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LOCATION: Athens, OH
CONFERENCE: Mid-American (East)
LAST SEASON: 18-10 (.643)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 12-6 (t-3rd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Bobcats
COLORS: Hunter Green & White
HOMECOURT: Convocation Center (13,000)
COACH: Larry Hunter (Ohio '71)
record at school 165-124 (10 years)
career record 470-200 (23 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Geno Ford (Ohio '97)
John Rhodes (Ohio '88)
Bill Fournier (New England '97)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 24-16-17-5-18
RPI (last 5 years) 44-112-94-250-75
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Ohio coach Larry Hunter lobbied for a postseason bid and failed. When the NIT snub became official, he wondered why. Hunter had a good case. Ohio won 18 games, led the Mid-American Conference in attendance (6,567), picked up an impressive non-conference victory at Syracuse and had two of the MAC's top performers in its lineup. "I really thought we earned one (NIT bid)," Hunter said. Ohio's early-season upset of Syracuse was impressive, but the NIT selection committee probably looked closer at losses to Cleveland State and Central Michigan. Losing to MAC champion Kent three times didn't help either. Still, nothing can tarnish what the Bobcats achieved. "I give our guys a lot of credit," Hunter said. "We've got some competitors."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C+ BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT B+ INTANGIBLES C+
Ohio has five of its top seven players back, but must develop some depth. The Bobcats' bench was woefully weak. Kent's substitutes outscored the Ohio bench players 50-0 in a late-season game. Shaun Stonerook and Sanjay Adell are all-conference players. Who joins them in that category is the key this season. Anthony Jones should have an immediate impact. Bobcats coach Larry Hunter said he plans to use all three of the freshmen, so that will help with the depth problem. The MAC East Division is strong, with Kent, Akron, Bowling Green and Marshall all fielding veteran squads. Ohio should be somewhere in the middle. |
Ohio more than tripled its wins from the previous season (5-21) in the nation's third-best turnaround. Hunter made a nice comeback himself, recovering from one of his worst seasons to one of his best. He ranks seventh in MAC history with 165 wins (165-124) in 10 seasons. His overall record (470-200 in 23 seasons) is equally impressive. Missing from last year's team are guard LaDrell Whitehead (18.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg) the league's second-leading scorer and a first team All-MAC player and forward Diante Flenorl (9.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) who completed his eligibility with a solid season. Also gone is 6-11, 260-pound center Nick Terry (1.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg) who said he was unhappy in two years at Ohio and transferred to NCAA Division II California (Pa.). Junior forward Jeremy Thrapp (1.4 ppg. 0.8 rpg) didn't come back for his junior season. The LaFerla twins redshirt freshman guards Justin and Jason are concentrating on academics this season. The returning players outweigh the losses. Ohio's Shaun Stonerook (13.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg), a 6-8, 230-pound senior forward, is a hard worker in the lane and one of three returning starters. Stonerook was voted second team All-MAC. He captured the league rebounding title, edging out Miami (Ohio) All-American Wally Szczerbiak (8.5). "He's a warrior," Hunter said. Stonerook showed his versatility by leading the Bobcats in rebounding, field-goal percentage (.548), assists (3.6) and steals (59). Although Whitehead was sensational at times, Stonerook was Ohio's top player. In a mid-February victory over Western Michigan, he showed he could dominate a game without scoring big. Stonerook was 0-for-3 from the field against the Broncos and made four free throws for four points. But he also grabbed 18 rebounds, handed out six assists and made five steals. His seven turnovers were forgiven. Mr. Unsung for the Bobcats is 6-6, 230-pound senior forward Sanjay Adell, another returning starter. Adell (15.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) received honorable mention All-MAC honors and was chosen Ohio's co-MVP with Whitehead and Stonerook. Adell finished eighth in the league in scoring and 10th in rebounding. The other returning regular is 5-10 junior Dustin Ford (5.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg), who shared playing time at point guard with 5-10 senior Corey Reed (3.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.1 apg). Sophomore Patrick Flomo, 6-8, 210, will fit right in at Flenor's old forward spot. Flomo (5.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 27 blocked shots) appeared in every game as a freshman, averaging 18.6 minutes of playing time. Also back is 6-5 sophomore forward Jason Crawford (1.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg) who averaged 8.9 minutes a game. The key addition is 6-4, 210-pound Anthony Jones (Garden City CC/Garden City, Kan.) who is athletic and versatile enough to play several positions. Jones (15.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is a junior with two seasons of playing eligibility at Ohio. He helped lead Garden City to a 23-6 record and the finals of the Kansas Jayhawk Conference tournament. "He is most naturally a small forward, but has the skills to play the guard position effectively," Hunter said. "He has the ability to score and create, while also having a feel for getting others involved offensively. Anthony had nearly 100 steals last season at Garden City and should fit in well with our pressing style and emphasis on defense." Jones is from Austin, Texas (Regan HS), where he made all-state first team with averages of 19.3 points and 6.0 rebounds. His college career started at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, as a freshman wide receiver on the football team. He played one season of basketball at Temple (Texas) Junior College, where he averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. The Bobcats added a pure shooter in 6-3 freshman Adam Howell (Lexington HS/Lexington, Ohio) who averaged 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season. Hunter added some instant inside help by signing 6-7, 240-pound freshman Brandon Hunter (Withrow HS/Cincinnati, Ohio) who averaged 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds as a senior. Hunter considered some other MAC schools, including Marshall. Ohio had a good connection through Withrow coach George Jackson, who played for Hunter at Wittenberg. Hunter was chosen MVP of the Wendy's Classic in July, beating out McDonald's All-American Jason Gardner of Team Indiana. Ohio's other freshman signee is 6-6 Steve Esterkamp (LaSalle HS/Cincinnati) who averaged 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds while earning Greater Cincinnati co-Player-of-the-Year honors. His older brother, Dave, plays for Bowling Green. Thomas Stephens is a 6-1 freshman playing football for the Bobcats and is expected to join the basketball squad as a walk-on. Stephens (Springfield South HS/Springfield, Ohio) averaged 19.0 points and 6.0 assists as a senior. His future might be in football, however. "Stephen probably sees himself as a wide-out or defensive back," Ohio football coach Jim Grobe said. "But he could be a great option quarterback. He can run, he's got height and a cannon arm." Ohio also has two redshirts joining the active roster 6-6, 230-pound sophomore Shaun McVicker and 6-11, 240-pound freshman Asa Jewett. McVicker sat out last season as a transfer from the University of Charleston (W.Va.), an NCAA Division II program, where he averaged 6.8 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds as a freshman. Jewett (West HS/Portsmouth, Ohio) averaged 14.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in high school. As a senior he recorded eight double-doubles and one triple-double. Ohio has also picked up a transfer 6-8, 230-pound Jon Sanderson from Ohio State who is sitting out this season and has two to play. Sanderson started 58 of 65 games in two years at Ohio State (7.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg). On last season's Final Four team, he started 30 of 35 games (5.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg). Sanderson is the second Ohio State player to leave for Athens in the last two seasons, joining Stonerook, who came aboard last year. "Jon is a high-caliber player who will make his presence known when he becomes eligible," Hunter said. "We are getting a player who has a good package of size, strength, experience and the ability to score."
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