With the season opener against Cincinnati (Nov. 7) just a few weeks away, the Ohio State basketball program decided to open up their practice today to students. As students, we decided to attend and give you a rundown.
Early Action
Ohio State started the visible portion of practice going over late-in-shot-clock situations. The lineups were as follows:
Gray Team:
- G C.J. Jackson
- G Luther Muhammad
- G/F Musa Jallow
- F/C Micah Potter
- C Kaleb Wesson
- G/F Andre Wesson*
- G Danny Hummer**
Scarlet Team:
- G Duane Washington
- G Keyshawn Woods
- G/F Justin Ahrens
- F Kyle Young
- F Jaedon LeDee
- G/F Andre Wesson*
- G Joey Lane**
*Andre Wesson was switched back and forth from each team.
**Walk-ons, didn't receive any time during these situational drills.
An interesting note: throughout the drill, coach Chris Holtmann kept reiterating "be the better team!" Perhaps this will be a consistent mantra for the 2018-19 Buckeyes.
Scrimmage
After this, the teams were jumbled and played a six-minute scrimmage. Scoring wasn't necessarily at a premium, with the Gray team pulling off the 14-13 victory.
Here's a few highlights:
Andre Wesson lays it in on the pass from Keyshawn Woods:
Luther Muhammad finds Micah Potter for the layup:
A few notes from the scrimmage:
- Kyle Young looked quite comfortable shooting from long range. Young went 1-3 from 3pt in the scrimmage, but also consistently made outside shots during drills.
- Duane Washington and Luther Muhammad were lethal defensively, with each forcing turnovers.
- C.J. Walker did not participate in drills or scrimmage, but was seen in sweats on the bench and on the court after the practice.
Addressing the Crowd
After the players did another drill for five minutes, practice officially ended. Following this, the players introduced themselves to the fans.
Then, senior Joey Lane and coach Chris Holtmann addressed the crowd.
While Holtmann was a bit hard to hear (he turned down the opportunity to use a microphone), he mentioned that the incorporation of students into the game atmosphere was vitally important to program success.
"You guys are super important to how we perform on the floor. There’s a connection between you guys and what we do. There just is. You bring energy and life."
After Practice
Following Holtmann's address, students were allowed on the court to first take a group picture, and then take individual pictures with players and coaches and meet them, should the students choose to do so.
Shoutout to the @BuckeyeNutHouse for joining us for practice today! Cant wait to see you all season! pic.twitter.com/WhdPZSai3N
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) October 15, 2018
Players also shot around, including senior guard C.J. Jackson.
Overall, the open practiced served as a unique opportunity for students to be able to meet the players and coaches they will be cheering on this upcoming season.
