Ohio State enters the 2006 season expected to compete for another Big 10 championship. But Jim Foster’s team also has many questions to answer. While Jessica Davenport, the conference’s best player, returns, the Buckeyes will have to fill several major holes.
Point Guard: Perhaps the biggest hole is point guard. Last year two players, Ashley Allen and Kim Wilburn rotated at point for Foster. Together they averaged almost 6 assists a game, had an assist to turnover ratio of almost 2 and Wilburn was named the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year. The Buckeye offense averaged 71 points a game and they shot almost 50% from the field. Replacing those two will be Foster’s main challenge in 2006.
He is likely to again have more than one player who gets significant minutes at this spot. This time, the players getting minutes will likely be freshmen. Cherise Daniel will be one of the quickest players in the Big 10 while Maria Moeller has a solid all-around game. Their fellow frosh Shavelle Little may also get time at point and will likely take Wilburn’s spot as defensive stopper. Asking a group of freshmen to run this veteran team is far from ideal. How well they do will go a long way in determining how well OSU does this year.
Wings: Ideally, Foster would have one of the top 2/3 combinations in the league if not the country. But reaching that ideal should be very difficult for the Buckeyes. Last season’s starters, shooting guard Marscilla Packer and small forward Brandi Hoskins both return.
Packer had an outstanding sophomore season. She is an excellent shooter who hit an exceptional 47% of her 171 three-point attempts. Although she only averaged 10.8 points a game, by the end of the season she had become the Buckeyes go to player on offense. She’s an excellent defender and passer and should only keep getting better. Her running mate at wing, Hoskins, also had an excellent season. She finished second on the team in scoring and assists and was one of the top wing defenders in the conference. Hoskins was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 10 tournament after leading the Buckeyes to the championship.
They should be about the best around. There is, however, a big “but” in the equation. Perhaps the worst thing about the Buckeyes upset loss in the NCAA tournament was that Hoskins tore her Achilles tendon. She underwent surgery to repair it March 29. Rehab from that surgery usually takes nine to ten months. It will be almost exactly nine months to the day between her surgery and the Buck’s first Big 10 game. Assuming she plays this season, she is not likely to be near 100% before the middle to end of the conference race. While that will help in the post-season, it will hurt OSU before then.
Behind them will be two or three players who should provide adequate back-up. Steady senior Stephanie Blanton, who will likely step in until Hoskins returns, won’t score much but she doesn’t make mistakes. Sophomore Ashlee Trebilcock will be eligible after transferring from UCLA. Trebilcock was highly thought of coming out of high school, but only averaged 3 points in 4 games for the Bruins her freshman year.
Posts: The posts players have been one of the main strengths of the Buckeyes for the past few seasons. Jessica Davenport returns at center so they will be strong in the post again. Davenport is the 2 time Big 10 Player of the Year who should make it three POY awards in a row this year. She is a dominating post player and there is no one in the league who can match up with her combination of size, athleticism and strength.
The power forward will likely be 6’2 junior Tamarah Riley. Riley has been a valuable back-up in her first two seasons. She will have to take the spot of Debbie Merrill. Merrill, provided an excellent compliment to Davenport. She was a potent enough player to force opponents to pay constant attention to her. That allowed Davenport to escape double teams and gimmick defenses. Riley will have to step into that role.
The other posts competing for minutes will be junior Alice Jamen, who has been little more than a spot player for her first two seasons, the undersized Star Allen, who made very minimal contributions as a freshman and two true freshmen. Both of the freshman have the potential to be have huge impacts for the Buckeyes. 6’5 Andrea Walker is Davenport’s successor and will spend the season learning. 6’1 power forward Leslie Mason-Cox is considered to be one of the top freshman power forwards in the country. She’s both strong and athletic. Mason-Cox has more potential than Riley. If she becomes acclimated to the college game quickly, she could supplant Riley in the starting lineup. If that happens, the Buckeyes post game will again be exceptional.
Summary: The Buckeyes are a team that lost a lot to graduation but return even more. Jessica Davenport alone makes them likely to stay near the top of the Big 10 standings. Marscilla Packer has all the appearances of becoming a truly special player and she will pick up much of the slack left by graduation and the injury to Hoskins. If Hoskins can return to form the Buckeyes could again win the league.
OSU fell flat on its collective face in the 2005 NCAA tournament. That memory will be one of the main obstacles they have to overcome this year. Foster has a reputation for having teams that are always good but never quite great. The 2006 Buckeyes don’t look like they will hurt that reputation in any way.
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