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

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William Buford, 6-4, Junior, Shooting Guard, Ohio State
14.4 Points, 5.6 Rebounds, 3.1 Assists, 1.8 Turnovers, 1.1 Steals, 43.8% FG, 38.3% 3FG, 75.4% FT

Matt Kamalsky

William Buford built on a strong freshman season with a solid sophomore campaign, clearly benefitting from the emergence of Evan Turner and improving his production across the board. With Turner moving on and a highly touted freshman class headed to Columbus, this season will be a pivotal one for Buford's draft stock. With limited experience and depth at the point guard position, Buford will have ample opportunity to be more aggressive, showcase aspects of his game that we haven't seen in the past, and solidify himself as a top shooting guard at the college level.

The name of the game for Buford this season is versatility. He's spent his first two seasons at the college level relying heavily on his jumper and his teammates to create offense for him. According to Synergy Sports Technology, nearly 75% of his shot attempts are jump shots and only 10% of his possessions came in isolation and pick and roll situations. He's a proven catch and shoot threat with solid range, works off of screens well, and understands spacing, but isn't an overly efficient scorer because of his limitations off the dribble. Buford will have the chance to overcome those perceptions this fall and expand his appeal to NBA teams in the process.

The former McDonald's All-American has never had to create for himself regularly at OSU. When he had the opportunity to do so last season, the results weren't great, especially from the midrange. He connected on just 33% of his pull up jumpers, down from the 42% mark he recorded as a freshman. While he took a step back in that regard, he did compensate by running the floor hard in transition, finishing at a higher rate around the rim, and getting to the line more frequently. It will be interesting to see how Buford fares next season without Evan Turner creating for him off the dribble, as his ability to create separation from the midrange and generate opportunities around the rim and from the free throw line will be put under the microscope.

Buford doesn't have great size or explosiveness, but he's a solid athlete and while he did a marginally better job attacking and creating contact in the lane last season, he'll need to improve his ball handling and assume some shot creating responsibilities to become a more complete threat offensively. His ability to pass the ball and stretch the floor would be an asset to an NBA franchise with a point guard that can draw defenders and other slashers on their roster, but his utility would grow tremendously if he was more dynamic off the dribble.

On the defensive end, Buford has some nice moments, showing a solid activity level and not taking too many risks in Ohio Sate's zone, but will be forced to make some adjustments on the next level. Considering his lack of great lateral quickness, it will be interesting to see how he transitions from a zone-oriented system to one that forces him to defend one-on-one without help waiting behind him.

This season presents a chance for Buford to work on his weaknesses, exploit a perfect situation to expand his repertoire, and help his team simultaneously. As it stands, he has some nice buzz around him, especially after earning a spot with the USA Select Team this summer, but a season of stagnation would only legitimize concerns that he projects primarily as a backup (at best) on the next level. Buford made incremental improvements last season, and 2011 will be his chance to make big strides towards becoming a complete player.
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From DraftExpress.com DraftExpress: Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big Ten, Part Two (#6-10)
DraftExpress - NBA Draft, NCAA/International Basketball Website.
 
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Buford Among Top 50 Wooden Award Candidates
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Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
William Buford is the top returning scorer for the Buckeyes. He averaged 14.4 points a game a season ago as a sophomore.
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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...3&SPID=10421&ATCLID=205006162&DB_OEM_ID=17300
 
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HilmerJ;1791916; said:
I bet he could be a big time scorer, more than Turner, but he wont need to rebound as much because of Big Sully
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might average 20 + on another team but this team already has quite a few scorers and with regard to the comparison WB won't have the ball in his hands as much as ET did because he won't be playing the point.
 
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It will be interesting to watch how Buford adjusts his game with a different PG. ET was such a huge presence on the court, WB didn't have to create his own chances very often. I'd like to see him break for the net more often, and be generally more assertive when he has the ball. Diebs needs to be fed the ball, and Lighty can drive at any time, so if WB wants the ball, he'll need to show he can square up on defenders and produce points. Skill-wise, he should be embarrassing defenders. He just needs to commit to his moves, and be stronger on the dribble.
 
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Article published October 15, 2010
Ohio State's Buford assuming a leadership role
Libbey grad takes on scoring load
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

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William Buford will be Ohio State?s top offensive weapon after national player of the year Evan Turner left early for the NBA.
( ASSOCIATED PRESS )

COLUMBUS ? There has been one big change for the Ohio State Buckeyes basketball team since last season ? the departure of national player of the year Evan Turner for the NBA.

It?s been tough, but the Buckeyes have adjusted, according to junior William Buford, who is now in a lead scoring role after playing a very sound second fiddle to Turner last season as Ohio State advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and posted a 29-8 record.

Buford started all 37 of those games and with his 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game averages he is the leading scorer and rebounder among the six returning players for the Buckeyes.

?Evan did a lot for this team, and it?s still in the back of my mind that Evan?s gone, but it?s not something that puts a lot of pressure on me,? Buford said Thursday as the Buckeyes prepared for the start of practice today.

?I don?t think it?s a problem ? I?ll just do what I have to do. In my role, I want to be more of a leader, and scoring is not a problem.?
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http://toledoblade.com/article/20101015/SPORTS16/101019741
 
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Buford Embraces Spotlight

October 19, 2010
In a little over two weeks, the Ohio State men?s basketball team will be taking the court against Walsh University in an exhibition that will serve as the Buckeyes first venture without last season?s national player of the year, Evan Turner.

With four returning starters and the country?s top-ranked recruiting class there are no doubts about the talent this team has going into the 2010-11 season.

Though the question still remains: Who will fill the spotlight left behind by Turner?

All signs point to junior guard William Buford.

Buford is the team?s top returning scorer, averaging 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season, and seems poised to take his game to the next level by having the best season of his career.

Senior guard David Lighty praised the growth in both Buford?s all-around game and leadership abilities at last week?s team media day.

?He?s come a long way since his freshman year here,? said Lighty. ?I see a lot of progression, a lot of leadership coming out of him; he?s been more active and more vocal on and off the court.?
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http://sportsrappup.com/sections/stories/10-10-19/Buford_Embraces_Spotlight.aspx
 
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LitlBuck;1791920; said:
might average 20 + on another team but this team already has quite a few scorers and with regard to the comparison WB won't have the ball in his hands as much as ET did because he won't be playing the point.
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This doesn't mean that he won't be the focal point of the offense. He's a highly skilled player and if his ballhandling has gone to the next level he's going to give defenders fits as they decide whether to play off a little and give up that smooth jumper or crowd him and chance getting beat off the dribble. JMHO, of course.
 
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Can William Buford fill Evan Turner?s shoes?
By Travis Kozek
[email protected]
Published: Monday, October 25, 2010

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Austin Owens / The Lantern

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As the final buzzer sounded, cementing a devastating loss to Tennessee in last year's Sweet Sixteen, the No. 2-seeded Ohio State men's basketball team somberly walked off the floor at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo.

The defeat left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Buckeyes. That low moment for the team might have been the motivation guard William Buford needed.

The disappointment has driven Buford to fuel his desire to elevate himself to the next level as a basketball player.

Owning such titles as Ohio's Mr. Basketball in 2008, 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 2010 Third Team All-Big Ten honoree, Buford's ability on the court has rarely been questioned.

He has always been able to shoot the ball with consistency, averaging double digits in scoring during his OSU career.

"I have been scoring all my life, that's just what I do, basically," Buford said at media day on Oct. 14.

The 2010-11 version of OSU will feature a new-and-improved Buford.

Now in his third year, he is a veteran and has been thrust into uncharted waters as a young team looks to its top returning scorer for leadership.

Though he was content to play second fiddle during his first two years, Buford has embraced his newfound role as a leader.

"When I came back, I just had a different mindset," Buford said. "Last year, we had a veteran team, so I really didn't think too much. We had the best player in the country. I was just taking a backseat, basically. But this year, I am just trying to be more vocal and help the young guys."
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http://www.thelantern.com/sports/can-william-buford-fill-evan-turner-s-shoes-1.1726174
 
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Coach Thad Matta said after the game that he expects that William Buford will be back in the lineup when the Buckeyes play Miami University at 4 p.m. Friday in Value City Arena.

Buford suffered back muscle spasms after the game against North Carolina Wilmington on Saturday night and was held out last night as a precaution.

"He felt better today, and we were kind of hoping he would go," Matta said. "Had it been the last game of the season, he would have played. But we were trying to think long-term and getting him healthy.

"We had him worked on Sunday and yesterday. Yesterday, he couldn?t move real well, but he came in today and he was telling me, 'Coach, I can play.' Which they all say on game day."

Matta said Buford also had back spasms early last season but did not miss a game and was fine after sitting out three days of practice.
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http://blog.dispatch.com/hoopsscoops/2010/11/postgame_notes_morehead_state_1.shtml
 
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Some props for WB:bow:
William Buford's 17 points made him the 47th player in the history of the program to reach 1,000 points (he has 1,003) and he did it nine games into his junior season.

"It?s one of those things (that) you really have to take a deep breath and think about it," Matta said. "It really puts a guy into an elite crowd."
Diebler (1,187) and David Lighty (1,117) joined the crowd late last season as juniors.

"It?s a heck of an honor to coach those guys," Matta said.

Evan Turner also passed 1,000 points last season and finished with 1,517, which ranks 15th in school history. The record is 2,096 by Dennis Hopson.
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http://blog.dispatch.com/hoopsscoops/2010/12/postgame_florida_gulf_coast_1.shtml#more
 
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