SF William Buford - 4 BTT Title Games, most Buckeye starts (Virtus Roma - Italy)

[BuckTwenty]

Expecting big things from Willy-B this year. With teams trying to double Turner, should make lots of open room for Buford, Diebler, & Lighty to hit open looks. He should be averaging at least 12 points per night this year. I just hope he can get to the line more often this year and play a little bit more physically on both offense and defense. If he can put it all together, he'll be the next 1st round pick for the Bucks under Matta after Turner.

 

[LitlBuck]

Expecting big things from Willy-B this year. With teams trying to double Turner, should make lots of open room for Buford, Diebler, & Lighty to hit open looks. He should be averaging at least 12 points per night this year. I just hope he can get to the line more often this year and play a little bit more physically on both offense and defense. If he can put it all together, he'll be the next 1st round pick for the Bucks under Matta after Turner.

You should not talk like that about WB Well I guess you can as long as he stays here for at least three(hopefully 4) years.

 

[LitlBuck]

- William Buford, on passing up an open shot in the corner in the second half and instead driving the baseline to the basket:

"I saw the open hole. I thought I was going to get a dunk, but the man came over so I just had to flick it up there and it went in.

"I?ve been trying to get to the free throw line more this year. That?s been one of my goals."

- Matta on Buford:

"The thing I was most pleased with with William was his defense in the second half. I told him when he was done tonight, as a freshman last year, he would lose interest in a game like that. You could see him kind of gritting his teeth (tonight) and getting in a stance, and that?s a huge step for him.

"It?d be great (if he does that every game) because it gives us another defender and it gives us another scorer on the offensive end. Last year, his conditioning and his strength probably weren?t where they needed to be, and credit to him, he did a heck of a job as a freshman. But I think he?s a much improved player because of the strength and conditioning and just understanding (the game)."

Postgame comments after win over Walsh (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[generaladm]

Anyone else notice that Buford is fading back on his jump shots a lot, even when the defender doesn't really have a chance to block? When he does it, he also leans to his left a little bit (at least from the right wing). I think that might be the root of his recent cold streak, he's not squared up and he's off-balance. When he has his mechanics working, his release and trajectory are high enough that he really doesn't have to worry about blocks, unless he's at a height disadvantage. I'm guessing it's just a mental thing he's going thru, but if he would shoot with more confidence he would at least challenge the defender to make a clean play or send him to the line. Strange to see such a pure shooter struggle like that (I realize it's only been a couple of games). He'll get back on track, and with Simmons coming on, this team's gonna have a lot of firepower from the perimeter.

 

[mendensa]

I agree. I have noticed a lot of the same things. It does seem as if he is playing harder/better on the defensive end of the floor this year. He could rely on talent alone in HS and could get by taking plays off and not playing as hard on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe he's learned that Matta won't settle for that and improving his defense is going to make him a more complete player. Maybe that increased effort on the defensive end has contributed to some of his poor shooting??? His defense surely wasn't spectacular as a frosh last year so I guess that is my positive spin on things.

I've also noticed some inconsistency w/ his jumper such as fading away (already mentioned), fading to the side (already mentioned), and trajectory/arc of his shot. Dequan went through a similiar funk his freshman year. His jumper came out flat where as Buford looks to be putting too much arc even when he has an uncontested shot. It doesn't appear that he has any confidence in his shot right now, but yet he continues to fire up 18-21 footers instead of putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the hole and seeing if he can get to the line. We saw the same thing from Diebler the last couple of years where he expected to hit every shot, was struggling to hit the jumper, but yet was reluctant to put it on the floor. You could see the pressure mounting w/ every 3-pointer that didn't go down. I see the same type of thing going on w/ Buford. His body language tells the whole story. Only he wears that frustration on his sleeve more so than Diebler ever has.

I think shot selection; not taking shots within the framework of the offense and clock/game management are my biggest concerns (i.e. last 20 seconds of the first half of the UNC game). I know there were other points of that game that cost them the "W" but that 5 point momentum swing @ the end of the half could have easily been avoided and ended up being the difference in the game. He settles for far too many contested 18 foot jump shots that he could get @ anytime during the shot clock and continues to play too much one-on-one basketball. The staff runs a lot of the "set shot" plays off of Diebler coming off screens so Buford needs to try creating his own scoring opportunites by putting it on the floor. jmho as an observer

 

[Buckskin86]

OSU men's basketball: Diebler relates with cold-shooting Buford
Saturday, December 5, 2009
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Jon Diebler was talking yesterday about making seemingly every shot he takes lately. Meanwhile, on the other side of a set of double doors in the Schottenstein Center, William Buford stood talking to someone else.

The irony was unmistakable.

Diebler has been on the other side of those doors. He may be again. And he's told his younger teammate not to let it get to him, because it did get to Diebler.

"I've been there," he said, "and from experience, the thing you don't want to start doing is thinking about it to the point where it just drives you crazy, because that's what I did."

Two years ago, Diebler arrived at Ohio State after breaking Ohio's high school scoring record. He proceeded to miss 31 of 35 shots from the field in his first five games, and he finished his freshman season shooting 30.4 percent.

Even last season, while improving his percentage, Diebler endured peaks and valleys.

Buford didn't have a freshman flameout. He was Ohio's Mr. Basketball in 2008 and the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year last season. He averaged 11.3 points, shot 44.8 percent from the field and had fans wondering whether he might explore his NBA draft options. He did not, choosing to return and round out his game.

Seven games into the season, however, Buford is looking for his meal ticket, mired in a shooting slump that seems inconceivable for one with his smooth stroke.

After making 13 of 25 shots (52 percent) in the Buckeyes' first two games, he is 14 of 55 (25.5) in the five since. After raising hopes last Saturday with a better performance against St. Francis (Pa.), he was 1 of 12 against Florida State on Wednesday.

OSU men's basketball: Diebler relates with cold-shooting Buford | BuckeyeXtra

 

[LitlBuck]

WB is too good of a shooter to go through a prolonged slump. I saw signs of him coming out of it yesterday. Hopefully, the extended minutes that he will have to play will not hurt his shooting but of all the guys on the team I worry about him getting fatigued as the season goes on.

 

[Bestbuck36]

Time to step it up young man. This game against Butler is going to say alot about WB's Sophomore season. He's going to be asked to be the second scorer while Turner's out and teams will start to play tighter on Diebs. We need ya big boy.

 

[LitlBuck]

Time to step it up young man. This game against Butler is going to say alot about WB's Sophomore season. He's going to be asked to be the second scorer while Turner's out and teams will start to play tighter on Diebs. We need ya big boy.

I think that WB heard you because he certainly did step it up yesterday. Actually, it was just the fact that his shot started to fall and he was a little more aggressive on the offense.

 

[LitlBuck]

OSU men's basketball: Now, it's Buford's turn to step up
As Turner did last year, sophomore fills void left by injury
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 3:15 AM
By Bob Baptist

Last year, when David Lighty was injured and lost for the season, Turner, a sophomore, stepped up to fill the void -- and then some. Turner's misfortune this year has provided a similar opportunity, and sophomore William Buford looks willing to grab it.

Mired in a shooting slump for much of the three weeks before Turner was injured, Buford has taken advantage of Turner's absence to broaden his game. He had 16 points and a career-high 10 assists against Eastern Michigan and season highs of 20 points and seven rebounds in a loss at Butler on Saturday.

The Buckeyes play their second full game without Turner tonight against Presbyterian in Value City Arena.

"He's maturing, he's growing," Matta said yesterday of Buford. "Will has a pretty high basketball IQ, and I honestly believe the game's slowing down for him a little bit more, and he's waiting and letting things develop, which is the sign of a great player."

Buford, who was Ohio Mr. Basketball as a senior at Toledo Libbey High School, came to Ohio State with a smooth jump shot. Earlier this season, he appeared to be relying on it too much and forcing it at times.
Saturday, only one of his 12 field-goal attempts was a three. His aggressiveness off the dribble, meanwhile, got him to the line for a career-high seven free throws, and he made six.

"It was funny," Matta said. "I was watching film (of the game) with him and he said, 'I didn't know what I was doing on that one. I ran the wrong play.' And I said, 'Well, we'll put it in because it turned out pretty good.' "
Ironically, Buford suffered muscle spasms in his back during practice two days before the Butler game and was not certain of playing until shortly before tipoff.

"I've been getting a lot of treatment on it, and it's pretty good right now," he said yesterday. "During the game, I didn't really feel it because I really wasn't thinking about it."

Bob Baptists

OSU men's basketball: Now, it's Buford's turn to step up | BuckeyeXtra

 

[fourteenandoh]

I would like some opinions on WB's 13rebs and 16pts yesterday against the scummers. It was a tale of two games for him, IMO.

I think I spent the first 25 minutes of that game pulling my hair out watching him. He takes some wild shots, refuses to pass and gets completely lost on defense sometimes. Then, out of nowhere, he plays like the best player on our team. He passes, he takes good shots and he plays great defense. Once he learns to be a little more patient and consistent, he can average 20 points.

 

[LitlBuck]

I would like some opinions on WB's 13rebs and 16pts yesterday against the scummers. It was a tale of two games for him, IMO.

I think I spent the first 25 minutes of that game pulling my hair out watching him. He takes some wild shots, refuses to pass and gets completely lost on defense sometimes. Then, out of nowhere, he plays like the best player on our team. He passes, he takes good shots and he plays great defense. Once he learns to be a little more patient and consistent, he can average 20 points.

I totally agree with you that the one thing that WB does lack is consistency but he also really needs to improve his ball handling skills so he can take guys off of the dribble. It is very nice to see him get active on the boards with his rebounding and regarding his defense he proudly didn't have to play much defense when he was in high school. He will only get better.

Once he stopped rushing his shot and just played, Buford had a double-double without a turnover in the second half against Michigan and finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...sider_05_ART_01-05-10_C4_V3G70A0.html?sid=101

 

[Buckskin86]

Article published January 22, 2010
Ohio State's Buford a new man
Libbey grad expands role with Buckeyes
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

William Buford is averaging 13.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Buckeyes this season.
( BLADE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION )

COLUMBUS - While leading Libbey on a terrific four-year run that ended with an appearance in the Division II state championship game, William Buford was called on to do primarily one job, and do it better than anyone else.

He was a strong rebounder who could also set up his teammates, but above all else, the Cowboys needed Buford to score. And score and score and score.

And he did.

The 6-foot-5 Buford averaged 23 points per game as a senior and was honored as the top player in the state with the Mr. Basketball award. He had averaged 28 points per game as a junior at Libbey.

The three-time City League player of the year had 29 points in that state title game his senior year, which ended in a 70-69 loss to Chillicothe, but he gave everyone here at Ohio State's Value City Arena a preview of coming attractions.

Buford joined the Buckeyes in the fall of 2008 and started the process of morphing into a more complete player. That progression was accelerated when junior David Lighty, Ohio State's most experienced player, broke his foot and missed 26 games last season.

"With the injury to David, we asked William to do quite a bit as a freshman and to play a lot more minutes than he might have originally expected," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "And William really responded. He gave us everything we asked for because that's the kind of player he is."

toledoblade.com --

 

[bkochmc]

I'm happy to see Buford's rebounding has picked up since the beginning of Big Ten play. Before the Big Ten season started he averaged 3.8 rebounds/game... since the first Wisconsin game he's averaged 7.4 rebounds/game. He's got the build and the explosiveness to potentially average a double-double next year if he keeps up the aggressiveness on the boards.

 

[Buckskin86]

It's a breakout season for Buford
Sophomore becomes more complete player
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

In the huddle at Iowa a week ago, with Evan Turner having picked up his third foul trying to defend a sprite of a point guard named Cully Payne, one of the quietest players on the Ohio State men's basketball team piped up and volunteered to take the load off Turner.

"Coach, you've got to let me guard him," said William Buford, taking another step in his development into a complete player.

Coach Thad Matta smiled yesterday when asked if he would have assigned Buford to such a dangerous playmaker last year.

"Last year," Matta said, "he thought 'de fence' was what keeps the dog in contain."

As much as this may be a player-of-the-year season for Turner, it has been a breakthrough one for Buford and maybe just an appetizer for next year, if Turner leaves early for the NBA and Buford becomes the Buckeyes' featured player.

Thrust into a starting role as a freshman by David Lighty's injury last season, Buford averaged 11.3 points and was voted Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Forced to play a larger role earlier this season by Turner's back injury, he has produced big numbers across the board heading into a game against Penn State tonight in Value City Arena.

"I really tried to pick up every part of my game because I knew he was a real big key to our team," Buford said.

It's a breakout season for Buford | BuckeyeXtra