Christian Lautenschleger/The LanternOhio State sophomore guards Evan Turner (left), Jon Diebler (middle) and junior forward David Lighty (right) address the local media yesterday. OSU hosts Walsh in an exhibition game tonight at 7 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center.“I thought it was going to be a tune-up for the season,” sophomore guard Evan Turner said. “I had no clue.”
The Buckeyes are looking to avoid a repeat performance in tonight’s exhibition match-up with Walsh University.
With the departures of starting point guard Jamar Butler, center Kosta Kufos and power forward Othello Hunter, this year’s OSU team is a young and inexperienced squad, but those who returned remember the loss to Findlay.
“I have to say, everybody from last year doesn’t want it to happen again,” junior small forward David Lighty said. “It’s game time now. Every game it’s time to go 100 percent.”
Coach Thad Matta recognizes the underdog mentality present in exhibition games.
“A team like Walsh comes in here with nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Matta said.
The losses of Butler, Kufos and Hunter create massive holes in the starting lineup, but Matta has some new blood to help fill the void. Still, he knows there will be growing pains with a young team.
“We’ve had to coach it harder than any team we’ve ever coached before,” Matta said. “When you don’t have a core of veteran players with vast experience you find yourself backing up and explaining a lot.
“We’re really strong about ask questions if you don’t know because at times, as a coach, you want to get to the next thing so fast and you’re assuming that they know exactly what you’re talking about, and in hindsight they don’t know anything.”
Freshman center B.J. Mullens, a seven-footer out of Canal Winchester is going to be relied upon to produce much from the inside.
Matta joked about Mullens’ progress compared to that of former Buckeye Greg Oden.
“He’s a lot better than Greg was two years ago because Greg wasn’t playing,” Matta said.
After the Oct. 25 open practice Matta said he felt the team was average, giving them a C grade.
Tonight’s game is an opportunity for Matta and his staff to evaluate Mullens and the rest of the Buckeyes against competition and get answers to a lot of questions.
Matta wants to see how the Buckeyes execute on both ends of the court and how they respond in moments of adversity.
“How hard do we play? How do we handle adversity?” Matta said. “Walsh is a very good basketball team. [If] they hit six straight points on us, where do we go from there? Who takes charge?
“I would say we’re making some gains, Letter grade-wise I think I’m going to stay with a C, motivate these guys to get into B range.”
Notes:
Sophomore power forward Dallas Lauderdale will not play in tonight’s game. Sophomore forward Nikola Kecman, suspended for the first 12 games of the regular season is eligible for tonight’s exhibition game but Matta was not sure if he would play. Matta said juniors P.J. Hill, Jeremie Simmons and freshman Anthony Crater will all see time at the point guard position.
James Crepea can be reached at [email protected].
