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

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I think they're really going to miss Taylor Thierry. Where's the athleticism needed to run the press and rebound? To his credit, McGuff saved himself once by going to a system that gave his team an identity, but I think that system has gotten a bit stale and I'm unconvinced that the Buckeyes have the length or athleticism to run it very well.

It will be interesting to see how Cotie McMahon develops physically and in terms of consistency of aggression at Ole Miss. If she gets in much better shape there and become a true superstar who focuses harder on the dirty work she's born to do instead of hanging out on the perimeter, which I think will happen, and OSU struggles, which I also think will happen, I think it will say a lot about what most of us already suspect in terms of McGuff's inability to develop players (at least medium to large -sized ones) and it will be time to move on from him.
 
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I'll go a step further about tOSU. Don't believe that there's the athleticness (a word?) to perform the press that has been a staple of the Buckeyes from the past. And if I'm a tad wrong here, it won't be as effective, which was worth 12-20 points via turnovers. Taylor was my favorite, even during the Jacy days, as she looked to do what was missing, whether getting a rebound, putting up a baseline jumper, or blocking a shot. Very much a jack-of-all-trades, or maybe the glue of those teams. Saw her at the end of the bench at Atlanta, but never in the game. Hope she gets a chance, maybe with an expansion team. Also don't believe Cotie can 'hulk up' much more, as she already carries alot of muscle. But yeah, hope she does well. The Buckeyes cannot just put up 3-balls from the perimeter and expect to win many games. Will be excited to see how the bigs on this team play, as McGuff's proclivity is predominantly guard play. PS, anyone know who is assigned to coach the bigs? During time-outs, never see any assistant coach run toward players with some sideline coaching, but know that there's one or more who coach them during the week. Go Bucks!
 
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What to Expect​

Gray is not going to sit on the perimeter too long this season. While the guard’s shown that she can hit shots, Gray is better when there is space to be flexible.
Expect Ohio State to use Gray in a hybrid role of shooting guard and point guard. At media day, both point guard Jaloni Cambridge and McGuff mentioned Gray bringing the ball up the court more often. Gray will ease the pressure on Cambridge, allowing the sophomore guard to be creative in how she leverages her speed in the offense while Gray patrols the floor and finds better options for the Buckeye offense.
Also, McGuff brought in reinforcement from deep with last year’s top ACC shooter, T’Yana Todd, and the freshmen duo of Dasha Biriuk and Bryn Martin. That is on top of returning guard Ava Watson, who showed her deep shooting aptitude before sustaining an ankle injury in the second half of the season.

Prediction​

Instead of Gray doing her best Mikesell impression from deep, this season’s shooting from beyond the arc will look more like the Jacy Sheldon/Celeste Taylor combo in 23-24. That season, both took fewer than 200 shots but made life more difficult for defenders in knowing who was going to attack from three-point range.
Also, Gray will look more like the guard at Oregon who got to the free-throw line more often, found teammates in the offense, and had a career high of 13.9 points per game. In 22-23, Gray led the Ducks with 3.0 assists per game, connecting often with fellow Ohioan turned Big Ten player Grace Vanslooten.
A more offensively diverse game for Gray means more questions for opposing defenses. Gray can pull in a defender from deep when shots are falling, which gives Cambridge an option from the point. When Cambridge moves into a shooting guard role, Gray can wait for Cambridge to develop plays or get the ball down low to an improved paint game with center Elsa Lemmilä and transfer Kylee Kitts.
“I’m excited to be able to attack, get to my mid range again, get to my spot. It’s where I’m comfortable at,” said Gray.
 
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