E.J. Liddell Becomes the Program’s 60th 1,000-point Scorer
1/28/2022 8:00:18 AM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With his 23 points last night against Minnesota, junior forward E.J. Liddell became the program’s 60th player to reach 1,000 career points.
Liddell has reached the mark in his 77th career game. This season, he is averaging a career-best 19.6 points per game and is shooting over 52 percent from the floor. He made 27 three-pointers last season and is well on his way to topping that mark this year as he has made 25 threes. Liddell is also one of the top players in the country in drawing fouls and he has converted 85-of-115 attempts this season.
As a freshman in 2019-20, he came off the bench in all 31 games and averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. He learned the collegiate game along side of guys like Kaleb Wesson, Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington Jr. that year and there are traits of those guys that are evident in Liddell’s game today.
Last season as a sophomore, with the absence of Wesson and a freshman Zed Key inside, Liddell’s role shifted a bit. Despite the change, he emerged as budding superstar. He was a first team All-Big Ten player, averaging 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor. Last year thrust him into the national spotlight and he has lived up to the lofty expectations this season. And the good part for Buckeye fans, it’s not over. The fun part is hopefully just beginning.
With Liddell becoming the 60th Buckeye in program history to reach 1,000 points, Ohio State is now one of nine schools in the country with 60 or more 1,000-point scorers. Other schools on the list are North Carolina (78), Louisville (69), Duke (67), Villanova (67), Notre Dame (65), Syracuse (64), Kansas (62) and Kentucky (60) – research compiled but Mike DeGeorge at Duke.
The last Buckeye to hit 1,000 career points was Duane Washington Jr. last season. He reached the mark with a 24-point effort in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal win over Michigan on March 13, 2021. He finished with 1,073 career points.
Dennis Hopson is the program leader in career points with 2,096 from 1983-84 to 1986-87. He averaged 29.0 points per game as a senior which is the third highest for a single-season in program history. Hopson made 67 career three-pointers and all of them came in his senior year.
Other notables:
Jon Diebler (2008-11) finished with 1,536 career points. He made a school-record 374 career three-pointers and just 99 two-point field goals. His 99 two-pointers are by far the fewest of any of the 1,000-point scorers.
Gary Braads (1962-64) hit the mark in just three seasons and obviously made zero three-pointers. He averaged 28.0 and 30.6 points per game over his final two seasons. His 735 points as a senior are the second-most in a single-season behind Hopson’s 958 in 1986-87.
Robin Freeman (1954-56) played in just 55 career games over his three seasons and finished with 1,597 career points. He had season averages of 21.1 ppg, 31.5 ppg and a program record 32.9 ppg in 1955-56. Freeman reached 1,000 points in just 39 games.
William Buford (2009-12) was as consistent of a scorer as the program has had. After averaging 11.3 ppg as a freshman he averaged 14.4 ppg, 14.4 ppg and 14.5 ppg over his final five seasons. What a luxury for a coach knowing you could pencil him in for 14 points each time out. Buford finished his career third in program his with 1,990 career points.
Scoonie Penn (1999-00) and Jared Sullinger (2011-12) are the only two Buckeyes to get 1,000 career points in just two seasons as a Buckeye. Penn played his first two seasons at Boston College before transferring to Ohio State. He made 88 three-pointers and scored 609 points during the Buckeyes’ Final Four season in 1999 and finished with 1,076 points as a Buckeye. Over his four-year collegiate career, Penn scored 1,813 points. Sullinger was dominate as a freshman, averaging 17.2 ppg and then he too led the Buckeyes to the Final Four in 2012, averaging 17.5 points. He finished with 1,282 career points and went on to be a first-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics.
Sam Thompson (2012-15) scored a team-high 18 points in an NCAA Sweet 16 loss to Arizona on March 21, 2015. He reached 1,000 points in that game which was also his final game as a Buckeye. “Slam” Thompson finished with 1,001 career points.
CLICK HERE for a complete list of Ohio State 1,000-point scorers.
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