As Ohio State's locker room opened to the media following its second-round NCAA tournament win over VCU last season, the majority of reporters in attendance all made a beeline straight for the same player.
No, it wasn't freshmen D'Angelo Russell (he wasn't in the locker room) or Jae'Sean Tate. It wasn't even senior captains Shannon Scott or Sam Thompson. No, every media member in attendance had an interest in hearing what Buckeyes freshman wing Keita Bates-Diop had to say.
Bates-Diop scored only six points and played just 13 minutes in Ohio State's win over VCU, but he hit, arguably, the two biggest shots of the game.
The first came with 3 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the game. The Buckeyes trailed, 60-59, when Russell drove the lane and kicked the ball out to Bates-Diop. The freshman from Normal, Ill. fumbled the original pass, but gained possession and collected himself before burying the go-ahead 3-pointer.
Bates-Diop's second big shot came in overtime. The game was tied at 68-all and with 2:34 left in OT, Scott swung the ball to Bates-Diop in the corner and the 6-foot-7 forward nailed another 3-pointer that put Ohio State in front for good as the Buckeyes held on for the 75-72 win.
“My coaches and all my teammates believed in me, I couldn’t let them down,” Bates-Diop said following the game. “The ups and downs in this season, I had to forget all about all that and just make the shots.”
It was a breakout moment for Bates-Diop at the end of a season that was filled with a lot of ups and downs both for him as a player and the Buckeyes as a team. Bates-Diop averaged just 10 minutes per game during his freshman season and finished the year with per-game averages of 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds. He did shoot the ball from behind the 3-point line at 46.2 percent, but only attempted 39 3-pointers all season.
Bates-Diop had 12 games last season where he went scoreless — two of those he did not even see the floor. His played more than 20 minutes just once — a Dec. 10 win against High Point. But Bates-Diop had some moments, too. There was the two 3-pointer effort against VCU as well as his 14-point performance at Rutgers and a 12-point game in a road loss to Michigan.
So, what can Ohio State fans expect from Bates-Diop as he enters his sophomore season — a year which he's likely to play a much more significant role with the departure of a five-man senior class and Russell's early transition to the NBA?
The No. 1 thing Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta wants to see from Bates-Diop, like redshirt freshman guard Kam Williams, is consistency. Bates-Diop showed flashes of being a high-level offensive player, but he needs to do it night in and night out to improve his overall game.
Bates-Diop also needs to become more aggressive on both ends of the floor, but particularly on offense. There were times last season where he looked way too passive with the ball in his hands and it's perhaps the biggest reason his playing time fluctuated so much. Bates-Diop also needs to become more consistent on the defensive end. He has the size and length to be an effective defender, but needs to use it to his advantage more than he did as a freshman. You'd also like to see Bates-Diop add some weight and become physically stronger.
If he puts all of that together, Bates-Diop could have a breakout season in 2015-16 and not just a breakout game.
"I’ve said this all along just from the day Keita got here," Matta said last season. "I think he’s got a chance to be a very special player in our program.”
