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Women’s Basketball Preview Part 2: Underclassmen
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Even though football season is still in full swing, basketball season is right around the corner. Hopefully you have been enjoying our series of previews for the Ohio State men’s basketball team and today we take a look at the women’s team. The OSU women’s basketball team took big steps last year in their second year under head coach Kevin McGuff, falling just short to eventual Final Four participant Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament championship game and just missing out on a trip to the Sweet 16 despite being very short handed due to injuries. This year hopes are high for the Buckeyes who open the season ranked 6th in the AP Poll and 10th in the Coaches Poll.
The Buckeyes already played their one exhibition game, defeating Ursuline College 113-61. The Buckeyes shot 55% from the floor while holding the Arrows to 35% and forcing 33 turnovers which they turned into 46 points; OSU only committed 13 turnovers themselves. Seven Buckeyes scored in double figures, led by Ameryst Alston with 17 points; Kelsey Mitchell added 15, Alexa Hart scored 14, Kianna Holland and Asia Doss scored 12, Kaylah Pugh had 11, and Shayla Cooper had 10. The Buckeyes get the regular season underway on Friday, November 13 when they travel to take on Final Four participant South Carolina.
This is the second of our two previews of the women’s basketball team and will focus on the returning sophomores and new freshmen on the Ohio State roster; our other preview focused on the upperclassmen. This is a fairly young team overall with only 2 seniors and four juniors on it but is loaded with a total of nine underclassmen, four sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen. Let’s get going with the heart and soul of the team.
Our @Kelz_Hoop was named one of the Top-5 players in the country by @espnW LIST: https://t.co/jLa2wa2I6j #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/fEF82zdYI9
— OSU W Basketball (@OhioState_WBB) November 6, 2015
Super Sophomore guard Kelsey Mitchell returns for her second season leading the Ohio State offensive attack. She was in the running for POTY honors in the conference and nationally. She played and started all 35 games and set a total of 29 single-season or single-game records. Was the first freshman to ever lead the country in scoring at 24.9 ppg. Scored a school and B1G record 873 points on the year. Set two NCAA records for three-pointers in single season made with 127 and a single-season record with a three-point field goal in 35 consecutive games.
Her honors included; B1G Co-Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, First Team All-B1G, USBWA and ESPNW National Freshman of the Year, First Team All-American by the USBWA, Second Team All-American by AP, ESPNW and College Sports Madness, Naismith Award semifinalist, John R. Wooden Award National Ballot, Dawn Staley and Nancy Lieberman Award finalist. She led the team with 142 assists and 59 steals with 4.2 rebounds per contest.
Guard Sierra Calhoun will be seeing her first action as a Buckeye after transferring last season from Duke where she was named to the Preseason ACC Newcomer Watch List, Started all 13 non-conference games and was one of the team’s primary ball-handlers.She averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game
Guard Asia Doss will be an important part of the line-up yet again after a freshman season that contruibuted to the success of the team and improved as the season went. Doss played and started all 35 games as a freshman. Made 22 three-pointers, 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds and had a better than 2 to 1 assist to turnover ratio as well as 10 blocks and 40 steals. Doss was a rebounding machine for a guard and grabbed six or more rebounds in 11 games.
.@HoopItUp_34 blocked a school-record 129 shots last year. That's why she's on this list: https://t.co/uEDJvng2Zs pic.twitter.com/AziGUmSXS3
— OSU W Basketball (@OhioState_WBB) November 9, 2015
Forward Alexa Hart probably improved better than any player on Ohio States roster last season and made it imperative she be on the court as much as possible. Hart played in all 35 games while making 32 starts,a veraged 12.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, Blocked an OSU single-season record 129 shots, shot 62.7 percent from the floor, 310 total rebounds, led the team with 13 double-doubles and added 31 steals and 25 assists.Hart had at least one block in all but one game.
The following were lost due to injury last season but should play important roles helping to make Coach McGuff’s bench much deeper and give them the ability to substitute and run like he likes. All were true freshmen in last years class, one of the best classes to ever come to Columbus on the women’s side..
Redshirt freshmen forward Chelsea Mitchell, guard Kianna Holland and forward Makayla Waterman all had high school credebtials to indicate an opportunity to be the deepest and best bench in the country. Their continued good health and talent will go a long ways towards helping this season because they have the practice and experience of the system under their belts now.
True Freshmen center Theresa Ekhelar played for Life Center Academy and led LCA to a 20-13 mark during her senior season, averaging 10.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, 60 percent from the floor as a senior and a McDonalds All-American nominee.
Guard Kaylan Pugh was named the TSSAA Division II Miss Basketball as a senior after averaging 29.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game playing for St. Mary’s Episcopal in Collier TN. Was the leading scorer in the state of Tennessee her senior year and finished her high school career with over 2,700 points.
Ekhelar and Pugh have all of the measurable’s to produce some results and be in the mix early on.
Time will tell if their high school success will translate into Coach McGuff’s system.
The post Women’s Basketball Preview Part 2: Underclassmen appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Even though football season is still in full swing, basketball season is right around the corner. Hopefully you have been enjoying our series of previews for the Ohio State men’s basketball team and today we take a look at the women’s team. The OSU women’s basketball team took big steps last year in their second year under head coach Kevin McGuff, falling just short to eventual Final Four participant Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament championship game and just missing out on a trip to the Sweet 16 despite being very short handed due to injuries. This year hopes are high for the Buckeyes who open the season ranked 6th in the AP Poll and 10th in the Coaches Poll.
The Buckeyes already played their one exhibition game, defeating Ursuline College 113-61. The Buckeyes shot 55% from the floor while holding the Arrows to 35% and forcing 33 turnovers which they turned into 46 points; OSU only committed 13 turnovers themselves. Seven Buckeyes scored in double figures, led by Ameryst Alston with 17 points; Kelsey Mitchell added 15, Alexa Hart scored 14, Kianna Holland and Asia Doss scored 12, Kaylah Pugh had 11, and Shayla Cooper had 10. The Buckeyes get the regular season underway on Friday, November 13 when they travel to take on Final Four participant South Carolina.
This is the second of our two previews of the women’s basketball team and will focus on the returning sophomores and new freshmen on the Ohio State roster; our other preview focused on the upperclassmen. This is a fairly young team overall with only 2 seniors and four juniors on it but is loaded with a total of nine underclassmen, four sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen. Let’s get going with the heart and soul of the team.
Our @Kelz_Hoop was named one of the Top-5 players in the country by @espnW LIST: https://t.co/jLa2wa2I6j #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/fEF82zdYI9
— OSU W Basketball (@OhioState_WBB) November 6, 2015
Super Sophomore guard Kelsey Mitchell returns for her second season leading the Ohio State offensive attack. She was in the running for POTY honors in the conference and nationally. She played and started all 35 games and set a total of 29 single-season or single-game records. Was the first freshman to ever lead the country in scoring at 24.9 ppg. Scored a school and B1G record 873 points on the year. Set two NCAA records for three-pointers in single season made with 127 and a single-season record with a three-point field goal in 35 consecutive games.
Her honors included; B1G Co-Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, First Team All-B1G, USBWA and ESPNW National Freshman of the Year, First Team All-American by the USBWA, Second Team All-American by AP, ESPNW and College Sports Madness, Naismith Award semifinalist, John R. Wooden Award National Ballot, Dawn Staley and Nancy Lieberman Award finalist. She led the team with 142 assists and 59 steals with 4.2 rebounds per contest.
Guard Sierra Calhoun will be seeing her first action as a Buckeye after transferring last season from Duke where she was named to the Preseason ACC Newcomer Watch List, Started all 13 non-conference games and was one of the team’s primary ball-handlers.She averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game
Guard Asia Doss will be an important part of the line-up yet again after a freshman season that contruibuted to the success of the team and improved as the season went. Doss played and started all 35 games as a freshman. Made 22 three-pointers, 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds and had a better than 2 to 1 assist to turnover ratio as well as 10 blocks and 40 steals. Doss was a rebounding machine for a guard and grabbed six or more rebounds in 11 games.
.@HoopItUp_34 blocked a school-record 129 shots last year. That's why she's on this list: https://t.co/uEDJvng2Zs pic.twitter.com/AziGUmSXS3
— OSU W Basketball (@OhioState_WBB) November 9, 2015
Forward Alexa Hart probably improved better than any player on Ohio States roster last season and made it imperative she be on the court as much as possible. Hart played in all 35 games while making 32 starts,a veraged 12.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, Blocked an OSU single-season record 129 shots, shot 62.7 percent from the floor, 310 total rebounds, led the team with 13 double-doubles and added 31 steals and 25 assists.Hart had at least one block in all but one game.
The following were lost due to injury last season but should play important roles helping to make Coach McGuff’s bench much deeper and give them the ability to substitute and run like he likes. All were true freshmen in last years class, one of the best classes to ever come to Columbus on the women’s side..
Redshirt freshmen forward Chelsea Mitchell, guard Kianna Holland and forward Makayla Waterman all had high school credebtials to indicate an opportunity to be the deepest and best bench in the country. Their continued good health and talent will go a long ways towards helping this season because they have the practice and experience of the system under their belts now.
True Freshmen center Theresa Ekhelar played for Life Center Academy and led LCA to a 20-13 mark during her senior season, averaging 10.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, 60 percent from the floor as a senior and a McDonalds All-American nominee.
Guard Kaylan Pugh was named the TSSAA Division II Miss Basketball as a senior after averaging 29.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game playing for St. Mary’s Episcopal in Collier TN. Was the leading scorer in the state of Tennessee her senior year and finished her high school career with over 2,700 points.
Ekhelar and Pugh have all of the measurable’s to produce some results and be in the mix early on.
Time will tell if their high school success will translate into Coach McGuff’s system.
The post Women’s Basketball Preview Part 2: Underclassmen appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...