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Ohio State Women's Basketball (2023-24 B1G CHAMPS)

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Yeah, Bestbuck, Maddie has had some terrible luck with injuries. With her, there would be a terrific rotation of guards, keeping everyone semi-fresh. Better play from the bigs would be extremely helpful as well. Anxious to see how Cotie does in her second year. Seems like I'm reading she's doing well overseas (and playing with Celeste Taylor (?), I believe) should add to the chemistry. Anyone know if they're back yet and practicing? Go Bucks!
 
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KEVIN MCGUFF​

  • Ohio State added Taylor from Duke in the transfer portal this offseason, fresh off a campaign as ACC Defensive Player of the Year. She's already shown a lot of her skills to the Buckeyes' leading man. "She's a great kid. ... I think she's going to be a great fit, she's already provided great leadership, great energy in practice." He added that a new offensive system could aid in her showcasing more of her offensive skills.
  • On managing expectations: "Really just emphasize that it's a new year, a new season, a new team. ... We'll look a little different I think, but I think just emphasizing the things that allowed us to be successful last year."
  • On adjusting to life without star guard Taylor Mikesell: "She's a special player ... we're going to need some people to step up and make some shots from the perimeter."
  • Cotie McMahon's experience with USA Basketball will help her take another step forward in moving the ball, McGuff said. "Just another summer of really learning those types of things will help her contribute to this type of team."
  • On where the team has improved: "I think already, we're a little better in the half-court defensively. Celeste, I've mentioned her a couple of times, has helped us defensively."
  • McGuff feels that Ohio State's team chemistry will be a strength once again in 2023-24.
  • On Jacy Sheldon: "She's such a great player and a great kid. ... She's kind of the engine that makes our team go. ... She's had a great offseason."
  • On how COVID-19 waivers have affected roster construction: "It's really difficult, because you have these conversations ... we'd look a lot different if Jacy and Rebeka (Mikulasikova) didn't come back. ... You've got to have conversations and then take the information and make the best decision possible."
  • On the addition of transfer Taiyier Parks: "She's a really good addition as well. Just the way we're built, we get these post players that play really well on the perimeter and they're just not as used to playing around the rim."
  • On Emma Shumate: "She really shoots the ball well. It's hard to compare anyone to Taylor Mikesell, but she might soften the blow (of losing her)."
  • Name, Image and Likeness has had a huge impact on collegiate women's basketball, McGuff said. "That's part of the reason you're seeing these fifth-year kids come back."
  • On Harris: "She's a very, very, very bright kid with a high basketball IQ. ... She's been really good with her leadership in the offseason and we're going to need that out of her."
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Presser Bullets: Chris Holtmann Says Bruce Thornton Will Be “At the Forefront“ of Ohio State’s Efforts, Kevin McGuff Feels Women's Team Has Improved Defensively

Chris Holtmann said Bruce Thornton will be "at the forefront" of Ohio State's efforts in 2023-24 and feels his group has the potential to be "much improved" defensively.
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Skull Session: Ohio State Ranks No. 3 Behind Michigan and Georgia in SP+, Buckeyes Are On a Path to the CFP and Notre Dame Had a 10-Men-On-The-Field Problem Before Saturday

Ohio State ranks No. 3 behind Michigan and Georgia in SP+, the Buckeyes are on a path to the CFP and Notre Dame's 10-men-on-the-field issues started weeks ago.
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OLYMPIC VILLAGE. Ohio State will have one of the best women's basketball teams in America in 2023-24. In a recent poll from The Athletic, the Buckeyes ranked seventh behind LSU, UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Utah and Iowa. Here is how Chantel Jennings and Sabreena Merchant described Ohio State:

How does the Ohio State defense that led power conferences in steals per game last season (11.3) come into this season even more terrifying? Just go ahead and add the ACC defensive player of the year to your backcourt, why don’t ya? Celeste Taylor’s pickup was one of the best overall fits for any player coming out of the portal. Coach Kevin McGuff will have the ability to rotate through Taylor, Jacy Sheldon, Taylor Thierry and Rikki Harris — all of whom are absolute ball hawks — as the Buckeyes ramp up their full-court defensive pressure and drive opponents into mistakes and turnovers.
With Taylor Mikesell’s graduation, the Buckeyes’ offensive identity needs to evolve. Mikesell accounted for almost a quarter of Ohio State’s shot attempts over the past two seasons, including more than one-third of its 3-point attempts. In her absence, Cotie McMahon — the reigning Big Ten freshman of the year — should become an even larger offensive centerpiece, especially as the Buckeyes don’t return any long-range shooters who are nearly as consistent as Mikesell.
Though the Buckeyes lack a tall, traditional big who would be able to match up one-on-one with some of the posts on the other top-10 teams, it ultimately might not be as big of an issue for Ohio State given the potential of its full-court pressure and pestering perimeter defense.
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From climbing cabinets to a final shot at a national title: Celeste Taylor’s road to Ohio State

The natural born skills that have uniquely steered the guard, and the family that's laid the foundation
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From climbing cabinets to a final shot at a national title: Celeste Taylor’s road to Ohio State​

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Jalen Powell is recruiting, coaching, baking the legacy of Ohio State women’s basketball

How the assistant entering her third season in Columbus is vital to a program on the rise.
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Jalen Powell is recruiting, coaching, baking the legacy of Ohio State women’s basketball​

How the assistant entering her third season in Columbus is vital to a program on the rise.

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Sitting neatly in a row across a folding table sit three hats. Each adorns a different college athletic logo, signifying options for the biggest decision an 18-year-old will make: Choosing who has the luxury of earning the teenager’s athletic ability on their school basketball court.

It’s a moment that’s earned through hours in the gym, on the court, and even more hours driven across the city, state or country to earn the attention of scouts and get into the national recruiting narrative. Behind the table is someone who’s so far lived under the protective bubble of their sports-infused world and a small room in their parent’s house.

Next to the future college student are parents, siblings, coaches, and anyone important enough to get a spot on the other side of the camera phone capturing personal history. As hats are picked up, put down, tried on, and placed back off of the player’s head, it's blasted live across social media. The stream elicits moments of pride, expectancy, and anxiety disguised as engagement.

After a hat is chosen, tears are shed and hearts, thumbs up, and sad face emojis fly across the screen, what’s left is an expectation of rigorous athletic focus balanced with a full-time college student workload. It's the first step down the road that segues the young star from a high school prodigy to a soon-to-be full-time adult.

When the attention diminishes and the real work begins, it’s lonely. Imagine moving away from home for the first time away from friends and family. It’s tough. Enter Jalen Powell.

Letting Kids Be Kids​

Ohio State women’s basketball assistant coach Jalen Powell’s official job responsibilities can’t be pinned down to one or two things. On the court, Powell works with the guards, alongside assistant head coach Carla Morrow who runs game planning. That’s during practices and games, but it stretches far beyond what fans see on the court.

“I do a lot of different external stuff. I help out with our social media. I help out with our marketing,” said Powell. “But, I also do a lot of recruiting.”

With a mixed bag of things needing to be done each day, Powell’s days are never the same. After going through emails each morning, the focus shifts to practice. After practice, Powell pivots to helping the social media team and going through her list of recruits.

Powell joined Ohio State before the 21/22 season, coming over from an assistant coaching role at one of the largest HBCUs in the nation, Florida A&M. In Powell’s time so far in Columbus, the coach’s work in building relationships with players, parents, and coaches is yielding results.

The 2024 class features many commits who got on the Buckeyes’ radar through Powell. The team’s class so far features 6-foot-4 forward Ella Hobbs (No. 89 in ESPN’s Top-100 2024 recruits), guard Ava Watson (No. 49), forward Sieni Hicks, and 6-foot-6 Finnish center Elsa Lemmilä.

It’s not all Powell, who finds recruits and fosters relationships while bringing head coach Kevin McGuff into the conversations, who has the ultimate final decision-making authority. Powell is careful though in how she recruits. It’s not a text-a-day relationship, pressuring a high schooler into becoming a Buckeye.

“I’m not someone who’s going to text you 20 times throughout the day. I’m a very big believer in kids being kids,” said Powell. “The recruiting period is a transition for everybody. Their families, themselves, and their coaches. A lot of these kids are maybe one of the best players they ever had in their town or their city. So it’s kind of a big transition for everyone involved.”

Powell puts the power in the hands of the recruits and key stakeholders like parents and coaches. After establishing how everyone wants to communicate when Powell sticks to it and makes sure all other coaches involved know it. It’s a small detail on the surface, but it only scratches the surface of the trust Powell builds with people.

That trust isn’t an ulterior motive to earn a recruit either. For Powell, that trust is authentic to who she is, and it’s what sets the coach apart.
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Ohio State women’s basketball is projected to be the seventh-best team in the country this season.

The Buckeyes are ranked seventh in the preseason AP Top 25 behind LSU, UConn, Iowa, UCLA, Utah and South Carolina.
It’s the highest Ohio State has been ranked in the preseason AP poll since 2017, when the Buckeyes were ranked fifth entering the season.
Ohio State is one of five Big Ten teams in the preseason top 25 along with Iowa (3), Indiana (9), Maryland (14) and Illinois (23).
The Buckeyes are also sixth in the preseason WBCA coaches’ poll behind LSU, UConn, Iowa, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Ohio State enters this year's campaign with aspirations of making a run to the Final Four – which will be played in Cleveland this year – after advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in 30 years last season. While the Buckeyes are replacing leading scorer Taylor Mikesell from last season, they return all of their next seven leading scorers from a year ago, while they also added a trio of notable transfers: Reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year Celeste Taylor (Duke), former Michigan State forward Taiyier Parks and former Kentucky guard Kennedy Cambridge.

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Ohio State Women’s Basketball Ranked Seventh in Preseason AP Top 25, Sixth in Preseason Coaches Poll

Ohio State women’s basketball will begin the year ranked seventh in the AP Top 25 and sixth in the WBCA coaches’ poll after making a run to the Elite Eight last season.
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Looks like the pieces are in place. All it's gonna take is to stir the drink. Do like the article on Coach Powell, hope that is the missing ingredient. She certainly connects with the WBB players, will be watching the sidelines to see if she pulls a kid aside to give her some coaching. Here's hoping that no significant injuries take place. Dorkas have any eligibility left? Go Bucks!
 
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After a 28-8 season with an Elite Eight run, Ohio State women's basketball returns to the hardwood with a championship mindset in 2023-24. The Buckeyes will feature familiar faces (Jacy Sheldon, Taylor Thierry and Cotie McMahon) and some new additions (Celeste Taylor and Taiyier Parks), all while providing Ohio State fans with the same success that has become the standard for a Kevin McGuff-led team. Their season starts in Las Vegas vs. No. 21 USC on Monday at 2 p.m. Here's their trailer:

 
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