Well, at one point not that long ago DePaul was a basketball powerhouse.
Wasnāt that that in the late 70s through the mid 80s though? Thatās pretty long for me lol. I only started paying attention to them in the late 2000s after my brother got his masters from there and theyāve been incredibly brutal since then.
Maybe not ābasketball powerhouseā but when Quentin Richardson was there they had some pretty solid years
Yep. Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings, Rod Strickland and Tyrone Corbin all played there, among others. And then they had a brief revival under Pat Kennedy around 1999-2000 which included Quentin Richardson and Bobby Simmons. Also beat us out for a recruit back then (Andre Brown) who played a year or two in the league. Wilson Chandler also went to DePaul. They were a top five program from around 1979-1983.
Ohio State way down? How much farther down from where they were last season do you think the Buckeyes can go? LOL
BTW, I donāt disagree. : )
I think one aspect in particular w/this Ohio State team is they are going to be a pissed off bunch of kids on floor. If they donāt play with that attitude, then, for sure, Thad Matta will be gone. Not saying they will play well as an angry team ; ) ā¦just that they should do soā¦
Anyway, hereās a decent look at Ohio State next season by a twitter account who usually provides informed takes:
https://twitter.com/OSUBballInsider/status/867426330245246977
The point guard position will be tested.
Not sure thereās enough quality there.
The backup, Braxton Beverly, is a post-grad player from Hargrave Military.
Had 70 pts in a Hargrave game two seasons ago. 14-20 from three. 18-20 at the FT line.
Has a very good shot.
But thatās not his best attribute.
I saw Hargrave play twice this season.
Braxton can run an offense and handle the ball well versus pressure.
One thing he might be able to do is help solidify Ohio Stateās offense with consistent play.
Given the inconsistency of JaQuan Lyle is gone, Ohio Stateās PG position might actually be in better hands. (We can talk about terms all we want but Iām saying that purely from an all round perspective)
https://twitter.com/OSUBballInsider/status/867431992933199872
These words typify the life of a Buckeye basketball fan right now:
Well, Iāve been down so Goddamn long
That it looks like up to me
Well, Iāve been down so very damn long
(So why not be optimistic?) : )
https://twitter.com/OSUBballInsider/status/867432209501782017
I havenāt seen Kaleb Wesson play in person but Iāve watched entire televised games of his and almost every single one of any videos heās been in. Heāll do it a different way but I think heāll match Trevor Thompsonās output from last season plus, my opinion, I think heāll be a better all round playerā¦next season. Kaleb got the better of Gahannaās (MSU now) Nick Ward in big games when Nick was a senior in HS. Before Kaleb lost 70 pounds. Heās a gifted passer for a big man. I think itās possible he hit over 50% of his three point attempts last season. His footwork is of the old school you canāt touch it style. Heāl get his shots off. Foot speed/mobility and conditioning got way better as last season went on. He might be the surprise of the Big 10 freshman class next season.
So, Wesson = Thompson, maybe eclipses him.
I feel Funderburk is just going to help Ohio State out more than Marc Loving was capable of. This one could be shaky because you never know how a freshman will react. But just his energy on court will make a difference. Think Daniel Giddens with actual skills beyond his athletic ability.
https://twitter.com/OSUBballInsider/status/867433450176905218
So, thatās my take. A lot rides on two unsung freshman but also on some talented players like JaeāSean Tate and Keita Bates-Diop who have to be just outright sick of all the crap theyāve been a part of, and have had to endure.
Itās absolutely possible the Buckeyes may not make any headway this season. If Thad Matta canāt find a way to sew quality into the fabric of this next seasonās team then itās been nice knowing you Coach Matta. Heāll be asked to retire.
Hope I havenāt been boorish here. But thatās how I choose to see next seasonās team.
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Why arenāt you a writer for an OSU site???
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Haha, good pointā¦I think they actually could take a jump record wise. I was always a big fan of Lyle but it definitely sounds like a potential addition by subtraction there. And regardless of what 5 players Marta brings out the Buckeys seem to have the upper hand against our team pretty much every year. Just seems weird seeing all these conference previews with Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa, Penn State ahead of the classic big ten quality teams
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Iām just a hack. LOL
I enjoyed that the only two words you misspelled in your message were Marta & Buckeys. A sense of humor is always most appreciated. : )
A surprise out of Ahio could happen next season but I sure wouldnāt bet any money on it. It is put up or shut up time in Columbus. Unfortunately, if itās a season gone wrong again great kids like Kam Williams and JaeāSean Tate leave the program and itās worse than it was then they started. Not exactly what you want to take with you as players into the twilight years.
This could have been the season JaQuan Lyle put it all together and made a nice little step forward, overall. He got his deep shot going last season. Add onto that in significant ways and he might have had himself a chip to bargain with. I really do wonder what will happen to him from here on out. I do wish him an excellent turnaround some day, some way.
Iām actually glad to see the conference upheaval. Itās always more interesting when fluctuation of conference teams from bottom to top and top to bottom occurs. My team just had to be one headed down but I think Iām going to enjoy the Ohio State turnaround whenever that occurs. 2024-2025? : )
UM is in a good spot right now. Talent coming in and a chance to show again next season the quality of head coach the Wolverines have. John Beilein really is an excellent coach.
Best wishes to everyone to have a safe Memorial Weekend.
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Do you know if heās a walk on?
Thatās why I took it down. Heās a PWO
Gregory Eboigbodin is here in champaign today for a visit. Not sure heās the quality big man theyāre in desperate need of but I guess heās 6ā9? Commuted to Illinois-Chicago so not sure if theyāre releasing him or letting him out of his loi.
At this point, they just need bodies on the frontline, right?
Correct. Heās not a guy who can contribute anything in year one or two IMO. He needs a few years to be a big ten caliber player. They need help immediately.
I see Illinois 10th/11th this year in the big ten. Adding Greg doesnāt move them up at all this year.
Illinois fans would go crazy if they had just one of Davis/Teske on their roster right now 
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Joint press conference with Thad Matta and Gene Smith today at 2 p.m.
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Is Jim Tressel going to fire them both?
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I feel bad for Matta. He doesnāt look healthy to me, and I suspect that is a big part of his struggles.
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Bizarre to announce you are going to coach one more year and then retireā¦ sounds like Matta was not a fan of this presser occurring.
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Also, I know he has had back problems, but he is only 49 years old. Young to retire.