ThomasCostello
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Thierry, Gray, McMahon bring years of history together to Ohio State’s lineup
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Ohio State University Athletic Department
The experience of a trio of the current group of Buckeyes goes back to before their time in scarlet and gray.
On Sunday, Ohio State women’s basketball took on a ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, a team chock full of experience. Starting with five seniors, and three graduate-level players, the Illini had a clear experience gap over the Buckeyes. After all, head coach Kevin McGuff has a starting lineup with two returns, two transfers, and a freshman playing her first NCAA games.
The Scarlet and Gray pulled away in a nine-point victory that wasn’t close from the start of the second quarter through the final buzzer. How can a team that is just learning each other’s tendencies, playing in their eighth competitive game together, beat the Fighting Illini who probably know their teammates' moves in their sleep?
Ohio State’s experience goes deeper than just their time as college athletes.
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Sports City U on Twitter | @SportsCityU_AAU
There are a few familiar faces in this photo, taken of the Sports City AAU squad. Before swapping high school jerseys for collegiate threads, Buckeyes Cotie McMahon, Taylor Thierry, and Chance Gray succeeded on the AAU level.
In the world of AAU basketball, it’s no surprise that three aspiring college players from across Ohio crossed paths, even if they’re from different areas of the Buckeye State. Thierry from Cleveland, McMahon from Centerville, and Gray from Cincinnati traveled and competed together on the amateur level.
When Thierry left for Ohio State, the duo of Gray and McMahon kept competing together until they went their separate ways. Gray, along with fellow AAU teammate Grace Van Slooten, left for the West Coast and the Oregon Ducks.
McMahon and Thierry reunited in Columbus only a few months after Thierry’s freshman season, with McMahon enrolling early at the university. The chemistry built by McMahon and Thierry over two seasons is clear. In two years, starting every game together, the pair each played seasons that warranted All-Big Ten team honors and a run to the Elite Eight in 2023.
That streak of starting every game together ended this season, when McMahon went on the injury report for four games, but that brief stint ended Sunday.
Against Illinois, it didn’t look like the Buckeyes were the fresh-faced underdogs. Despite playing four times against Ohio State over the past three seasons, the Illini continued to struggle against McGuff’s havoc-inducing press. Ohio State forced 19 turnovers, turning into 30 points.
The trio of Thierry, McMahon, and Gray each excelled in their own ways. McMahon was the star of the show, scoring 25 points with five rebounds and three assists (two going to Thierry and Gray).
Thierry was the quiet foundation, with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including going 66 percent from beyond the arc, a skill she's added to her in-game repertoire this season.
For Gray, it was offensive firepower when the Buckeyes needed it most. In the second quarter, when the Illini scored seven of the first nine points of the quarter, taking a three-point lead. Their last lead of the game, thanks in part to Gray who returned the favor by scoring seven of the next nine points herself, starting an 11-point Buckeyes run.
Their performances are the fruits of labor from years of playing alongside each other, despite a two-year gap for Gray and the Buckeyes’ duo.
“I think it is so nice to be playing with each other,” said McMahon, sarcastically, about reuniting with Gray at Ohio State. “No, but seriously, we have that relationship where if she needs to, she can tell me to just get my shit together straight up.”
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Sports City U on Twitter | @SportsCityU_AAU
With the talk of losing senior guards like Jacy Sheldon and Rikki Harris, and the chemistry they built in the program over five years, McMahon, Gray, and Thierry are upperclassmen who’ve brought their own style to the team. A style that’s still ending with success on the court, but the importance of their relationship stretches beyond what fans see in the Schottenstein Center or on television.
“And then also she’s just there for me in a lot of areas outside of basketball too, so that really helps,” said McMahon.
Also, despite the time away, neither think it's any different playing together now than when they spent time together In the AAU world. Well, it’s almost the same.
“I think she got better and it’s helping us and I love it,” said McMahon about Gray, who went to Oregon as a McDonald’s All-American before leaving for Ohio State this summer.
Ohio State fans are loving Gray’s addition too, watching the program get off to an 8-0 record. A perfect start to the season where the trio accounts for 51 percent of the team’s scoring.
It’s a run fostered through relationships built years before seeing the final product on the court this season.
“We talk to each other a lot about the game and adjustments we need to tell to our team and just different ways to play,” said Gray. “Obviously, she’s been here, she’s established a winning program and I just want to be a part of that and help in any way I can.”
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University Athletic Department
The experience of a trio of the current group of Buckeyes goes back to before their time in scarlet and gray.
On Sunday, Ohio State women’s basketball took on a ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, a team chock full of experience. Starting with five seniors, and three graduate-level players, the Illini had a clear experience gap over the Buckeyes. After all, head coach Kevin McGuff has a starting lineup with two returns, two transfers, and a freshman playing her first NCAA games.
The Scarlet and Gray pulled away in a nine-point victory that wasn’t close from the start of the second quarter through the final buzzer. How can a team that is just learning each other’s tendencies, playing in their eighth competitive game together, beat the Fighting Illini who probably know their teammates' moves in their sleep?
Ohio State’s experience goes deeper than just their time as college athletes.
There are a few familiar faces in this photo, taken of the Sports City AAU squad. Before swapping high school jerseys for collegiate threads, Buckeyes Cotie McMahon, Taylor Thierry, and Chance Gray succeeded on the AAU level.
In the world of AAU basketball, it’s no surprise that three aspiring college players from across Ohio crossed paths, even if they’re from different areas of the Buckeye State. Thierry from Cleveland, McMahon from Centerville, and Gray from Cincinnati traveled and competed together on the amateur level.
When Thierry left for Ohio State, the duo of Gray and McMahon kept competing together until they went their separate ways. Gray, along with fellow AAU teammate Grace Van Slooten, left for the West Coast and the Oregon Ducks.
McMahon and Thierry reunited in Columbus only a few months after Thierry’s freshman season, with McMahon enrolling early at the university. The chemistry built by McMahon and Thierry over two seasons is clear. In two years, starting every game together, the pair each played seasons that warranted All-Big Ten team honors and a run to the Elite Eight in 2023.
That streak of starting every game together ended this season, when McMahon went on the injury report for four games, but that brief stint ended Sunday.
Against Illinois, it didn’t look like the Buckeyes were the fresh-faced underdogs. Despite playing four times against Ohio State over the past three seasons, the Illini continued to struggle against McGuff’s havoc-inducing press. Ohio State forced 19 turnovers, turning into 30 points.
The trio of Thierry, McMahon, and Gray each excelled in their own ways. McMahon was the star of the show, scoring 25 points with five rebounds and three assists (two going to Thierry and Gray).
Thierry was the quiet foundation, with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including going 66 percent from beyond the arc, a skill she's added to her in-game repertoire this season.
For Gray, it was offensive firepower when the Buckeyes needed it most. In the second quarter, when the Illini scored seven of the first nine points of the quarter, taking a three-point lead. Their last lead of the game, thanks in part to Gray who returned the favor by scoring seven of the next nine points herself, starting an 11-point Buckeyes run.
Their performances are the fruits of labor from years of playing alongside each other, despite a two-year gap for Gray and the Buckeyes’ duo.
“I think it is so nice to be playing with each other,” said McMahon, sarcastically, about reuniting with Gray at Ohio State. “No, but seriously, we have that relationship where if she needs to, she can tell me to just get my shit together straight up.”
With the talk of losing senior guards like Jacy Sheldon and Rikki Harris, and the chemistry they built in the program over five years, McMahon, Gray, and Thierry are upperclassmen who’ve brought their own style to the team. A style that’s still ending with success on the court, but the importance of their relationship stretches beyond what fans see in the Schottenstein Center or on television.
“And then also she’s just there for me in a lot of areas outside of basketball too, so that really helps,” said McMahon.
Also, despite the time away, neither think it's any different playing together now than when they spent time together In the AAU world. Well, it’s almost the same.
“I think she got better and it’s helping us and I love it,” said McMahon about Gray, who went to Oregon as a McDonald’s All-American before leaving for Ohio State this summer.
Ohio State fans are loving Gray’s addition too, watching the program get off to an 8-0 record. A perfect start to the season where the trio accounts for 51 percent of the team’s scoring.
It’s a run fostered through relationships built years before seeing the final product on the court this season.
“We talk to each other a lot about the game and adjustments we need to tell to our team and just different ways to play,” said Gray. “Obviously, she’s been here, she’s established a winning program and I just want to be a part of that and help in any way I can.”
Continue reading...