It’s fair to say that Ohio State is a next-man-up program. One season’s class of seniors or the occasional gifted junior moves on and another crop of talented underclassmen bubble to the surface.
Sure, there have been the occasional anomalies like the 2006-07 freshman class of Greg Oden, Mike Conley and Daequan Cook, but most of the top Buckeyes manage to at least reach upperclassman status if they don’t fully graduate.
Terence Dials begat David Lighty, who begat Evan Turner, who begat William Buford, who begat Deshaun Thomas, and the circle continues unbroken forever and ever, amen.
Experience is a key at OSU, particularly in the Thad Matta era.
This season’s Buckeyes are loaded with experience. Matta’s nine-man rotation features two seniors and five juniors, nearly all of whom have had at least one occasion of strapping the team to their backs and carrying it to a victory.
All of this makes finding minutes very difficult for freshman forward Marc Loving. The 6’7″, 215-pound product of Saint John’s HS in Toledo, Ohio is a scorer with a lanky body that will fill out as he reaches his upperclass years.
His description should sound familiar.
Following a Tradition
In 2010, a dominant scorer from Fort Wayne, Ind., arrived on the OSU campus and proceeded to establish himself as a dangerous scorer off Matta’s bench. Three years later, Deshaun Thomas was an NBA draft pick.
The 2011 class brought in a talented transplant from Mississippi by way of New Jersey. His…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Basketball: What Will Marc Loving’s Impact Be in B1G Play?
