As you glanced down Ohio State’s bench last season, there were often two near 7-footers sitting at the end of it. One was often in a sweatsuit, the other was in full uniform, but neither played a single minute all year for the Buckeyes.
Trevor Thompson and Dave Bell both sat out the 2014-15 season — Thompson for transfer reasons while Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and staff elected to redshirt Bell. In Thompson’s case, sitting out was required. Bell’s, on the other hand, was a choice made by staff and it was the logical one. But that doesn’t mean Buckeyes fans were left wondering, ‘What if?’
Thompson, a 6-foot-11, 210 pound transfer from Virginia Tech, averaged 5.0 points and 4.7 rebounds during his one season in Blacksburg, Va. He has three years of eligibility remaining after what many would consider a solid freshman season in the ultra-competitive ACC.
"Trevor has proven he is capable of competing at our level," Matta said the day Thompson's transfer to Ohio State became official. "He will be a very athletic big man for us."
Bell is a 6-foot-10, 225 pounder from Garfield Heights, Ohio. He was a three-star prospect and Ohio's fourth-rated player in the 2014 class. Bell was always seen as more of a "project-type" big guy. He came to Ohio State with seniors Amir Williams, Trey McDonald and Anthony Lee ahead of him, so it made sense for Bell to redshirt during his first season in Columbus.
Ohio State fans, however, wished both could have been on the floor during the 2014-15 season as they watched Williams and McDonald struggle again, and Lee be ineffective as he sat the majority of the second-half of the season with a groin injury.
The Buckeyes labored their way to a 24-11 record and their season came to a sudden end after they fell to Arizona in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Now, the attention turns toward the future. Not only did Ohio State lose its three big guys, but it also lost fellow seniors Shannon Scott and Sam Thompson, as well as some guy named D'Angelo Russell — perhaps you've heard of him.
The Buckeyes have a five-man freshman class coming in, plus the additions of Trevor Thompson and Bell, giving Ohio State seven new players on the floor next year.
You couldn't help but think that as both Thompson and Bell sat on the Buckeyes' bench last year they believed they could have made an impact, but it just wasn't meant to be. They can, however, impact the team next year.
How much production each will have remains to be seen, but at this point, it seems fresh faces are exactly what the program needs.
