Trey McDonald, Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson and Amir Williams entered Thad Matta's program back in 2011, along with the since departed LaQuinton Ross as the 8th ranked class in the nation and the best in the B1G according to 24/7 Sports.
Scott came in as the #2 ranked player in the state of Georgia, Thompson the #3 prospect in Illinois, Williams the #1 target in Michigan and McDonald as the #8 player from the state up north.
Collectively, the foursome have racked up 101 wins counting last Sunday's win over Indiana against 31 defeats (77%) along with a trip to the Final Four, an Elite Eight, a B1G regular season title and a conference tournament championship.
| YEAR | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | FG% | 3FG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR | 30.4 | 10.1 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 50% | 20% |
| JR | 24.7 | 7.9 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 45% | 36% |
| SO | 25.1 | 7.8 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 50% | 40% |
| FR | 10.6 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 49% | 7% |
The downside of those accolades is the group had little impact on the B1G regular season championship and subsequent Final Four run as freshmen in 2011-12 with Thompson and Scott playing just over 10 minutes a game, Amir just over six and McDonald not even three. Minutes were indeed sparse as Matta rode Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas, William Buford, Aaron Craft and Lenzelle Smith Jr. to within a two-point loss to Kansas of playing for the national title.
For the season, the four freshmen combined to tally 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while showing promise of good things to come. Though Amir was already earning whipping boy status, he tantalized fans as he came up big against Syracuse in the Elite Eight with nine big minutes in place of a foul-plagued Sullinger.
The trio of Thompson, Scott and Williams began to figure much more heavily into the rotation as sophomores while McDonald was still very much a garbage time player tallying under eight minutes per game.
| YEAR | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | FG% | 3FG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR | 30.3 | 8.1 | 3.3 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 44% | 26% |
| JR | 26.8 | 7.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 43% | 30% |
| SO | 20.9 | 4.9 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 41% | 33% |
| FR | 10.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 28% | 6% |
Thompson enjoyed the most success starting all 37 games of the 2012-13 season averaging 25 minutes and 7.8 points on the strength of efficient shooting including 49% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc to go along with 3.5 rebounds per contest. Scott was also a factor on the team's B1G tournament championship and march to the Elite Eight ended by Wichita State adding 4.9 points, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals in 20.9 minutes per game, teaming with Craft at times to suffocate opposing offenses on the perimeter. The duo seemed to take the next step in their maturation starting with the back half of the B1G conference slate.
Matta inserted Williams into the starting lineup after the eleventh game of the non-conference slate and he would stick in that role over the final 26 games, totaling 3.5 points, 3.9 boards and 1.4 blocks in 16.5 minutes per night. He did nothing to suggest he would ever live up to the McDonald's All-American hype but he again showed enough glimpses of effectiveness that the hope was he could develop even more heading into his junior campaign.
| YEAR | MPG | PPG | RPG | BPG | FG% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR | 19.1 | 6.9 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 71% | 62% |
| JR | 23.1 | 7.8 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 60% | 65% |
| SO | 16.5 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 56% | 56% |
| FR | 6.6 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 53% | 36% |
Now seasoned veterans as juniors in Matta's program, the trio of Scott, Thompson and Williams – along with Q Ross would be counted on heavily to produce alongside seniors Craft and Smith Jr. while McDonald would continue his role as a little used backup pivot.
Unfortunately, though many wouldn't have guessed it, Thompson showed the least amount of growth as a junior while Scott and Williams took more significant leaps in production.
Thompson, though freakishly athletic and probably the most popular player in his class because of his dunking ability saw his shooting percentage drop to 45% overall, 36% from distance and 61% from the stripe yielding 7.9 points per game compared to 7.8 the year before in virtually the same minutes as he took more shots. Along with his declining jumper, Thompson's rebounds dropped to 2.7 from 3.5 which was frustrating given his athleticism.
Meanwhile, Scott at least improved his still shaky jumper connecting on 43% from the floor compared to 41% the season prior while his free throw percentage went from 63% to 68%. He also saw an increase in rebounds per game to 3.4, kept his assists virtually flat and improved to 2.0 steals per game as he and Craft again gave opposing backcourts fits. Playing six more minutes per game and hitting on a higher percentage of shots, Scott went from tallying 4.9 points per game as a sophomore to 7.5 as a junior.
In the paint, Williams started all 35 games, averaging 23.1 minutes compared to 16.5 as a sophomore and saw his production and efficiency improve across the board. Yes, his hands were still a huge question mark and his lack of outward intensity was frustrating but he bettered his shooting percentages to the tune of 60% from the floor (56% as a So.) and 65% from the stripe (56% as a So.) while improving his rebounds per game to 5.8 from 3.9, his points per game to 7.8 from 3.5 and his blocks from 1.4 to 1.8.
On a 25-10 team that exited the Dance in its opener against Dayton, the trio ranked 4th (Sam), 5th (Amir) and 6th (Scott) in scoring with Williams ranking 2nd in rebounds and Scott 2nd in assists. McDonald chipped in 12 minutes, 2.0 points and 1.7 boards per game.
Now, 21 games into their final seasons in Columbus, the foursome is running out of time to add to their collective legacy. At 16-5 with just one solid win on the resume on a team currently being carried by freshman D'Angelo Russell and largely supplemented by the recent breakout of fellow freshman Jae'Sean Tate and 2nd leading scorer Marc Loving, the time is now for Thompson, Scott, Williams and McDonald to step up.
To his credit, Thompson has improved his production to 10.1 points per game, he's added nearly a full rebound to his average on the glass (3.6) and more than doubled his assists per game to 2.1 though those stats aren't quite as impressive when you factor in he's playing six more minutes per game (30.4). Shooting wise, it's nice to see his field goal percentage bounce back to an even 50% on the year (47% in B1G play) but his shot from distance is busted. At 20.4% on the year, Sam has hit just one three-pointer in conference play in 14 tries. In Sunday's big win over Indiana, Thompson had a decent 2nd half totaling eight points for the game.
With Russell's dominant play and Matta's switch back to man-to-man defense, Scott has settled into his familiar role as a distributor and defensive whiz on the perimeter. He's averaging a gaudy 6.7 assists per game on the season though that number has leveled off to 5.1 in conference play. Still, he's a nice compliment to Russell and has looked impressive particularly in Ohio State's back-to-back wins with six dimes in the two point win at Northwestern and 10 points in Sunday's win over the Hoosiers. For my money, Scott has easily been the most valuable senior so far this year.
The most disappointing senior campaign belongs to Williams. His lack of hands, intensity and basketball IQ have been tough to watch and after years of sticking with him, Matta recently inserted senior transfer Anthony Lee into Amir's starting center spot. Not only did Williams lose his starting job, he's played just three minutes during Ohio State's modest two game winning streak including zero against Indiana. Matta did note Williams missed practice on Saturday with knee swelling and Indiana's lineup isn't conducive to playing Amir much anyway but it's clear Matta has grown tired of his act.
Williams will return to the rotation as the season winds down but barring a miracle, his legacy will be one unrealistic expectations met by what appeared to be largely apathetic play. As for McDonald, his effort and heart will never be questioned but his skill set never evolved into more than marginally valuable as a backup in a limited role.
Despite the fact Ohio State's overall season records and tourney runs have been less impressive as the current seniors logged more minutes and played larger roles, there's no denying they have all carried themselves with a great degree of class and there is still time left for them to compliment the growth of Russell, Tate, Loving and others and make a run at a league championship and March run. It might seem far-fetched but stranger things have happened and it all starts tonight with a chance to upset 13th ranked Maryland in Value City Arena.
