Connor Lemons
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You’re Nuts: What is your biggest concern about the Ohio State men’s basketball roster?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
To go along with LGHL’s weekly theme, we’re looking for cracks in the 2024-2025 roster as currently constructed.
As we now roll into the dog days of summer without basketball, we’ll join the rest of the LGHL staff with theme weeks for much of the off-season. This week’s theme is “Biggest Concerns” so we’ll take a look at the state of the Buckeye basketball program and give our biggest concerns about the team heading into the 2024-2025 season.
Last week’s debate was well-intended but irrelevant about an hour later, as we debated which transfer player Ohio State should go after if Sean Stewart wound up somewhere other than Columbus. Almost immediately after publishing, the former McDonald’s All-American and rising sophomore announced he was, in fact transferring to Ohio State.
Justin went with Samford transfer Achor Achor, and 59% of the readers agreed with him. Connor (and 23% of the readers) picked former Creighton and Kansas State forward Arthur Kaluma, and the remaining 18% picked “other.”
Connor- 75
Ohio State has one scholarship remaining, and it will likely be used on a backup center or post player to play behind Aaron Bradshaw and potentially compete with Austin Parks for minutes. Since that player isn’t likely to be an impact addition (relatively speaking), it could be a few weeks before the Buckeyes use the scholarship. Therefore, it’s pretty safe to look at the roster as a finished product.
Even if you love the team that’s currently constructed, you certainly have at least one or two questions, no? Here are our biggest concerns with this team.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25441272/usa_today_22196352.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Queens University of Charlotte at Duke")
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jake Diebler and his new staff (but mostly Diebler) have been uber-aggressive in the transfer portal this off-season. It’s been a stark contrast from the way former head coach Chris Holtmann approached the portal — Holtmann mostly added ancillary pieces to the equation to support what was already in place. Jamison Battle and CJ Walker are two exceptions, but there were far more Joey Brunks and Isaac Likekeles added via the transfer portal under Holtmann than Walkers or Battles.
The first-year head coach went after starting-caliber players in the portal right off the rip, adding Meechie Johnson within the first few weeks of the off-season. Johnson returns to Ohio State after playing the last two years at South Carolina but was a Buckeye for two years before that. Micah Parrish also transferred in after averaging 8.4 points per game at San Diego State the last two seasons. Parrish is a reliable, safe addition — he’ll probably average somewhere between 8-10 points per game and will play solid defense in a starting or “first off the bench” role.
But the x-factors that will ultimately decide how good this team is? That would be Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart — two former McDonald’s All-Americans who played at Kentucky and Duke last season, respectively. They were both top-20 recruits in the class of 2023, but neither played significant roles at Blue Blood programs last year.
The two of them combined to score 7.5 points per game last season, with Bradshaw playing just under 14 minutes per game and Stewart playing just a tad over eight minutes per game. Bradshaw was universally mocked as an early to mid-first-round NBA Draft pick last fall, even after breaking his foot in the summer and missing five months. Both he and Stewart have sky-high potential — potential that, if it translates to on-the-court production, could make Ohio State a Big Ten title contender.
But that right there is my biggest concern. There will be quite a lot of pressure and expectations put on two sophomores who did not play much last season at Kentucky and Duke. Both Bradshaw and Stewart could wind up averaging 10+ points and/or 10+ rebounds per game. Either of them could be First Team All-Big Ten selections if they hit their ceiling at Ohio State.
But not every McDonald’s All-American turns into a great college player. Some are just okay. A few fizzle out. For this Ohio State team to compete at the top of this 18-team Big Ten and make its first Sweet Sixteen in 12 years, neither Bradshaw nor Stewart can fizzle out. Heck, I’m not sure if this team can afford for either of them to fall into the “just okay” category. Both need to play big roles and be very impactful this season, and that just seems like a murky bet to make on two players who started a combined 10 games last year and combined to hit a combined three shots per game.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25441484/usa_today_22812996.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
As the Ohio State men’s basketball roster shapes up for the 2024-25 season, we have a good picture of who will be suiting up for the Buckeyes.
And I know some people have concerns about the three-point shooting, but I have been pretty vocal that I think that aspect of this team is better than it is getting credit for, and that will show. I am actually not too worried about that part.
Ohio State has added four transfers and has room for one more. That is looking like it will be a backup center after losing Felix Okpara and Zed Key to the transfer portal, so the starting lineup looks like it is set.
Heading into the next season, the starting lineup will likely be Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, and Aaron Bradshaw. This would be Thornton returning as the starting point guard for the third straight season and then four transfers.
There is a chance sophomore Devin Royal will start at the four in front of Stewart, but I think Stewart will slide in there to add some length and height to the starting rotation.
So, while that starting lineup has a ton of potential and talent, new head coach Jake Diebler will be tasked with getting the lineup to work together and mesh from day one, with four transfers not only playing significant rotation minutes but starting. It will also be the responsibility of Bruce Thornton to make this work, not only as the returning starter but also as the returning starting point guard.
The talent on this team is undeniable, and as long as the team chemistry is there, next year could be a return to the norm for Ohio State hoops, which is competing for a conference title.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
To go along with LGHL’s weekly theme, we’re looking for cracks in the 2024-2025 roster as currently constructed.
As we now roll into the dog days of summer without basketball, we’ll join the rest of the LGHL staff with theme weeks for much of the off-season. This week’s theme is “Biggest Concerns” so we’ll take a look at the state of the Buckeye basketball program and give our biggest concerns about the team heading into the 2024-2025 season.
Last week’s debate was well-intended but irrelevant about an hour later, as we debated which transfer player Ohio State should go after if Sean Stewart wound up somewhere other than Columbus. Almost immediately after publishing, the former McDonald’s All-American and rising sophomore announced he was, in fact transferring to Ohio State.
Justin went with Samford transfer Achor Achor, and 59% of the readers agreed with him. Connor (and 23% of the readers) picked former Creighton and Kansas State forward Arthur Kaluma, and the remaining 18% picked “other.”
After 151 weeks:
Connor- 75
Justin- 56
Other- 16
(There have been four ties)
Ohio State has one scholarship remaining, and it will likely be used on a backup center or post player to play behind Aaron Bradshaw and potentially compete with Austin Parks for minutes. Since that player isn’t likely to be an impact addition (relatively speaking), it could be a few weeks before the Buckeyes use the scholarship. Therefore, it’s pretty safe to look at the roster as a finished product.
Even if you love the team that’s currently constructed, you certainly have at least one or two questions, no? Here are our biggest concerns with this team.
This week’s question: What is your biggest concern about the Ohio State men’s basketball roster?
Connor: What if the five stars don’t pan out?
Jake Diebler and his new staff (but mostly Diebler) have been uber-aggressive in the transfer portal this off-season. It’s been a stark contrast from the way former head coach Chris Holtmann approached the portal — Holtmann mostly added ancillary pieces to the equation to support what was already in place. Jamison Battle and CJ Walker are two exceptions, but there were far more Joey Brunks and Isaac Likekeles added via the transfer portal under Holtmann than Walkers or Battles.
The first-year head coach went after starting-caliber players in the portal right off the rip, adding Meechie Johnson within the first few weeks of the off-season. Johnson returns to Ohio State after playing the last two years at South Carolina but was a Buckeye for two years before that. Micah Parrish also transferred in after averaging 8.4 points per game at San Diego State the last two seasons. Parrish is a reliable, safe addition — he’ll probably average somewhere between 8-10 points per game and will play solid defense in a starting or “first off the bench” role.
But the x-factors that will ultimately decide how good this team is? That would be Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart — two former McDonald’s All-Americans who played at Kentucky and Duke last season, respectively. They were both top-20 recruits in the class of 2023, but neither played significant roles at Blue Blood programs last year.
The two of them combined to score 7.5 points per game last season, with Bradshaw playing just under 14 minutes per game and Stewart playing just a tad over eight minutes per game. Bradshaw was universally mocked as an early to mid-first-round NBA Draft pick last fall, even after breaking his foot in the summer and missing five months. Both he and Stewart have sky-high potential — potential that, if it translates to on-the-court production, could make Ohio State a Big Ten title contender.
But that right there is my biggest concern. There will be quite a lot of pressure and expectations put on two sophomores who did not play much last season at Kentucky and Duke. Both Bradshaw and Stewart could wind up averaging 10+ points and/or 10+ rebounds per game. Either of them could be First Team All-Big Ten selections if they hit their ceiling at Ohio State.
But not every McDonald’s All-American turns into a great college player. Some are just okay. A few fizzle out. For this Ohio State team to compete at the top of this 18-team Big Ten and make its first Sweet Sixteen in 12 years, neither Bradshaw nor Stewart can fizzle out. Heck, I’m not sure if this team can afford for either of them to fall into the “just okay” category. Both need to play big roles and be very impactful this season, and that just seems like a murky bet to make on two players who started a combined 10 games last year and combined to hit a combined three shots per game.
Justin: Meshing together the roster
As the Ohio State men’s basketball roster shapes up for the 2024-25 season, we have a good picture of who will be suiting up for the Buckeyes.
And I know some people have concerns about the three-point shooting, but I have been pretty vocal that I think that aspect of this team is better than it is getting credit for, and that will show. I am actually not too worried about that part.
Ohio State has added four transfers and has room for one more. That is looking like it will be a backup center after losing Felix Okpara and Zed Key to the transfer portal, so the starting lineup looks like it is set.
Heading into the next season, the starting lineup will likely be Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, and Aaron Bradshaw. This would be Thornton returning as the starting point guard for the third straight season and then four transfers.
There is a chance sophomore Devin Royal will start at the four in front of Stewart, but I think Stewart will slide in there to add some length and height to the starting rotation.
So, while that starting lineup has a ton of potential and talent, new head coach Jake Diebler will be tasked with getting the lineup to work together and mesh from day one, with four transfers not only playing significant rotation minutes but starting. It will also be the responsibility of Bruce Thornton to make this work, not only as the returning starter but also as the returning starting point guard.
The talent on this team is undeniable, and as long as the team chemistry is there, next year could be a return to the norm for Ohio State hoops, which is competing for a conference title.
Continue reading...