OSU’s Christoph Tilly drives against the OU defense in Sunday’s exhibition game at the Schottenstein Center. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Angie Greenwood)
The Buckeyes handle the Ohio University Bobcats in a runaway exhibition victory, and their big transfers lead a productive day by the frontcourt.
Columbus, OH – When Christoph Tilly was 17 years old and the tallest player on his team, his coach saw his 7-footer’s future.
“My coach made me play point guard just to see where everybody is and develop that court vision,” Tilly said. “It’s a good advantage to have, especially the way basketball is played right now.”
Wilson Health/Orthopedics proudly sponsors the best in area sports and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Press Pros.
What a vision of passing skills Tilly displayed Sunday in Ohio State’s 103-74 victory over Ohio University in an exhibition game at the Schottenstein Center. Tilly knew who to look for and where to look, passing for seven assists to go with 14 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Had Tilly’s old coach been in the arena, he would have leaned over to the person next to him and said, “I taught Christoph to pass like that.”
Tilly, a transfer from Santa Clara, said he reads the flow and does what the game gives him.
“If I see somebody open that has a better shot than I can get, I’m passing the ball,” he said. “It’s not only me but also the teammates I have around me. They know I can pass. So every time I catch the ball, they’re trying to get open somehow.”
When head coach Jake Diebler assembled this team, he wanted more experience, higher basketball IQ, size, rebounding, versatility, scoring options and assists. Even though this wasn’t a Big Ten tussle, those attributes showed Big Ten potential Sunday against the smaller, yet physical, Bobcats, a potential unrealized last year.
The Buckeyes assisted on 26 of their 35 field goals. After Tilly, guards Bruce Thornton and Gabe Cupps had four assists, 7-2 backup center Ivan Njegovan had four assists and guard John Mobley Jr. had three assists.
Seven players attempted between five and eight shots. The ball moved, the extra pass was made, eyes were up, moving without the ball was executed at a high level. The offense found shots much more smoothly than at any point last year.
Logan Services, in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus, proudly sponsors the best area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.
Tilly’s play represents just the tip of what the Buckeyes got out of their mostly new frontcourt. The group – Tilly, Wright State transfer Brandon Noel, freshman Amare Bynum, Njegovan – combined for more well-rounded numbers than ever happened last year: 55 points on 20-of-27 shooting, 16 rebounds, 14 assists.
Noel scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting. All of his baskets were made at the rim – two of them dunks – on three assists apiece from Tilly and Mobley Jr. and one from Thornton.
OSU Senior Bruce Thornton drives against OU’s Ajay Sheldon in Sunday’s exhibition at Value City Arena.
“The common theme with most of my buckets today is our guys are pulling in multiple defenders,” Noel said. “That’s what allows me to move around and sneak behind some guys because my teammates draw so much attention, That’s one through five across the board. We’re all moving off each other.”
Noel’s role is different than at Wright State. As a Raider, the ball was in his hands much more, he was the focal point of the offense and had to create his own shots much more than he had to Sunday.
“Being able to play off others was a transition that he had to make, and I think he’s done it really well,” Diebler said. “He’s got a high IQ – you saw his cutting. He’s got some athleticism, he can finish above the rim and finish with physicality.”
The Buckeyes’ ability to cut to open spots and be found powered a 60.3% shooting day. They scored 50 points in the paint. Every other field goal came on their 10 3-pointers. Paint touches also got them to the free-throw line 29 times for 23 makes.
Minster Bank proudly sponsors the best area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.com.
“I really like his team,” Ohio U. coach Jeff Boals said. “They were really hard to guard. I don’t want to say night and day different from last year, but night and day different from last year.”
Five other players scored in double figures: Devin Royal and Bynum 13 (with three eye-opening 3-pointers), Mobley Jr. 12, Thornton 11, Njegovan 10. Last year the Buckeyes wouldn’t have come close to 103 points with a combined 36 points from Royal, Mobley Jr. and Thornton. And they struggled to win when Thornton shot only seven times.
“Our versatility offensively is going to be really important for us as the year goes on,” Diebler said. “Bruce is going to have to score for us. But I thought his decision making and poise on some of those drives and just making some of the easy reads was high level.”
The first half of the first half looked like you might expect. The Buckeyes lacked defensive energy, they allowed Ohio too many offensive rebounds and they committed too many turnovers. They were shooting well over 50%, but they trailed 24-21.
“Coming into some of those media timeouts, right around the 12-, eight-minute mark, we made sure of let’s pick it up because we can’t just come out here and sleepwalk through this game,” Noel said. “They’re too good of a team, too smart of a team. They’re going to beat us if we come out and do that. So we knew we had to change and turn something around.”
The final 10 minutes of the first half looked like a game against an Ohio team that was 16-16 and 10-8 in the MAC last year is supposed to look like. The early problems disappeared, shots continued to fall, and the Buckeyes outscored the Bobcats 31-13 to lead 52-37 at halftime.
OSU Head Coach Jake Diebler told the crowd, post-game…”You ain’t seen nothin’ yet”…or words to that effect.
Despite scoring 103 points, the Buckeyes didn’t play with the fast pace they want enough of the time. Some of that was Ohio, some of it was seven early turnovers and 16 overall.
“It was a little slower than we would have liked,” Noel said. “At times we definitely did run, but other times it was a little slow. We’re still working to improve on that.”
Ohio’s roster contains seven Central Ohio players. Ajay Sheldon from Dublin Coffman co-led the Bobcats in scoring with 14 points. The connection to Columbus is an easy one for Boals, formerly an assistant at Ohio State under Thad Matta and a mentor to Diebler.
“I’ve said this publicly – this guy right here played a huge, huge role in my professional career,” Diebler said as he sat next to Boals in the postgame news conference. “When I was a video coordinator, I learned a lot about recruiting just sitting in his office with my computer while he’s talking on the phone. And this guy never made me pay for lunch.”
Boals smiled at those memories, but he couldn’t let a chance for a quip pass.
“I need to get about 20 of those back now,” he said.
After the good work Boals’ team gave Diebler’s team Sunday, a steak dinner would be more appropriate restitution.
Koverman,Staley, Dickerson proudly supports your favorite high school sports on Press Pros Magazine.