Will Matta strike the pose in April? Some of you might not be aware but we're just a scant 14 days away from getting our first glimpse of Thad Matta's expected juggernaut.
The basketballers will take on Walsh in an exhibition scheduled for November 6th before undertaking a non-conference slate featuring the likes of Florida, Duke, @Kansas and @South Carolina. Don't worry, it's not all steaks as cupcake flavors such as Jackson State, North Florida, Texas-Pan American and South Carolina Upstate will also be served. And no, I hadn't heard of SC Upstate until this year either.
Those non-conf heavyweights, particularly the Dookies and Jayhawks will serve as early as early litmus tests of sorts but as we so painfully remember from last year, it's not how you start, it's how you finish.
The main job for Matta early on will be to discover what kind of talent he's got on the bench and how deep he's willing to go in games against legit foes, how the Sully to 4-man edict impacts those around him, whether or not Craft and Scott can truly play at the same time for extended minutes, just to name a few.
Another awesome development to watch this season will how the new coaches impact the program. Bringing Chris Jent home was a potential move of mastery and early reports say he's having a big influence not just on defense where'd you expect it but also at the offensive end. Matta has eluded to a desire to potentially play even faster than last year based on the skill set and depth of the roster and having Jent's 24-second clock experience may help the Buckeyes initiate some new and faster evolving sets. Time will tell but I like what I hear. This doesn't even mention the fact he's going to be a boss on the recruiting trail.
The Buckeyes also welcome former Duke baller Greg Paulus to the staff. He's starting out his coaching career as most do - manning the post of Video Coordinator - but I like bringing in what by all accounts is another fresh basketball mind. He also comes from a culture of winning and under the tutelage of Matta, the already proven awesome Jeff Boals and Jent, he could be on his way to a significant coaching career.
In keeping with our fall Sunday afternoon theme, here are Five Things on my mind as we inch closer to tip-off of what could be a magical season for the basketball Buckeyes.
Sully's team
Buford is the lone senior on this squad and he's certainly an assassin on the court but this is Jared Sullinger's team.
Last year he deferred a bit in the leadership category since the Buckeyes had two seasoned captains in Lighty and Diebler but this year, Sullinger is not only leading by example, he's challenging himself to be that vocal guy that the players fall in line to follow.
His teammates see a kid that passed up a chance to make millions, a move further magnified by his knowledge that rookie contracts will likely be trimmed significantly once the NBA collectively bargains a more fiscally responsible setup, complemented by an off-season of slimming down roughly 20 lbs. to be a more versatile, and hopefully even more effective, performer.
My name is, my name is...Slim SullyComing off a 17 points, 10 boards per game season, Sullinger hopes to showcase an ability to step out, face up and hit some 15-17 foot jumpers. Working from the high-post more often, he will also get a chance to show if he's developed some dribble-drive moves that aren't solely about power and if can find baseline cutters with precision bounce passes through traffic.
I don't doubt he has the nimbleness of foot and body control to be a demon from the high post but I will say I don't think it's as automatic as some people surmise. Further, I think the real question is how his transition to a four man playing up high and out wide more often impacts the rest of the team.
For the team - not just Sully's NBA stock - to thrive with him at the four, other things need to happen. First, a true five needs to emerge on some level. That means either 6'8" junior transfer Evan Ravenel or 6'11" true freshman Amir Williams needs to needs to show he can hang on the glass in conference play. More on those two later, I'm just saying I need to see it to believe it that they, even as a committee, can rebound and play defense at a level greater than Dallas to allow Sully to play four without compromising the interior defense.
Secondly, I'm very curious to see what Sully having the ball foul-line extended more often will do to the perimeter players. Let's face it, the ball was either on the low block or way out on the perimeter last year - it was not in that 15-17 foot area in between - and I'm very interested to see how the perimeter guys react. Will Craft/Scott have as much drive and dish room? Will Buford have as much room to showcase his midrange game? Will the wings take advantage of the cutting lanes that will present themselves when the defensive four steps up to guard Sully?
Don't get the impression I'm worried about these scenarios. I'm just suggesting the change of Sully to four is bigger than what it does for him personally. There will be ripple effects that causing some slight changes in how the Buckeyes conduct business on offense. I'm excited to see what's in store and with Matta suggesting the team will stage track meets whenever possible, it's not like the offense will always be running half court sets, but when it comes down to winning in March, the ability to execute in the halfcourt can mean the difference in cutting down the nets or sadly talking about what might have been.
With Sully looking at a picture of Brandon Knight's game winning shot each morning, I'm confident this team has as good as chance any of delivering the elusive national championship to Columbus.
Backcourt buddies
Aaron Craft is a beast. As a true freshman, the gritty 6'2" point guard was the perfect orchestrator for an offense loaded with complimentary talent on the wings and arguably the best low post threat in college basketball. In conference play, he averaged 8.9 ppg, 4.6 dimes, 2.2 steals and shot 37% from downtown in 31 minutes of action and those numbers weren't his biggest contribution. His real talent a year ago was frustrating the hell out of opposing point guards including stars like Talor Battle and Kalin Lucas. His ability to lock down opposing PG's took some teams completely out of their offense for large stretches allowing the OSU offense to build big leads before cruising to easy victories.
This season, he'll be charged with maintaining that defensive prowess while expanding his offensive game. This would be true in any season as elite players are always challenged with adding facets to their individual game in the summer but there's a twist for Craft as the Buckeyes welcome incoming freshman point guard Shannon Scott to the fold.
From the few games we saw of him in HS and the word from practices thus far, Scott is a pure point guard. Translation, he's a pass first kid who gets more kicks from finding the open man than from scoring. He's also touted as a lock down defender in the mold of Craft in that he will guard you the length of the floor. As with most freshman, especially PG's, his area of focus right now is refining his jumper. He can create off the bounce but doing so will be much more difficult as teams give him space to prevent the drive, forcing him to show he can make a wide open 17+ foot jump shot.
All this matters because Matta has indicated a desire to see Craft and Scott on the floor at the same time for stretches. This would certainly give the team an ability to push the tempo considering outlet passes could find either Craft or Scott to race the ball upcourt and find the open man.
This is another not-so-subtle change to the potential look of the offense. It can work if Craft truly has improved his jumper (I have no doubts - I heart this kid just below a line that would be creepy) because Matta will want more than the 43% FG shooting Craft showed in B1G play last year.
Defensively, a five with those two on the floor also pushes Craft to guarding the opposing two guard who will likely be taller than the PG but Craft is such a menace that might even be beneficial to the OSU cause. Such a backcourt would push Buford to the three with Matta's baseline a bit smallish if he chooses to pair Sully with Thomas (a more wiry 6'7" @ 225) or he could go taller pairing Sully with Williams or the bulky Ravenel (6'8", 260).
Should Matta truly end up employing Craft and Scott together for long stretches, he has more than enough roster combinations based on the opponent to scheme for wins. It's just crazy that a team returning three of its mainstays has so many possible rotational and strategical changes.
buford redemption tour
As painful as it was to watch Buford's 2/16 performance complete with horrible slot selection and a couple turnovers in the East regional semifinals loss to Kentucky, let's not forget what an awesomely lethal player he has become.
If you know or observe him at all, you know the quiet Buford is deadly serious about being a great basketball player. His sometimes stoic demeanor should not be mistaken for a desire to be anything less. Take that attitude and combine it with the heat he took (willingly) for his off night in Newark and this kid is going to be a special player in 2011-12.
On a well balanced team a year ago, he was the #2 option behind Sully and put up ridiculous numbers in conference play. Scoring at a 14.4 ppg clip, he was a marksman hitting 49.7% from the floor including a scorching 52% from downtown and 91% from the line. Dude makes shots. He also creates shots via a nifty midrange game not frequently seen in the era of highlight reel threes and dunks.
As it goes with perimeter scorers, he's susceptible to an off shooting night and it's unfortunate he suffered an epic one of those against Kentucky but he did reach double figures in 16/21 conference games last year and 2/3 in the Dance.
Entering his senior season, the WB stands just 673 points away from catching Dennis Hopson as the school's all-time leading scorer. With 31 regular season games scheduled, he'll need to average an unrealistic 21.7 ppg to reach the mark. Of course, that number is only unrealistic because the Buckeyes have so many other talented scorers and Buford, a born scorer, has greatly improved his passing and vision over the years. He's a team guy striving to be an all-around player further evidenced by the strides he made as an on-ball defender and rebounder. True enough, his boards decreased last year but that's the Sully factor at work. He averaged 5.6 as a sophomore.
This off-season, Buford says he spent lots of hours becoming a better ball handler, focusing on his dribbling, and executing pick and rolls.
With Diebler and his outside shot no longer in the fold, I look for Buford to go out with a bang as he fills it to the tune of at least 16-17 per night as he and Sullinger form an inside out combo leading OSU to the Final Four.
An unassuming, easy-going kid at just loves to play basketball, I will miss his singularly focused presence when he's gone. Think about it, he barely talks in pressers, never seeks the limelight, he's not out there tweeting every 20 seconds and you never read or hear about him taking advantage (on the level or not) of the perks provided a big time college basketball star. He just goes about his business playing the game he was born to play.
the x-factor - tank thomas
Likely working his way into the starting five as a true sophomore for the #3 ranked team in the country, the expectations for DeShaun Thomas are growing by the day. So are the jokes about a freshman season in which he took a shot every 2.36 minutes. On the surface, that doesn't sound like a ton but comparing it to Sully's one shot per 2.86 minutes, you start to worry that Thomas might shred his elbow if he doesn't tone down the hair trigger.
Word is he's spent the summer working on improving his shot selection which I'm sure will improve somewhat but if the Matta coaching philosophy holds true, he's not going to overly shackle the kid. That means some more bad shots are to come, just with less frequency. With the loss of the roughly 25 points Lighty and Diebs contributed, Thomas will be counted on to make up some of that shortfall so get ready to take the good with the bad.
Obviously, Thomas is going to build upon his 7.5 ppg average of a year ago. That's a given. What's probably more important, and more of an unknown, is how Thomas will respond defensively and on the glass. In fact, I'd argue what makes Thomas the x-factor more than anything is what he can provide in these two areas. The points will come with more minutes. The jury is out on the other stuff.
Losing a versatile defender like Lighty is sometimes overlooked by fans but not by Matta. Could Thomas be the guy to fill that role? It would be a big mental change and nobody is expecting it to happen overnight or for Thomas to reach Lighty's level defensively but he does have the size to be a real factor on D. He dropped some weight - he says he's down to 216 - and at 6'7", he's got the kind of rangy frame that can disturb a myriad of players at the 2, 3 or 4 spot.
When Thomas was at his best last year he was a factor on the glass at both ends of the floor. He was a rebounding machine against the cupcakes early on (5.38 rpg in 13 non-conf games from the wing), leading to points he wouldn't see in decreased minutes as the season wore on. In conference play, he had his rebounding moments including six against Purdue in 24 minutes and six against Minny in 11 minutes. How much Thomas has improved his game beyond scoring will go a long way toward determining whether or not this team reaches the Final Four.
How Deep is the bench?
The short is answer is probably as deep as Matta allows it to be.
It seems pretty apparent he has a lot more to work with than in years past, it's just a matter of how comfortable he'll be with certain guys and at what length he'll go to get them meaningful minutes in games against legit competition.
Personally, I'd like to see the bench become deeper than what we've grown accustomed to under Matta but I have to admit I like how he rides his starters for 30+ minutes per game because that means the best guys are on the floor. With all the TV timeouts and the fact these players are kids, I don't mind their workload. I reject the argument fatigue has caused the premature tourney exits though I do get that a short bench is always a concern if/when foul trouble and injuries pop up.
This year could definitely be different due to the perceived talent level and the notion that the Buckeyes want to turn up the tempo a notch.
Before we talk about who makes up the potential bench, we must first lament the fact LaQuinton Ross won't be a part of it. The 6'8" swingman was impressing former players in summer open gyms but did not qualify academically. I won't get into the specifics of that mess. I just hope the kid makes it to Columbus eventually.
As for the guys that should see time in the rotation, Scott and Jordan Sibert look like the most likely backcourt contributors. We've discussed Scott and Sibert saw time in spot duty last year. He's got the ability to drain the three off the bench so it makes sense to expect him to fill the same role this season.
Lenzelle Smith Jr. is a kid guys are talking about as a potential tough defender Matta can use. After attend a recent practice, Jeff Goodman even went so far as to say Smith could be a 5th starter in a scenario where Sully is the five instead of the four. Even if that doesn't come to fruition, it's good news to hear Smith is developing.
I think it's more likely the better practice performer out of the Evan Ravenel / Amir Williams competition earns a starting nod at center - allowing Sully to play power forward - with the loser of that battle still seeing time off the pine.
We haven't even gotten to 6'6" sophomore leaper JD Weatherspoon yet so it might be another year of watching for the Northland product.
True frosh Sam Thompson, a 6'7" is a highlight reel waiting to happen in garbage time with Matta recently telling Goodman he's the most athletic player he's ever coached. How well he responds at the defensive end could determine if he sees minutes once conference play starts.
Another incoming freshman is 6'8" center Trey McDonald but it's hard to envision him having a role this year with Ravenel's experience, the potential of Williams as a shot blocker and big man running the floor and Matta's ability to slide Sully back the five when appropriate.
The Buckeyes also added a walk-on PG in Alex Rogers but he looks to be a practice body for the time being.
From afar, the bench appears to be much deeper than we've seen in years but I still wouldn't expect more than eight guys to do most of the heavy lifting. That's just not Matta's MO nor is it necessary barring foul trouble (Matta's teams dont foul) or injury. If the tempo is greatly increased, I can see an outside shot at a max of nine guys seeing the court in meaningful minutes.
Assuming the starters are Craft, Buford, Thomas, Sully and Ravenel/Williams, that leaves Scott as the first guy off the bench with the Ravenel/Williams leftover as the first big man sub. That slots Sibert as the 2nd guard off the bench. After that, it's up to Smith, Weatherspoon and Thomas to show they deserve minutes.
