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SG Walter Offutt (Asst. BBall Coach Toledo Rockets)

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Bestbuck36;1301482; said:
A bit premature to say that isnt it?!
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I would think so but I did not say it. That was a direct quote from Thad. Going back over Ohio State there have been many excellent perimeter defenders and the #1 guy for me would be Jim Clemens.


Some clarification of Thad's quote about Walter

DZ83CK;1300967; said:
Well, keep in mind that he was talking about potential. I remember Matta saying the exact same thing about David Lighty when he came in, so it's reasonable to expect that Walter's defense will be comparable to David's. Matta also has used the phrase "lockdown defender" to describe Walter.
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Thats sounds great and I hope he lives up to his potential. The best ever though would be, well.... I cant even put words to it.

I dont remember too many outstanding defenders personnally past the mid to late 80's although I'm sure many existed.

My favorite would be in no particular order:

On the perimeter:
Hondo
Jay Burson
Mark Baker
Dennis Hopson

Underneath:
Greg Oden
Perry Carter - intimidator deluxe!
Ken Johnson
Clark Kellogg

I played pick up ball with Jerry Lucas and I'm sure he had some great "tricks" he used underneath but I didnt get to watch him in college. At age 50+ though he still had more skills than most people I watch on tv even today.

If Offutt even garners mention with any of those names above by the time he's gone then we'll all be extremely happy. He certainly looks well put together.
 
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OSU men's basketball: Offutt playing more often, offers options
Freshman overcomes injury, gives defense a depth charge
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

With less than five minutes left in a must-win game on the road, his team down by a point and all eyes on Evan Turner with the ball, freshman Walter Offutt found himself alone on the right wing. And Turner found him.

As an Iowa defender closed, Offutt feinted right on one of his surgically repaired knees and cut left off the other. He got a step on the defender and to the rim through an open lane. He leaped, rolled the ball softly off his right hand and watched it bounce just as softly off the back of the iron and fall through the net.

"Felt good," Offutt said last week, a few days after his only basket, on his only shot, erased Iowa's last lead in a tense game the Ohio State men's basketball team eventually won by two points.

"It felt good to be out there on the court and compete and be with my teammates. They always told me to be ready, and that's what I was."

Offutt, who had reconstructive surgery on his right knee before his sophomore year of high school and on his left knee as a senior, has been deemed ready for a role by coach Thad Matta only in the past few weeks. His arrival has been timely, as he infuses some pep in a faltering defense.

"Walter is a flat-out warrior," Turner said. "I've been pushing for him to play. He's relentless. You should see him in practice. I get excited about playing with him."

Timely, also, that Offutt has cracked the rotation in time to return home to Indianapolis this week for the Big Ten tournament. Ohio State plays Wisconsin in a quarterfinal Friday.

"You don't want to know," Offutt's mother, Darlene, said when asked how many family members would like tickets to Walter's homecoming. "Our family is very huge. I have seven (siblings), and I'm not going to tell you how many nieces and nephews."
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BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : OSU men's basketball: Offutt playing more often, offers options
 
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OSU men's basketball: Offutt provides spark off bench
Sunday, August 30, 2009
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

WINDSOR, Ontario -- One of the weapons Thad Matta wants in his holsters is a sixth man who has an instant impact on a game. He had it with Ron Lewis his second year as Ohio State men's basketball coach and with Daequan Cook his third.

With the starting lineup this season seemingly set, the first two games of a three-game exhibition series in Canada has been an audition for a super sub.

Senior guard P.J. Hill made his case the first night, scoring 18 points in a lopsided win over the University of Windsor.

Last night was Walter Offutt's turn. The sophomore guard, who averaged five minutes and scored 18 points last season, had 14 points and five rebounds in another rout of Windsor, 89-47 in the St. Denis Centre.

William Buford, who would have been the sixth man last season had he not taken injured David Lighty's spot in the starting lineup, led Ohio State with 16 points.

"That's the big thing about being up here and giving guys the minutes," Matta said. "We have rotations going where we're subbing no matter if a guy scores 10 straight points or not. We're trying to get those (substitutes) in situations where they're kind of forced to make plays, and hopefully they can gain a little confidence out of this."

Offutt's confidence spiked when he made two three-pointers and a three-point play off an offensive rebound in the last 3:26 of the second quarter. It helped the Buckeyes expand a 27-21 lead to 47-25 at halftime.

"Obviously when you hit your first shot, you're feeling good," Offutt said. "Then the second one falls, it feels better. After that, it just builds."

Offutt, who had major surgery on each knee in high school, as a sophomore and a senior, started out behind his teammates last season and did not catch up until late.

"It takes time," Matta said, "especially when you're jumping levels, and to his credit, he's done a great job of sticking to the plan and working on his game. I think he's starting to get his confidence back. I think Walt has learned the value of hard work and that it brings production on the floor."

Offutt said the coaches and his teammates pushed him during the offseason "to work hard and do what I'm supposed to do. The consistency of working hard and doing what I'm supposed to do is elevating my jump shot right now, and I'm really knocking down shots in practice. In this game, I got open looks and I knocked them down."
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BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Ohio State basketball: Offutt provides spark off bench
 
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buckeyes_rock;1604412; said:
That's too bad. I know it's just a numbers game, but I really liked Offutts energy and leaping ability. Best of luck to him and hope he finds a good fit somewhere.
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Wow. I thought he would get some minutes this year. Especially later in the year to give our guards some much needed breaks. Diebs and Turner are playing crazy minutes.

JW, whats the "elevator" comment about?
 
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lord vegas;1604417; said:
Wow. I thought he would get some minutes this year. Especially later in the year to give our guards some much needed breaks. Diebs and Turner are playing crazy minutes.

JW, whats the "elevator" comment about?
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Simmons was getting quite a few minutes at the #2 spot and I think Turner and JD will continue to see extensive minutes. will be sort of interesting to see how much playing time, if any, Walter will see against the weaker opponents that we play in the next couple weeks.

Anyhow, good luck to him. I imagine he will probably transfer to a lower division school so that he can play right away.
 
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