In his 10 seasons as Ohio State coach, Thad Matta has relied on Ohio for filling out a significant portion of his roster.
However, this year’s Buckeyes only have three native Ohioans on the roster – Aaron Craft, Marc Loving and Jake Lorbach. There has been little high-major talent over the past four or five years, but the biggest problem is Ohio producing a dominant scorer.
There are quite a few solid role players and, particularly, strong point guard play. If the Buckeyes more closely resembled the 2010-11 squad – nine Ohioans – here’s what a team of entirely Ohio players might look like (excluding freshman, who have yet to play, making it impossible to evaluate their impact in college):
PG – Aaron craft, Ohio state, senior
Aaron Craft is the least surprising member of this list, as the first Ohio native that comes to mind when talking about the top college players in the country.
Arguably, the pride of "Flag City" has been the best perimeter defender in college basketball over the last three seasons. Factor in Craft’s leadership abilities, and those are the biggest reasons why he – along with teammate Lenzelle Smith Jr. – is chasing down the Ohio State record for most career wins.
On this imaginative All-Ohio squad, Craft is part of an aggressive backcourt on the defensive end. With the new hand check rules, hopefully refs don’t confuse good fundamentals with fouling. Asking "TV" Ted Valentine to make a careful delineation between the two will be a troubling task.
Of course, we all know about his limitations on offense. Whether it is scoring or just creating for others, there is a lack of a true, go-to scorer on this squad. Craft would be asked to take on a larger role, not unlike last year for the Buckeyes.
G – TRAVIS TRICE, MICHIGAN STATE, JUNIOR
An unheralded part of the Spartans squad for the last two years, Travis Trice can stretch the floor and provide versatility.
He is a career 40-percent shooter from three, consistently around that percentage in his two seasons at Michigan State. Last year, that was good enough for sixth in the conference.
Trice is the backup point guard for Tom Izzo’s squad, but can play alongside starter Keith Appling in a smaller lineup. Not only can he improve floor spacing, he provides toughness on the perimeter.
The major issue with the Huber Heights native has been staying healthy. Over the last two years, Trice has missed 14 games due to various injuries and a scary "brain infection" he suffered last year.
F – JaKarr Sampson, St. John’s, Sophomore
JaKarr Sampson ended up graduating from basketball powerhouse and prep school Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Still, he’s an Akron native and led St. Vincent-St. Mary to a Division II state title in 2009.
He spent two years in prep school, but ended up enrolling at St. John’s. In his freshman season with the Red Storm, Sampson averaged 14.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
With his size, slashing abilities and athleticism, Sampson fits the mold of a future professional basketball player. He missed all eight of the three point attempts he took last season, so he needs to add some range or even just a remote threat of being able to knock down a perimeter shot.
Aaron White got up this high all by himself, guysF – Aaron White, Iowa, Junior
One lazy columnist would rip this figurative team for being overrated – or, in other words, overly Caucasian.
The second member of the team who doesn’t get enough credit for his athleticism bears the name of the race in his last name – Aaron White. The 6-foot-9-inch forward is a force in the open court.
He doesn’t have exceptional range, but can finish around the rim like few others in the Big Ten. The Strongsville native averaged 12.8 points per game, while shooting 47-percent from the field.
White’s lateral quickness and ability to guard the perimeter needs work, but he has a knack for grabbing rebounds (averaged 6.2 per game, last year) and picking off passes (1.1 steals a game).
C/F – Adreian Payne, Michigan State, Senior
Two Spartans crack the All-Ohio starting lineup, led by preseason all-Big Ten honoree Adreian Payne.
The Dayton native appeared on the second-team All-Big Ten squad last season, after averaging 10.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. This year, he will man the middle for Michigan State, without the help of the departed Derrick Nix.
For the purposes of the All-Ohio squad, Payne is the most pro-ready of the bunch and a projected first round pick, according to NBADraft.net.
He’s 6-feet-10 inches tall, but is more adept on the perimeter. That makes him a major mismatch problem, but he won’t have a productive NBA career without a consistent jump shot. He’s not much of a threat in the low-post.
With a Payne, Sampson and White frontline, Trice to spread the floor and Craft running the show, it’s a squad that can fly down the floor. Problem is – and Ohio State fans know this well with their own squad – it would have consistent issues in the half court, especially without a dominant all-around scorer.
bench
The best pure scorer to come out of Ohio in the past four years might be Xavier point guard Semaj Christon (Cincinnati). He dropped 15.2 points per game last year, but he’s not particularly careful with the rock, considering his 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. He still needs the ball in his hands to score, so he’ll provide some punch off the bench.
Notre Dame center Garrick Sherman (Kenton) adds size at 7-feet tall, while Norkolk State’s Rashid Gaston (Warren) is a solid rebounder and low-post threat.
Including the departed Trey Burke, Ohio can claim a strong crop of point guards over the past four five years. Craft, Trice and Christon force Wisconsin’s Traevon Jackson (Westerville) to a reserve role. Guard depth increases with former Buckeye Jordan Sibert (Cincinnati), who will put up points at Dayton.
Michigan wing Caris LeVert (Pickerington) bulked up in the offseason and is a threat to become a major part of coach John Beilein’s rotation.
Another Ohio State transfer, J.D. Weatherspoon (Columbus), will finally get a chance to show off his high-flying abilities at Toledo. Florida State guard Aaron Thomas (Cincinnati) is underrated and a tough perimeter player. He fits the Seminoles’ system perfectly and will soon prove himself as one of the top college players from Ohio. Plus, thanks to Jameis Winston, he had the top dunk at the Seminoles’ midnight madness event.
