Men’s Hoops Headed to Puerto Rico – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/18/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
December 18, 1998
Buckeyes head to Puerto Rico with 8-2 record after win over FAU
Scoonie Penn scored 21 points as Ohio State matched its win total from a year ago with a 99-70 victory over Florida Atlantic. The victory moved the Buckeyes, 8-22 a year ago, to 8-0 at the new $110-million Value City Arena. Michael Redd led the Buckeyes with 26 points. Jon Sanderson added 14 and Boban Savovic 10. Damon Arnette scored 28 points and Rino Bevis had 12.
The Buckeyes found themselves in a ballgame midway through the opening half. Arnette’s bucket at the 8:34 mark pulled the Owls to 27-25. But the Buckeyes came right back on Sanderson’s 10-footer and, after Arnette missed a 3-pointer, Penn popped in a short shot to make it 31-25. The Owls never got closer than four points again. Sanderson’s layup off a Penn assist at the 7:17 mark ignited a 10-0 run. Penn scored five points in the surge and assisted on two other baskets. Florida Atlantic was 0-for-7 from the field to the Buckeyes’ 4-for-6 during the run. Ahead 55-36 at the half, the Buckeyes reeled off 19 of the first 23 points of the second half for a 74-40 lead — their largest of the game.
Noting the game with FAU
Ohio State is now 1-0 against Florida Atlantic and 5-0 againstthe Trans-America Atlantic Conference after the 99-70 win. OSU’s 99points are the most this year, bettering the 92 points scoredagainst Tennessee-Martin last Monday. The 99 points are also themost since a 102-point effort on Dec. 14, 1996 against GeorgeMason. Ohio State’s has connected on at least one three-point fieldgoal attempt in each of the last 194 games. Michael Redd extendedthe streak with a trey at the 18:01 mark of the first half. Reddalso extended a personal streak of his own. With his 26-pointperformance, Redd has now scored in double digits in 18 consecutivegames and in 39 of his 40 career games. His first field goal of thecontest was No. 300 for his career. Ohio State had three players(Penn, Redd, Sanderson) in double figures by halftime. OSU had fourplayers in double figures for the second consecutive game…BobanSavovic finished with 10 points. Ohio State’s 55 points in thefirst half are the Buckeyes’ second-most in a half this year. OSUracked up 58 points in the first half of the season-opening winover Oakland University. Redd’s six three-pointers are tied for thethird-most in a game in OSU history. Jay Burson holds the recordwith nine in a Dec. 27, 1988 game against Florida. Ohio State lastscored 90 points in consecutive games during the 1996-97 season.OSU tallied 97 against Long Island and then 102 against GeorgeMason. Kwadjo Steele set a career-high with four points in thecontest. OSU’s 11 made 3-point goals are tied for the third-most inschool history. The Buckeyes have hit 11 3-pointers in a game threetimes this year and also set the record with 13 earlier this seasonvs. Oakland. Ohio State is now 8-2 on the season. This is thequickest an OSU team has equaled the previous season’s win total inschool history (with a minimum of eight victories). The previousrecord was during the 1915-16 (9-13)-1916-17 (15-11) seasons. JonSanderson set season-highs in assists (5) and rebounds (7) in thegame. He also tallied 14 points, his second-highest output thisyear.
WBNS-TV to televise all three games live in Puerto Rico
The Buckeyes will have every game on its 1998-99 schedule televised with the addition of the three games in Puerto Rico Dec. 21-23. WBNS (Channel 10) will air the games live at 7 p.m. each night of the tournament. Ohio State will open with Alabama-Birmingham Dec. 21 and will play either N.C. State or Middle-Tennessee State Dec. 22. All OSU games will air live on WBNS Radio (AM 1460 and FM 97.1).
Buckeye starters scoring high from the field
The five players who have started each game for Ohio State this season are knocking down 54 percent of their shots this season (212-395). Senior Jason Singleton leads the way with a 71.4 scoring average (35-49). That would be good enough for the No. 6 spot nationally but he has not averaged the NCAA minimum of five field goals per game to qualify for national rankings. Ken Johnson (.569), Jon Sanderson (.563) and Scoonie Penn (.500) are the other starters averaging .500 or more. Michael Redd (.482) rounds out the starting five.
Ohio State makes quickest turnaround in school history
Ohio State equalled its win total from last season with the win over Florida Atlantic (99-70). The win over the Owls, marked the quickest an OSU team equalled the previous season’s win total in school history (minimum eight victories). OSU finished the 1997-98 campaign with an 8-22 mark and reached that total Dec. 17. The previous record for quickest turnaround from one season to the next was during the 1915-16 to 1916-17 seasons. OSU was 9-13 in 1915-16. The Buckeyes won their ninth game the following year Jan. 13, 1917 against Oberlin (38-14). OSU finished 15-11 that season.
Radojevic leads JC team to No. 3 ranking at season midpoint
After the conclusion of the early 1998-99 recruiting season, the Ohio State class of Brent Darby, a 6-0, 185-pound guard, Slobodan Ocokoljic (o-SOAK-o-litch) a 6-8, 210-pound forward and Aleksandar Radojevic (Ra-DOY-yo-vitch), a 7-3, 245-pound center, is ranked with the Top 15 classes nationally. Hoopscoop has OSU tied at No. 15 with Kansas. Basketball Times rates the class No. 14 and Van Coleman of Future Stars rates the class No. 11. Radajevic, the only returning sophomore at Barton Country (Kan.) Community College, has helped his team to a 14-0 record and a No. 3 national ranking in the NJCAA. He has averaged 12.9 points and 7.6 rebounds to go along with 49 blocks this season.
UAB 7-3 after loss to Princeton
Brian Earl scored 18 points and Gabe Lewullis had 13 points and eight rebounds to lead Princeton to a 69-57 victory over Alabama-Birmingham Tuesday. The Tigers (5-2) shot 56 percent from the floor in the second half while the Blazers (7-3) cooled off after a hot-shooting first half. Princeton also made 18-of-21 free throws and committed just nine turnovers. Mason Rocca scored 12 points for the Tigers while Chris Krug finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Lewullis also had four steals and three assists. Fred Williams led UAB with 14 points and eight boards while Eric Holmes scored 11 points. The Blazers trailed 31-26 at halftime despite shooting 55 percent. Their shooting tailed off to 39 percent in the second half. Earl was 2-for-5 from 3-point range, tying Sean Jackson’s Princeton mark with 235 in his career. UAB has lost two straight after a six-game winning streak.
Blazers looking to rebound after losses to Auburn and Princeton
UAB began the season 7-1 before consecutive losses to No. 19 Auburn (77-64, 12/12) and Princeton (69-57, 12/15). The only other loss was at the hands of Indiana in Bloomington Nov. 18, 91-54. Wins this season have come over Alcorn State, Tulsa, Cleveland State, South Alabama, Texas-Arlington, Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State.
OSU to meet Blazers for first time
Ohio State and Alabama-Birmingham will meet for the first time when the teams tip off at the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic. The Buckeyes own a 32-20 (.615) record over members of Conference USA. OSU has faced eight other 12 league teams with St. Louis playing the most games against the Buckeyes (11-6). Ohio State has not met UAB, DePaul, UNC-Charlotte or Southern Mississippi.
OSU vs. Conference USA
Alabama Birmingham
Cincinnati 4-4
DePaul
Houston 3-0
Louisville 4-2
Marquette 5-4
Memphis 1-0
North Carolina Charlotte
South Florida 0-2
Southern Mississippi
St. Louis 11-6
Tulane 4-2
Totals 32-20
Murry Bartow at UAB
UAB’s Murry Bartow is in his third season as the Blazer head coach, after serving seven years as an assistant coach on the UAB staff. The son of legendary coach Gene Bartow, Murry played at UAB from 1980-85 and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on coach Bob Knight’s staff at Indiana (1985-87) and later was a full-time assistant at William and Mary for two seasons (1987-89).
OSU three-point field goal streak extended to 194
Ohio State has connected on at least one three-point field goal attempt over the last 194 games. Sophomore Michael Redd extended the streak with a trey early in the first half against Florida-Atlantic. The last time an OSU team missed all attempts from three-point range was Feb. 2, 1992 when the Bucks went 0 for 5 in a 68-58 OSU win over Michigan. Buckeye opponents have a streak of 185-consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made. Michigan went 0-10 from long range March 3, 1992 in an OSU 75-66 victory, marking the last time an opponent was held without a three-pointer.
Buckeye bits…
OSU is 8-0 when leading at the half…The Buckeye bench has outscored the opponents in eight of 10 games for a total 250-172 advantage…30 times a member of the Buckeyes have scored in double figures this season, Michael Redd has been in double digits in each game, Scoonie Penn seven times…Ten different Buckeyes have scored in double figures this season…Redd has scored in double figures in 39 of 40 career games, including the last 27…He has five career double-doubles.
Opponents shooting 39.3 percent
Ohio State has held 6 of 10 opponents under 40 percent shooting this season. Opponents are shooting just 39.3 percent overall from the field (221-563). Ohio State has been held under 40 percent just once. Penn State allowed the Buckeyes to connect on 26 of 66 attempts for 39.4 percent. OSU is shooting 49 percent on the season (301-614) after connecting on 35 of 67 shots (.522) against UT Martin.
Aggressive defense helps OSU
Not only is the Ohio State defense holding opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field, it has been blocking shots and helping itself with steals as well. Ohio State has blocked about three times as many shots as its opponents (47-16) and has doubled its foes in steals (90-45). Ken Johnson is the leading shot blocker with 28 while four Buckeyes have 10 or more steals. Jason Singleton leads with 24 thefts followed by Scoonie Penn (15), Michael Redd (14) and Brian Brown (11).
A pair of Buckeyes could reach 1,000 points this season
Two Buckeyes could reach 1,000 career points this season. Senior Jason Singleton (785) is just 215 short. Sophomore Michael Redd went over the 800 mark (841) with 22 vs. UT Martin. He followed that effort with 26 against Florida Atlantic. He is 159 shy after his record-setting freshman campaign (658 pts.). Another Buckeye, junior Scoonie Penn, could reach 1,000 points as well for his career. He tallied 737 during two seasons at Boston College. He has scored 154 at Ohio State leaving him 109 shy of 1,000 for his career.
Noting the Buckeyes…
Neshaun Coleman…Has played double-digit minutes in seven games this season in a backup role…High of 11 points and three three-pointers against Oakland (11/13/98)…has seven assists and six steals and just one turnover in 14.0 minutes a game this season…Has connected on his last 17 free throws, though has not been to the line this season…needs one assists to reach 200 for his career.
Scoonie Penn…Has seven double-digit scoring outings, including a season-high 24 at Toledo…is shooting 50 percent from the field (54-108), 43 percent from three-point range (22-51) and 73 percent from the foul line (24-33)…shot just 32 percent from three-point range at Boston College…has two or more threes in seven games…leads team in minutes played with 309 (30.9)…Big Ten Player of the Week (11/16)…has started all 66 games in which he has appeared…needs 3 FGs to reach 300 in career…has at least one assist in all but one game in his career (Miami, 1/2/97).
Brian Brown…Third on team with 24 assists…has scored in every game…shooting .450 (9-20) from three-point range…has connected from long range in 7 of 10 games…has an assist in every game as a Buckeye (10 gms)…played 14 or more minutes in every game.
Boban Savovic…Had career high 16 points against UT Martin…hit 6 of 8 shots vs. the Skyhawks, including 3 of 5 three-pointers…also added three assists vs. UTM…connected on 5 of 6 FTs vs. Army…scored 10 points in that game with three assists in 22 minutes…has scored in double figures in back-to-back games…has made his last seven free-throw attempts.
Michael Redd…Leads team with 18.3 ppg…also has 19 assists and 14 steals…tied for lead in rebounding with 5.6 rpg…second on team in minutes played with 29.0…has started all 40 OSU games in career…leads team with 67 FGs this season…had career high six three-pointers made vs. Oakland (11/13) and Florida Atlantic (12/17)…25 of 56 rebounds this season are on offensive end…has at least two rebounds in every game as a Buckeye (40).
Jason Singleton…Having a productive senior year…shooting .714 percent from the field (35-49)…hit 7 of 8 FTs to seal win over Alabama (11/15/98)…has played in 93 games at OSU…leads team with 2,265 career minutes…needs five rebounds to reach 300 in career…has connected on at least 60 percent of his shots from the field in 7 of 10 games this season.
Devon Smith…Has appeared in three games…played 10 minutes in win over Army (11/22/98).
Kwadjo Steele…Had career high four points against Florida-Atlantic…knocked down first career three-pointer against UT Martin…has seen action in five games…scored two points in opener against Oakland…grabbed three boards in win over Army.
Ken Johnson…Tied career high with 15 points at Vanderbilt (11/28/98)…set career high with seven blocks against both Robert Morris and Vanderbilt…hit 7 of 8 shots from the field vs. Vanderbilt…leads team with 28 blocks…season total is already about half of his total of 58 last season…seventh on all-time list with 86…has at least one block in 29 games as a Buckeye and 8 of 10 this year…tied for team lead in rebounding with 5.6 rpg…Needs 17 rebounds for 200 in career…is a career .507 FG shooter (108-213).
Jon Sanderson…Connected on 7 of 7 shots against Florida Atlantic (12/17)…had season high 18 points vs. Army…connected on 6 of 13 (.462) from three-point range…one of four Buckeyes in double figures against UT Martin (10 pts.)…has started 38 of 40 career games.
George Reese…Top player off the bench…in the game when it counts…second on team with 21 (tied with Ken Johnson) offensive rebounds…one of three Buckeyes making 70 percent of his FTs (25-34, .735)…made all six FT attempts against Vanderbilt…has connected on 14 of 16 FTs in last four games…has one double figure scoring game and six games with nine points.
Will Dudley…Has appeared in 8 of 10 games this season…shooting 65 percent from the field (11-17)…connected on all five shots against Army for career best 11 points.
Shamar Herron…Had season high five points in win over Army…has played in five games this season with high of 13 minutes against Army…had seven rebounds vs. the Cadets…24 of his 55 career rebounds have been on the offensive end of the floor.
Buckeyes Celebrating 100 Years
Ohio State celebrates 100 years of men’s basketball during the 1998-99 season. The Buckeyes first fielded a team in 1898, posting a record of 12-4. Since then, OSU has compiled a record of 1,264-902 (.584). Since joining the Big Ten, Ohio State has won or tied for 15 conference titles, winning 10 outright. OSU has an overall record in Big Ten games of 610-599 in 87 years of membership.
Along the way, the Buckeyes have produced 14 All-Americans, three Associated Press players of the year, 13 NBA first round draft picks, eight members of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, two U.S. Olympians and countless others national, international, conference and local award winners and team members.
Michael Redd scores first Buckeye basket in Value City Arena
The clock showed 18 minutes, 20 seconds remaining in the first half when Buckeye sophomore Michael Redd squared and launched a left-handed three-pointer from the right wing. The attempt found the target, giving Ohio State a 3-0 lead, marking the first official basket made at Value City Arena. For Redd, it was just the start of a 29-point effort in leading the Buckeyes to an 89-61 victory. Redd made the first shot in each of the exhibition openers as well.
Redd considered for Wooden Award
Ohio State sophomore Michael Redd is on the preseason watch list as a candidate for the prestigious John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate player. Redd is among 50 players under consideration this season.
Redd preseason all-Big Ten selection
Both the Big Ten coaches and media selected the same five players to their preseason all-Big Ten Teams at the annual media day festivities in Chicago (Oct. 25). Ohio State sophomore Michael Redd earned a selection along with Louis Bullock (Michigan), Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State), Evan Eschmeyer (Northwestern) and A.J. Guyton (Indiana). Cleaves was tabbed as the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.
