The basketball season is officially over and it's certainly been a tough last few days. As Chris mentioned in his post-game wrap-up on Friday, this one was particularly hard to swallow, as this team was so exciting to watch and one bad game allowed an inferior team to have one better night. I truly felt this was Ohio State's year on the hardwood and this is definitely the hardest I've taken a loss in the last five years in either sport, going as far as vowing not to watch the rest of the tournament because of how devastating it is not to get to see this team reach it's assumed destiny.
As someone who has covered OSU athletics as a member of the media for the last three plus years, I have learned to grab a realistic view on things and take the wins and losses as they come, moving on shortly after the end result. This basketball team was different though. With a mix of senior leaders, a junior budding star in William Buford, and a group of freshmen playing well beyond their years, this team had the perfect recipe to cut down the nets in early April. Not only were they a pleasure to watch on the court, but they represented hope and put the hardships the football team is currently going through on the back burner. The hoops team gave me something to look forward to each and every week and now that the season has ended prematurely, it's hard to face the reality that lies ahead for all of us in it being the most difficult season to be a Buckeye football fan in a long time.
Most OSU fans root for one or more of the Browns, Bengals, Reds, Indians, and Blue Jackets, and are used to saying "there's always next year". Sans the 2002 football season, that phrase has been far too familiar to Buckeye Nation, and while only one team can win every year, getting to the cusp of tasting another championship has been the theme for Ohio State sports in the last five years. While saying "there's always next year" is usually just a common reaction to the end of a season, there is hope in that statement for the Buckeyes. As difficult as seeing this basketball season come to an end was, next year may be just as exciting, and I'm certainly looking forward to what Thad Matta's team can do as they continue their pursuit of the school's first hoops championship since the 1960 season.
Criticize Thad Matta all you want for not using his bench or sitting on his time outs, but at some point you are going to have to accept the fact that those things are part of who he is as a coach. As he gets older, wiser, and more experienced that may change, but one thing you can't deny, no matter how much you don't like his in-game strategy, is that the guy wins. Not only does he win, but he is able to sustain the winning culture at Ohio State, something coaches before him have not been able to do. He has put OSU basketball back on the map and turned the program into a national power again through on court success and his ability to recruit with the best coaches in America.
Lose Terence Dials and Je'Kel Foster? Bring in Greg Oden and Mike Conley. Lose Oden and Conley? Bring in Kosta Koufos, Evan Turner, and Jon Diebler. Lose Koufos? Bring in BJ Mullens and William Buford. Lose Mullens in 2009 and Turner in 2010? Bring in Jared Sullinger and Aaron Craft. Year after year Matta continues to put this program in places unseen to Buckeye basketball fans before and that trend continues next year as Matta and the Buckeyes lose Diebler, David Lighty, and Dallas Lauderdale, but bring back a savvy group of veteran's hungry to avenge this year's loss while also welcoming another group of five outstanding freshman.
While William Buford could still make the jump to the NBA, Jared Sullinger appears to be firm in his standing that he will return for his sophomore year. Adding Buford to next year's squad only helps, but even without him, the Bucks are looking at a starting line-up that will include Sullinger, Aaron Craft, and DeShaun Thomas at the foundation. Jordan Sibert, who looked to start to turn the corner towards the end of this year, will likely join them at the point guard position, and just like Craft came in and dazzled as a first year guard, it's my guess that McDonald's All-American Shannon Scott will share the back court with #4 just like Conley and Jamar Butler did a few years back. These returning stars can only get better with another full off-season to work on their games and the experience they gained this past year should prove to be invaluable.
The bench will be the deepest it's ever been in the Matta era, as the other McDonald's All-American, C Amir Williams anchors what should be a 10-man rotation at the least. Joining Williams will be returnees in Boston College transfer F Evan Ravenel, G Lenzelle Smith, and F JD Weatherspoon. The other group making up the bench will be freshmen F Sam Thompson, F LaQuntion Ross, and F/C Trey McDonald. This group has the potential to add some versatility, energy, and fire power off the bench that the Buckeyes have been lacking in their last few tournament runs.
As you can see, next year's basketball team will be fully loaded once again. Brandon Knight's shot was a dagger in the heart and the pain that loss has caused me still burns inside three days later. It will be hard to get over the fact that this wasn't Ohio State's year, but the future holds good things and will continue for many years as long as Thad Matta is in charge in Columbus. The hoops team has a great group of players returning next year and even more talent coming in to join them. I'm proud of this year's team and everything they accomplished, but I'm starting to get excited to be able to watch next year's team go on their own season-long journey. Who knows how that team's fate will end, but all I can say for now is "there's always next year".
