the 05-06 team, very few since. Butler alone had almost as much PT experience going into last season as our whole team does this year - for instance. Dallas was "hidden" in small spurts of PT most of last year. He did get some primetime PT at the very end of the season but that is very far from what I am talking about. Now the 06-07 team was also pretty young but had 3 guys returning with more than one year's starting experience and 2-3 years playing 9+ mins/gm in college ( Butler 1.4 starting, Lewis 2[BG] 25.4min 6thman here, Harris 1.1 starting and three 9+ min yrs ) and Twig had even played over 10 min/gm his Soph year. I would probably have said that Butler and Harris qualified for my "been there" at that point and given Lewis' loads of PT at BG and here and being a 5th yr SR with NCAA experience I'd have included him too even with only a year playing in the B10. This year's squad is DEFINITELY YOUNGER IMO! Only Lighty has even been around for more than a year and truly "been there done that", IMO!
LitlBuck;1290620; said:
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DaytonBuck
I've always liked them
crazybuckfan40;1294347; said:
Butler has one starter returning Matt Howard who was the Horizon league freshman of the year. They should be down this season.
College Hoops has them at 65th in the country
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
I guess I forgot about all the upperclassmen on Purdue's starting five last season. Regarding this year's Ohio State team wasn't Turner with the team all last season or did I miss something. I also do believe that Diebler was on the team last year.buckeydoptimist;1294484; said:
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Lighty, Turner and Diebler are the most experienced players we have returning and then P.J. Hill, Dallas.............not sure what "been there done that" really means........if you mean experience, then it may not be as important as some think......college basketball is dominated by underclassman........its nice to have a mix, but not required to have a great season........just my opinion.
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crazybuckfan40
Head Coach
LitlBuck;1294459; said:
At this point I am seeing a starting lineup with Dallas and BJ in it...
Along with PG, Lighty, and Turner...
Buford and Diebler being the first off bench...So we have the opportunity to go 4 guards alot but I also think we will see lots of Dallas and BJ on the floor at the same time...
As for experience, These kids are playing at a high level in AAU, some high schools, and thus the frosh are more ready than they have been in the past...They will just need to improve there game while the season goes on...I don't envision these guys struggling because they are intimidated by older guys...Maybe a crowd or two, and road trips early in the season, but late in the season they should be used to situations like that...
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DZ83CK
Not Banned
Here is a link that includes several clips that I have roughly transcribed:
Men's Basketball: Buckeyes Talk Up Start to 2008-09 Season - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Matta video:
- expectations about ?possibilities?: new, young, lack of experience; told a group of freshmen there?s no drill he can give them to get them experience, they have to go through the wars; great guys, have worked extremely hard thru the summer into the fall - says he really likes the team but there are so many unknowns, they just have to get into it; have the pieces, it?s a matter of the guys understanding their roles and how to perform them and what level they have to perform it at is the biggest adjustment
- expectations of BJ: needs to adapt mentally to the physicality and pace - he?s listening to everything they?re saying and can see that he wants to be a really good player - he?s the biggest one (7-1) they?ve had - hopefully he will have 2 hands, unlike Greg
- expectations of ET: had a very good summer, big thing he?s worked on is his shooting (shot it a lot this summer); he?s grown and is up to 6-7; has been on him in the off-season to improve A:TO ratio
- PG spot: there?s a possibility that they will look at ET at PG; PJ is lone guy back at the position; also in the mix are Jeremie, Anthony, and Walter?s ran some point in some practice situations; ET could play PG in a pinch if they needed him to
- will there be a starting [one primary] PG or a rotation? Coach says he doesn?t have the answer; hopes it doesn?t [I think he?s saying that he hopes the starter doesn?t change] but it may take time throughout the course of the season to get a feel for what they?re going to do there
- coach has gone through in the off-season old practice plans from his 8 years, trying to draw similarities or correlations and what would he change; they have a basic core of what they always try to get accomplished, but will have to change some things with so many new guys (not so much so many new guys but lack of experience back, of veteran players - that?s where the big difference comes in)
- question about ET: coach thinks a lot of his issues had to do with just of getting his mind right of every possession - that was something that they were definitely on him and constantly trying to get because he was a guy LAST YEAR (coach said he is hoping it will be different this year) where one mistake could lead to 2, then he?d need something good to happen (the play-forward mentality) - he?s done a lot better with that, no doubt about it
- on the 4 position: has ?a thought,? but is kind of wide-open just to see where and how things evolve; doesn?t know exactly if he said we?ll go half the game with rotating Dallas, BJ and Kosta [coach means to say ?Kyle? and eventually says Kyle, but says Kosta a couple of times] - he thinks time will tell on that; thinks Lighty could play the 4 [visibly perks up after the question about that possibility] and remarks that he?s done it before; says Evan could possibly slide over to the 4 - ?we could just play 4 guards and a big guy? - a lot of it will just be predicated on how guys come together in time
- on how this makes 3 years in a row with a lot of new guys, how difficult is it as a coach to introduce everybody to college basketball: it?s difficult and challenging but that?s the thing that hopefully they?re a little bit used to it - at times he thinks it?s unlike anything you?ve ever seen at this level to have no seniors in your program, but by the same token they?ve dealt with it before, it?s just you?ve gotta remember on defense I was telling guys ?you gotta talk, you gotta talk? a lot of guys don?t know what to say and so you want to go fast, but by the same token you?ve got to teach the minute things to them as well and like he?s told these guys, ?I think one of the biggest problems we had last year was in Week 2 we were correcting things that we were correcting in Week 1? and we have to have great awareness of maybe not trying to do as much but we?re going to get done what we get done and move forward with it
- on Lighty as the common thread: amazing when you look at this team, David Lighty is the only guy in common - that is just something you have to deal with - you?d like to think with no seniors they?ll have the same team next year but you never know
**** Matta?s audio clip is a shorter version of the video clip.
Lighty audio:
- is stepping into more of a real leadership role this year - more comfortable as a leader (naturally as you progress you become more comfortable)
- to try to bond, the team pretty much every week went to BW3 - that?s pretty much all they did [didn?t go bowling together, apparently]; they hang out a lot and see each other pretty much all day long - they all live together on the same floor in the same building
- kinda weird with no seniors - they?re all kind of looking up to him
- on expectations: young doesn?t mean anything (were young when they went to the national championship game) - it?s up to them to come out and play
- if they are flying under the radar, it?s good for them, just come out and surprise a lot of people
Lighty video:
- maturity was one of the main things coach used to talk about last year but that shouldn?t have been an issue, should?ve been coming out getting ready each game, every game
- the whole team, everybody contributes; the harder they play in practice, the better it will make them; the team?s direction is forward every day
- goal is to get to the NCAA tourney and win a national title
- pretty much has been working on a lot of offensive things, look to be an offensive threat - says he has to be more of a threat, has worked on creating for his teammates, shot a lot of threes, making shots off the dribble - says the extended 3-point line will not have much of an effect on him (didn?t shoot from the HS line before anyway)
- had always been looking up to older people before, but now all of them are pretty much leaders
- real excited - thinks the summer went by quickly - everybody?s ready for the season to start
- off-season - did a lot of conditioning, mental things that coach Richardson put them through with the mental aspect, a lot of bonding with teammates
- everybody?s energy excites him and how many players they have, thinks they could have a real good, deep bench - like 2 waves, kept coming and never let down
- thinks BJ will make an instant impact - BJ?s head was almost at the rim on one reverse dunk in practice
- important to make NCAA tourney, but have to take each day one at a time
- likes taking on a leadership role - get all the praise, but also get all the downfall
- has a lot of talent that?s going to help out a lot this year; thinks they?ll go deep into the bench - everybody?s going to have to be ready to come in and work hard
- impressed by:
- WO - one of the hardest working players he?s ever seen play (mentioned the two knee surgeries)
- JS - an offensive machine - scores in so many diff ways
- Noopy - is lightning quick, makes good reads with the passes
- thinks they?ll be different from last year in being consistent in finishing games out; said they weren?t as focused as they needed to be last year, so they lost games they should?ve won
- freshmen have been looking really good - BJ is so big and agile, he can hit the outside 15-footer and hit you with nice moves in the post; WB is just so smooth and fluid on the court, is laid back and plays real easy
- can tell a difference in team skills session because everyone knows everyone?s game (strengths and weaknesses) - says he didn?t know his teammates as well as he should?ve having been gone part of last summer
- freshmen are energetic and happy
- thinks they can still be successful moving a couple people in and out of the PG spot but isn?t sure how it will play out in terms of whether they will have a main PG - they have been looking pretty good with the things they?ve been doing in practice
- different styles of PG - PJ has advantage of knowing the system and can read things; NC is so quick with the ball and so lightning quick off the dribble, always makes the right passes - has hit Dallas in the head with a couple of passes; JS is an offensive machine, can score in so many different ways
- question on replacing top scorers off last year?s team - not really a loss from the guys moving on, it?s time to move on and take on more - will try to take on more, try to be aggressive all the time
- will try to be aggressive at all times on offense - says he has to score if he has an opening but not be selfish
Dallas audio:
- question on having a more up and down style of play this year: DL says he lost about 10 pounds getting ready for the way they?re going to play this year (indicating they will be much more up-tempo), is more light on his feet and ready for an up-and-down game (or a slow game if they have to) - says their bigs this year can run with the best of them
- says they all have one goal in mind, to get better and win championships
- was out for half the summer last year because he was coming off of ?shockwave therapy?
- thinks he?s in the best shape of his life right now - 8.8% body fat now (down from 19%)
Diebler audio:
- expectations: 1st goal is to win the Big 10, B10 tourney and get to NCAA tourney
- toughest challenge: just getting used to the college game - they?re so young that just getting games under their belt is going to help them; just getting deeper into the season will help them get ready for March; they have a lot of talent and weapons on the team
- has worked on ball-handling and repetitions shooting, trying to make everyone else better
- says in order to improve his shooting he?s just done repetitions - coach has been on him to get his feet ready and just getting everything perfected (perfect the shot)
- says he thinks BJ will have an instant impact and has a lot of potential - says BJ has been working real hard; says all 5 the bigs have been working hard and competing against each other [I believe this is the only time Kecman is mentioned in any of the interviews]; says BJ has become a lot more aggressive since the beginning of the summer
- question on the loss of Butler (how to fill the gap): have 3 really good PGs - PJ, Jeremie and Anthony
- Dave has been doing a good job with leadership, some of the sophomores have been trying to be leaders as well - trying to show the younger guys what it?s going to be like
- they?re extremely close - don?t look at freshmen as freshmen because they?re all so young - even the upperclassmen aren?t seniors - don?t really look at first year players as first year players - helps team chemistry
- being together for the summer for 10 weeks makes up for having so much turnover (getting to know personalities and getting close as a group - you know what people like) - being comfortable with each other in practice and being honest with each other is something that came from being together for the summer
- says he just has to forget about last year?s shooting struggles - been watching film with coach and recognizes that shot preparation wasn?t something he had to work about before, but on this level, everything counts - coach has been emphasizing getting feet set before receiving passes to JD and the team
- thinks shot repetitions over the summer will help
- talked about how Jamar helped him through his struggles last year
- question about playing with the young guys over the summer - who showed they can compete right away? Answer: everyone. Says WO did a great job when he started playing even though he hasn?t been playing much because of his knee; says the new guys came in with the confidence they need to have
- on the competition for minutes: it will help make everyone better - everyone likes to compete to make each other better to get ready for games against other teams like MSU and Purdue - so far doing a really good job, everyone?s competing really well
Turner audio:
- expectations: win more, play smarter, play more as a unit, hopefully win Big 10, BTT, NCAA berth, National championship and Final Four
- made sure he was in the gym as much as possible - worked on handle, worked on jumper, tried to be a better team player, tried to build team unity
- talks about getting along off the court - chemistry right now is 10 times better than it was last year - they?re all one unit and love being around each other
- feels like he played pretty well at the end of the year and thought he was more in control at the end of the year - feels like he turned the corner when he put in more work after he had 5 TOs at Purdue - coach Archie Miller got on him after that game and helped him improve - said the game against Tennessee was sort of a turning point for him
- expects to be a bigger, better leader, be a more forceful player, become one of the best players in the country, wants to win more
Hill audio:
- question on their toughest opponent on the season: the biggest thing is focusing on themselves; says when they?re doing their thing, nobody can hold them back - only they can hold themselves back. Said they have to make sure they don?t turn the ball over
- question on who excelled in pick-up: everybody looks good; Dave looks really good, is stronger than ever; says Dallas Lauderdale has improved the most; says KM has really improved and his confidence has improved; Diebler?s confidence has improved
- very happy with the freshmen
- very excited to start the season - most looking forward to playing with the new team - have a chance to be with the same team 2 years in a row - wants to see their hard work pay off
Since the link has died already, here is a recap of some key points of the post from the Ozone?s Mr. Ed that was linked earlier in this thread:
- Lauderdale said he added 4 inches to his vertical jump and every returning player without hesitation said Lauderdale is the most improved returnee. His post game is reportedly very improved and his defense also is improved
- Matta said it was fair to compare Crater and Conley based on their physical skills but said Crater has to adjust to playing with a 7-footer (Conley didn't have to make that adjustment).
- Matta said Offutt could potentially be the best defensive player in OSU history
- Other than Lauderdale, Jeremie Simmons is the guy everyone was "raving" about. Simmons reportedly is a "scoring machine that just doesn't miss shots"
Here are some additional items of info from Bob Baptist?s blog Here we go again (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog):
- Turner (even though he really wasn?t around two years ago) says Crater reminds him of Conley during his freshman year, says Crater has a 44-inch vertical(!), and says Crater has a ?pretty decent? jumper. Matta said Crater is quick and explosive, has good speed, and the problem is ?getting him to understand how you use [the speed] now and play under control and have a grasp of what needs to be done.? Matta commented about how he liked one play ?the other day? by Crater when he stole the ball and dunked it.
- Turner also said that Simmons is quick, can dribble and might come in and not miss a shot for an entire day. Turner said Offutt wants to win everything and is one of the fiercest competitors he?s ever met.
My thoughts:
- team is definitely going to be more up-tempo this year and play more pressure D
- team is definitely going to be as deep as the 06-07 team if not deeper. Lighty (in a chat earlier this summer) and Lauderdale (on media day) both said they think they can go 10 or 11 deep this year.
- Matta didn?t mention Kecman when discussing potential solutions at the 4. He talked about the ?big? option of rotating BJ, Dallas and Madsen through the 4 for half the game (which I presume would be similar to how they rotated KK, Othello and Twig last year) and he talked about going small with Lighty and Turner. He didn?t commit to going ?big? for half of games, but it certainly sounds like he?s going to rotate BJ, Dallas and KM similar to how KK, OH and Twig were rotated at those two spots for a significant period of time (especially in games against bigger teams) and then have Lighty or Turner play the 4 at all other significant times.
- as for PG, it seems that Matta wants to settle on a starter early on and not play a whole lot of guys there (ideally, he doesn?t want Turner playing PG). It is possible that Hill will play more early in the year when Crater and Simmons are adjusting. Ultimately, I expect Crater and Simmons to take up the majority of the minutes there. At any rate, the PG position seems even more unclear than the 4. Matta is the only one who mentioned playing Offutt at PG (the players didn?t really seem to consider him part of the PG battle) and it was only in certain situations, so don?t expect a whole lot of Walter at PG.
- Dallas thinks they?ll win every game, Evan says to ?expect the unexpected,? and both Lighty (twice) and Turner say the team goal is to win the national title - someone needs to tell these guys that they?re generally not considered a top-25 team at this point
Men's Basketball: Buckeyes Talk Up Start to 2008-09 Season - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Matta video:
- expectations about ?possibilities?: new, young, lack of experience; told a group of freshmen there?s no drill he can give them to get them experience, they have to go through the wars; great guys, have worked extremely hard thru the summer into the fall - says he really likes the team but there are so many unknowns, they just have to get into it; have the pieces, it?s a matter of the guys understanding their roles and how to perform them and what level they have to perform it at is the biggest adjustment
- expectations of BJ: needs to adapt mentally to the physicality and pace - he?s listening to everything they?re saying and can see that he wants to be a really good player - he?s the biggest one (7-1) they?ve had - hopefully he will have 2 hands, unlike Greg
- expectations of ET: had a very good summer, big thing he?s worked on is his shooting (shot it a lot this summer); he?s grown and is up to 6-7; has been on him in the off-season to improve A:TO ratio
- PG spot: there?s a possibility that they will look at ET at PG; PJ is lone guy back at the position; also in the mix are Jeremie, Anthony, and Walter?s ran some point in some practice situations; ET could play PG in a pinch if they needed him to
- will there be a starting [one primary] PG or a rotation? Coach says he doesn?t have the answer; hopes it doesn?t [I think he?s saying that he hopes the starter doesn?t change] but it may take time throughout the course of the season to get a feel for what they?re going to do there
- coach has gone through in the off-season old practice plans from his 8 years, trying to draw similarities or correlations and what would he change; they have a basic core of what they always try to get accomplished, but will have to change some things with so many new guys (not so much so many new guys but lack of experience back, of veteran players - that?s where the big difference comes in)
- question about ET: coach thinks a lot of his issues had to do with just of getting his mind right of every possession - that was something that they were definitely on him and constantly trying to get because he was a guy LAST YEAR (coach said he is hoping it will be different this year) where one mistake could lead to 2, then he?d need something good to happen (the play-forward mentality) - he?s done a lot better with that, no doubt about it
- on the 4 position: has ?a thought,? but is kind of wide-open just to see where and how things evolve; doesn?t know exactly if he said we?ll go half the game with rotating Dallas, BJ and Kosta [coach means to say ?Kyle? and eventually says Kyle, but says Kosta a couple of times] - he thinks time will tell on that; thinks Lighty could play the 4 [visibly perks up after the question about that possibility] and remarks that he?s done it before; says Evan could possibly slide over to the 4 - ?we could just play 4 guards and a big guy? - a lot of it will just be predicated on how guys come together in time
- on how this makes 3 years in a row with a lot of new guys, how difficult is it as a coach to introduce everybody to college basketball: it?s difficult and challenging but that?s the thing that hopefully they?re a little bit used to it - at times he thinks it?s unlike anything you?ve ever seen at this level to have no seniors in your program, but by the same token they?ve dealt with it before, it?s just you?ve gotta remember on defense I was telling guys ?you gotta talk, you gotta talk? a lot of guys don?t know what to say and so you want to go fast, but by the same token you?ve got to teach the minute things to them as well and like he?s told these guys, ?I think one of the biggest problems we had last year was in Week 2 we were correcting things that we were correcting in Week 1? and we have to have great awareness of maybe not trying to do as much but we?re going to get done what we get done and move forward with it
- on Lighty as the common thread: amazing when you look at this team, David Lighty is the only guy in common - that is just something you have to deal with - you?d like to think with no seniors they?ll have the same team next year but you never know
**** Matta?s audio clip is a shorter version of the video clip.
Lighty audio:
- is stepping into more of a real leadership role this year - more comfortable as a leader (naturally as you progress you become more comfortable)
- to try to bond, the team pretty much every week went to BW3 - that?s pretty much all they did [didn?t go bowling together, apparently]; they hang out a lot and see each other pretty much all day long - they all live together on the same floor in the same building
- kinda weird with no seniors - they?re all kind of looking up to him
- on expectations: young doesn?t mean anything (were young when they went to the national championship game) - it?s up to them to come out and play
- if they are flying under the radar, it?s good for them, just come out and surprise a lot of people
Lighty video:
- maturity was one of the main things coach used to talk about last year but that shouldn?t have been an issue, should?ve been coming out getting ready each game, every game
- the whole team, everybody contributes; the harder they play in practice, the better it will make them; the team?s direction is forward every day
- goal is to get to the NCAA tourney and win a national title
- pretty much has been working on a lot of offensive things, look to be an offensive threat - says he has to be more of a threat, has worked on creating for his teammates, shot a lot of threes, making shots off the dribble - says the extended 3-point line will not have much of an effect on him (didn?t shoot from the HS line before anyway)
- had always been looking up to older people before, but now all of them are pretty much leaders
- real excited - thinks the summer went by quickly - everybody?s ready for the season to start
- off-season - did a lot of conditioning, mental things that coach Richardson put them through with the mental aspect, a lot of bonding with teammates
- everybody?s energy excites him and how many players they have, thinks they could have a real good, deep bench - like 2 waves, kept coming and never let down
- thinks BJ will make an instant impact - BJ?s head was almost at the rim on one reverse dunk in practice
- important to make NCAA tourney, but have to take each day one at a time
- likes taking on a leadership role - get all the praise, but also get all the downfall
- has a lot of talent that?s going to help out a lot this year; thinks they?ll go deep into the bench - everybody?s going to have to be ready to come in and work hard
- impressed by:
- WO - one of the hardest working players he?s ever seen play (mentioned the two knee surgeries)
- JS - an offensive machine - scores in so many diff ways
- Noopy - is lightning quick, makes good reads with the passes
- thinks they?ll be different from last year in being consistent in finishing games out; said they weren?t as focused as they needed to be last year, so they lost games they should?ve won
- freshmen have been looking really good - BJ is so big and agile, he can hit the outside 15-footer and hit you with nice moves in the post; WB is just so smooth and fluid on the court, is laid back and plays real easy
- can tell a difference in team skills session because everyone knows everyone?s game (strengths and weaknesses) - says he didn?t know his teammates as well as he should?ve having been gone part of last summer
- freshmen are energetic and happy
- thinks they can still be successful moving a couple people in and out of the PG spot but isn?t sure how it will play out in terms of whether they will have a main PG - they have been looking pretty good with the things they?ve been doing in practice
- different styles of PG - PJ has advantage of knowing the system and can read things; NC is so quick with the ball and so lightning quick off the dribble, always makes the right passes - has hit Dallas in the head with a couple of passes; JS is an offensive machine, can score in so many different ways
- question on replacing top scorers off last year?s team - not really a loss from the guys moving on, it?s time to move on and take on more - will try to take on more, try to be aggressive all the time
- will try to be aggressive at all times on offense - says he has to score if he has an opening but not be selfish
Dallas audio:
- question on having a more up and down style of play this year: DL says he lost about 10 pounds getting ready for the way they?re going to play this year (indicating they will be much more up-tempo), is more light on his feet and ready for an up-and-down game (or a slow game if they have to) - says their bigs this year can run with the best of them
- says they all have one goal in mind, to get better and win championships
- was out for half the summer last year because he was coming off of ?shockwave therapy?
- thinks he?s in the best shape of his life right now - 8.8% body fat now (down from 19%)
Diebler audio:
- expectations: 1st goal is to win the Big 10, B10 tourney and get to NCAA tourney
- toughest challenge: just getting used to the college game - they?re so young that just getting games under their belt is going to help them; just getting deeper into the season will help them get ready for March; they have a lot of talent and weapons on the team
- has worked on ball-handling and repetitions shooting, trying to make everyone else better
- says in order to improve his shooting he?s just done repetitions - coach has been on him to get his feet ready and just getting everything perfected (perfect the shot)
- says he thinks BJ will have an instant impact and has a lot of potential - says BJ has been working real hard; says all 5 the bigs have been working hard and competing against each other [I believe this is the only time Kecman is mentioned in any of the interviews]; says BJ has become a lot more aggressive since the beginning of the summer
- question on the loss of Butler (how to fill the gap): have 3 really good PGs - PJ, Jeremie and Anthony
- Dave has been doing a good job with leadership, some of the sophomores have been trying to be leaders as well - trying to show the younger guys what it?s going to be like
- they?re extremely close - don?t look at freshmen as freshmen because they?re all so young - even the upperclassmen aren?t seniors - don?t really look at first year players as first year players - helps team chemistry
- being together for the summer for 10 weeks makes up for having so much turnover (getting to know personalities and getting close as a group - you know what people like) - being comfortable with each other in practice and being honest with each other is something that came from being together for the summer
- says he just has to forget about last year?s shooting struggles - been watching film with coach and recognizes that shot preparation wasn?t something he had to work about before, but on this level, everything counts - coach has been emphasizing getting feet set before receiving passes to JD and the team
- thinks shot repetitions over the summer will help
- talked about how Jamar helped him through his struggles last year
- question about playing with the young guys over the summer - who showed they can compete right away? Answer: everyone. Says WO did a great job when he started playing even though he hasn?t been playing much because of his knee; says the new guys came in with the confidence they need to have
- on the competition for minutes: it will help make everyone better - everyone likes to compete to make each other better to get ready for games against other teams like MSU and Purdue - so far doing a really good job, everyone?s competing really well
Turner audio:
- expectations: win more, play smarter, play more as a unit, hopefully win Big 10, BTT, NCAA berth, National championship and Final Four
- made sure he was in the gym as much as possible - worked on handle, worked on jumper, tried to be a better team player, tried to build team unity
- talks about getting along off the court - chemistry right now is 10 times better than it was last year - they?re all one unit and love being around each other
- feels like he played pretty well at the end of the year and thought he was more in control at the end of the year - feels like he turned the corner when he put in more work after he had 5 TOs at Purdue - coach Archie Miller got on him after that game and helped him improve - said the game against Tennessee was sort of a turning point for him
- expects to be a bigger, better leader, be a more forceful player, become one of the best players in the country, wants to win more
Hill audio:
- question on their toughest opponent on the season: the biggest thing is focusing on themselves; says when they?re doing their thing, nobody can hold them back - only they can hold themselves back. Said they have to make sure they don?t turn the ball over
- question on who excelled in pick-up: everybody looks good; Dave looks really good, is stronger than ever; says Dallas Lauderdale has improved the most; says KM has really improved and his confidence has improved; Diebler?s confidence has improved
- very happy with the freshmen
- very excited to start the season - most looking forward to playing with the new team - have a chance to be with the same team 2 years in a row - wants to see their hard work pay off
Since the link has died already, here is a recap of some key points of the post from the Ozone?s Mr. Ed that was linked earlier in this thread:
- Lauderdale said he added 4 inches to his vertical jump and every returning player without hesitation said Lauderdale is the most improved returnee. His post game is reportedly very improved and his defense also is improved
- Matta said it was fair to compare Crater and Conley based on their physical skills but said Crater has to adjust to playing with a 7-footer (Conley didn't have to make that adjustment).
- Matta said Offutt could potentially be the best defensive player in OSU history
- Other than Lauderdale, Jeremie Simmons is the guy everyone was "raving" about. Simmons reportedly is a "scoring machine that just doesn't miss shots"
Here are some additional items of info from Bob Baptist?s blog Here we go again (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog):
- Turner (even though he really wasn?t around two years ago) says Crater reminds him of Conley during his freshman year, says Crater has a 44-inch vertical(!), and says Crater has a ?pretty decent? jumper. Matta said Crater is quick and explosive, has good speed, and the problem is ?getting him to understand how you use [the speed] now and play under control and have a grasp of what needs to be done.? Matta commented about how he liked one play ?the other day? by Crater when he stole the ball and dunked it.
- Turner also said that Simmons is quick, can dribble and might come in and not miss a shot for an entire day. Turner said Offutt wants to win everything and is one of the fiercest competitors he?s ever met.
My thoughts:
- team is definitely going to be more up-tempo this year and play more pressure D
- team is definitely going to be as deep as the 06-07 team if not deeper. Lighty (in a chat earlier this summer) and Lauderdale (on media day) both said they think they can go 10 or 11 deep this year.
- Matta didn?t mention Kecman when discussing potential solutions at the 4. He talked about the ?big? option of rotating BJ, Dallas and Madsen through the 4 for half the game (which I presume would be similar to how they rotated KK, Othello and Twig last year) and he talked about going small with Lighty and Turner. He didn?t commit to going ?big? for half of games, but it certainly sounds like he?s going to rotate BJ, Dallas and KM similar to how KK, OH and Twig were rotated at those two spots for a significant period of time (especially in games against bigger teams) and then have Lighty or Turner play the 4 at all other significant times.
- as for PG, it seems that Matta wants to settle on a starter early on and not play a whole lot of guys there (ideally, he doesn?t want Turner playing PG). It is possible that Hill will play more early in the year when Crater and Simmons are adjusting. Ultimately, I expect Crater and Simmons to take up the majority of the minutes there. At any rate, the PG position seems even more unclear than the 4. Matta is the only one who mentioned playing Offutt at PG (the players didn?t really seem to consider him part of the PG battle) and it was only in certain situations, so don?t expect a whole lot of Walter at PG.
- Dallas thinks they?ll win every game, Evan says to ?expect the unexpected,? and both Lighty (twice) and Turner say the team goal is to win the national title - someone needs to tell these guys that they?re generally not considered a top-25 team at this point
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