A New Flavor – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/16/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
November 16, 1998
Power forward George Reese is on a mission. Not a mission from God but a mission to help pull the Buckeyes up from their 8-22 record last season.
As a transfer student from John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., Reese averaged 20.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He had signed a letter of intent with South Florida but left after one year. He attended Columbus State but did not play basketball. With his options open, he enrolled at John A. Logan.
An offer to play at Ohio State came up and Reese debated whether he would accept. After long deliberation, Reese choose OSU. Not because of the new arena but because of the coaching staff and team atmosphere.
Now, he is ready to step on the court and get the job done despite the stigma that has followed the team since last year. The negatives have given him the motivation to excel on the court and prove the masses wrong.
“I’m competitive,” he said. “That’s the way I’ve always been. I’m not out there just to be out there. I want to try and kill the opponent.”
His fool-proof plan to “kill the opponent” is to catch them sleeping on the court. Not literally, but to catch the opponent when they’re not paying attention.
“That’s my motto coming into OSU,” he said. “A lot of people are sleeping on us as a team and me as a player.”
Reese said people are not expecting him to do anything spectacular, but he wants to surprise all of the ‘sleepers’ in the crowd. Since the start of the season, he’s already shown fans and the coaching staff that he’s ready to work. By posting 14 points and eight rebounds against Marathon Basketball, he’s shown his dedication and commitment to the program.
“I’m just going to work hard and put myself in a good scoring position,” he said.
A position absent in the squad last year. Without a forward to score around the basket it was difficult for the Buckeyes to have a physical presence in the front.
“George has been a pleasant addition to the front court,” Dave Spiller, OSU assistant coach, said. “He has a lot of potential to score which will make him a threat as the season progresses.”
The coaching staff seems to think Reese adds a certain flavor to the mix of the team. His leadership skills stand out on the court as well as in the locker room, Spiller said.
But Reese admits he wouldn’t be where he is now without the total support of his family.
“They made the sacrifices for me, like getting shoes or whatever I needed,” he said. “If that didn’t happen, who knows where I would be.”
His mother Mary Reese said she and her husband were supportive of George’s decision to attend OSU.
“We were leaning toward OSU because its home,” she said. “His family and friends are here. But whatever he decided, we were still very proud of him.”
Although Reese has his mind made up to be triumphant on the court, he knows without his teammates no goals will be achieved.
“We think we can play with anybody,” he said. “We have some new additions and it’s going to be a lot different this year.”
Those additions are bringing the team up from the ashes and creating wins for OSU. Like Reese, the team thinks they have a chance to win big in post-season play.
“We’re taking it one step at a time but we know we can do well as long as we remain competitive,” he said.
“We have a lot of weapons this year. With a point guard and a shooting guard we can hurt other teams in a lot of ways.”
Spiller said Reese’s toughness has given OSU more depth and a balance on offense that has been absent in recent years.
“He’s a go to guy,” Spiller said. “If he gets the ball, he can take it to the basket and score.”
If there is one thing that excites Reese about this season, it’s the new home of Buckeye basketball. The Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center is impressive just to the average spectator. But for Reese, it’s the big time. “The school has made the commitment to us by building this new arena,” he said. “Now it’s time for us to bring in some wins for the people.”
Those wins will end all talk about a failing season, which will please Reese as well as the team and the coaching staff.
“I don’t want people to talk about the arena first and the team second,” he said. “It’s what they’re doing now because of last seasons record. That’s what we have to change for this season.”
George Reese’s mission is not impossible. Nor does he feel it is impossible to have a winning season. With two years of eligibility left, Reese is pushing himself and his team to the limit.
“It’s important that we stick together on and off the court,” he said. “We get along well.”
by Christy Calloway
OSU Athletic Communications
