When three players transferred out of the Ohio State basketball program last season, bringing the total to four for the year, Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta knew there were some holes on his roster that needed to be filled.
Matt already had two players signed as part of college basketball’s early signing period — Derek Funderburk and Micah Potter — but with the departures at the end of the season, he added two more players to the Ohio State program.
The Buckeyes signed Andre Wesson and C.J. Jackson in the spring to bring their 2016 recruiting class to a total of four members. A point guard, two wings and a big man. Ohio State filled quite a few holes on its roster.
“The thing I love about the new guys to this point is they’ve all come in and sort of said, ‘How do I get on the court? What do I have to do to play?’” Matta said at Big Ten Media Day.
“Aaron Craft was the poster child for that. I remember when Aaron walked in and looked around the locker room, he said, ‘OK, I need to defend and I need to take care of the ball.’ I’ve used that as an example and I think that’s one of the biggest challenges you have in college basketball is perception versus reality. I think that’s when you find guys who can really contribute because they know what their role is.”
With the top-six scorers from last season’s team all returning, this group of incoming newcomers — three freshmen and Jackson, a junior college transfer, a sophomore — were always likely going to play a complimentary role in their first year on campus. We saw them play for the first time Sunday in an exhibition against Walsh, and that certainly appeared to be the case.
What follows is a player-by-player breakdown of what to expect from Funderburk, Potter, Wesson and Jackson this season.
Derek Funderburk
Funderburk was the highest-rated recruit of the four, and the 6-foot-9 wing brings a ton of versatility to Ohio State’s roster. He can play either forward spot right now and his length and athleticism is really something the Buckeyes don’t have at either of those spots right now. Yes, Keita Bates-Diop is just as long, but Funderburk is a more athletic wing player.
Minutes might be a little hard to come by for Funderburk as he’s currently behind Bates-Diop, Marc Loving and Jae’Sean Tate for time on the wing, but Matta has praised the Cleveland native’s ability to defend and that could help him get on the floor early on.
“I think Derek is a guy with his length and his athleticism, he’s making plays in practice that we haven’t made for a while,” Matta said. “That’s in terms of keeping balls alive, running the floor, pressuring the basketball with his length.”
Micah Potter
With Trevor Thompson returning at center, it was widely assumed Potter would provide Ohio State with backup minutes at that position this season. Thompson started 28 games last season for the Buckeyes; Potter is a true freshman.
But Matta started Potter at center in Ohio State’s exhibition against Walsh and said Wednesday that he’d likely start Friday’s season-opener, as well. Potter is 6-foot-9 and quite athletic, and his ability to stretch the floor makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing big guys. He’s a true stretch big man, and that’s something Matta hasn’t had in some time at Ohio State.
“Micah has been tremendous for us,” Matta said after the win over Walsh. “You look at the 32 practices that we’ve had and just his consistency all the way through. … That kid has a chance to be a heck of a basketball player here.”
Andre Wesson
Like Funderburk, Wesson will be battling for minutes on the wing this season. But Wesson also provides the Buckeyes with a unique ability to play the off-guard position, too, as he’s a very capable shooter from behind the 3-point line.
At 6-foot-6, Wesson can defend multiple positions for Ohio State, as well, and was a lockdown defender in high school. And as Matta has shown in the past, the best way to get on the floor early is to defend at a high level. Wesson can do exactly that, so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s used as the season progresses.
“Just being an energetic guy, bringing energy to the team off the bench,” Wesson said. “I just want to play my role and do whatever I have to do to help the team win.”
Added Matta: “He’s a guy that can stretch a defense and he’s one of those guys who does what he’s supposed to do. Defensively, one of the things we loved was he took three charges in the state semifinal game and he’s just got great basketball savvy.”
C.J. Jackson
Because he plays a position of need, Jackson will play plenty this season for Ohio State. Right now he’s the backup point guard to JaQuan Lyle as those two are the only two players on the roster who play that position.
Jackson spent last season at Eastern Florida ? so he only has three years of eligibility remaining, but he showed a comfortability Sunday in the exhibition that made it seem like adjusting to life at Ohio State wasn’t all that difficult. He had six assists and zero turnovers in 16 minutes off the bench against the Cavaliers and can certainly provide the Buckeyes with a spark off the bench when Lyle needs a breather.
“It was a big difference in the beginning, but my teammates have confidence in me and they just keep talking to me on the side. I just learn every day, try to learn something new every day, and just pick up things. Coach [Greg] Paulus was a great point guard so I just try to learn after him and it gets easier over time.”
