Brown secures 64-61 win over Illinois in closing seconds – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/6/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
February 6, 1999
Brian Brown sank a pair from the line with 5.1 seconds left to seal the victory as No. 17 Ohio State snapped an 11-game losing streak against Illinois, 64-61. Michael Redd broke a 61-61 tie by making a free throw with 29 seconds left. Illinois had three chances to win in the final 15 seconds. With 13 seconds left, a pull-up jumper by Cory Bradford was off the mark but the rebound was knocked out of bounds by Ohio State’s Scoonie Penn. On the ensuing inbounds attempt, Victor Chukwudebe was short off a lob pass and Sergio McClain was fell to the floor on a follow attempt. Michael Redd grabbed the ball and passed to Brown, who raced into the frontcourt before being fouled. After making both attempts, Illinois got the ball into the frontcourt but Bradford was fouled before getting off his three-point attempt. He missed the first and intentionally missed the second but was unable to run down the loose rebound. Penn and Redd led Ohio State with 15 points apiece. Redd had 11 of his points in the second half for the Buckeyes, who trailed nearly the entire game. Bradford, a redshirt freshman had a season-high 29, including six three-pointers.
Big Ten, Buckeyes scoring high in RPI and Sagarin
Ohio State is ranked No. 19 in the latest RPI Rankings (2/1/99) and No. 13 in the Sagarin computer ratings. The Big Ten sits atop both computer rankings ahead of the ACC. Eight league schools are rated among the top 64 schools in the RPI while nine are so rated in the Sagarin.
Redd back in Wooden contention
Michael Redd was on the initial list of players considered for the John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in College basketball. The list was then reduced as the season progressed. Redd was removed from the list but has not been place back in contention along with nine others. Redd, Quincy Lewis of Minnesota and Dean Oliver of Iowa are the most recent Big Ten candidates.
No. 15 ranking highest since 1992
The No. 15 ranking for Ohio State in the Associate Press poll this week is the highest since the Buckeyes ended the 1991-92 season No. 3. The Buckeyes went from unranked (No. 28) in the AP Top 25 poll to its current position for a jump of 13 spots following 29-point wins over both Purdue (73-42) and Minnesota (89-60) last week.
Eight-game improvement one of best in OSU history
The Buckeyes won eight games last season and have already improved that mark by eight games this year (16-6). The record for improving in the win column from one season to the next at Ohio State is 14 from 1958-59 (11-11) to 1959-60 (25-3). The Buckeyes won the national title in 1960. Ohio State has made two, 10-game improvements 1918-19 (7-12) to 1919-1920 (17-10) and from 1990-91 (17-13) to 1991-1992 (27-4). OSU has made four previous eight-game improvements. The last was from 1966-67 (13-11) to 1967-68 (21-8). In five of the seven years in which the Buckeyes have improved in the win column from one season to next by at least eight games, Ohio State has won or shared the Big Ten title five times.
Redd earns third Big Ten honor
Redd earned his third Big Ten Player of the Week honor by averaging 24.5 points and 4.5 assists and helping the Buckeyes to wins over two Top 20 opponents (No. 16 Purdue/No. 17 Minnesota) last week. In the win over the Boilermakers, Redd scored 30 points, which included a 14-for-21 outing (67 percent) from the field. Against Minnesota, Redd scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. He shot 57 percent on the week (21-37).
Buckeyes end drought with four Big Ten POW awards
Sophomore Michael Redd earned his third Big Ten Player of the Week honor yesterday, giving the Buckeyes their fourth honor of the season. It is only the second time Ohio State has had four POWs in the same season and the second time an individual player has earned three in one year. During the 1991-92 season, Buckeye Jim Jackson was the Big Ten honoree three times while the Buckeyes claimed four that year (Chris Jent) as a team. Junior Scoonie Penn was the other honoree this season when he earned the first award of the 1998-99 campaign. That award ended a five-year drought for the Buckeyes. Prior to this season, OSU had not had a player win the award since Jan. 11, 1993 when Greg Simpson was honored. Ohio State has had 25 Players of the Week since the Big Ten began the award for the 1981-82 season.
Redd reaches OSU milestone
Sophomore Michael Redd (1,078) became just the third sophomore in Ohio State history to reach 1,000 points after his 30-point effort against Purdue. Herb Williams (1978-81) and Jim Jackson (1990-92) are the only other Buckeyes to reach 1,000 points at OSU as sophomores. Only five players have scored 1,000 points in their first two seasons at OSU. In addition to Williams and Jackson, Jerry Lucas (1960-62), Dave Sorenson (1968-70) and Brad Sellers (1985-86) each reached 1,000 points in their second year at Ohio State. Lucas and Sorenson were juniors who were not eligible as freshman and Sellers was a senior. He transferred from Wisconsin.
Redd second quickest to 1,000
Buckeye legend Jerry Lucas (1960-62) reached 1,000 points during a 30-point effort against Northwestern Jan. 14, 1961 in his 38th game as a Buckeye. Michael Redd is just the second Buckeye to reach 1,000 points in less than 50 games. He has played in 52 games at Ohio State and has scored 1,078 points. Two-year OSU 1,000+ scorers
Career 2-Yr. Gms to Player Pts. Total 1,000 Jerry Lucas 1,990 1,381 38 Michael Redd 1,078 1,078 49 Dave Sorenson 1,622 1,041 52 Herb Williams 2,011 1,069 54 Brad Sellers 1,122 1,122 58 Jim Jackson 1,785 1,067 59
OSU earns back-to-back wins over ranked teams twice in 1998-99
With a win over then-No. 19 Wisconsin and the 73-56 victory over then-No. 13 Indiana the Buckeyes earned victories over back-to-back ranked foes for the first time since the 1992 campaign when No. 8 Ohio State downed No. 12 Michigan State on the road 78-65 Feb. 29 1992. Ohio State then moved to No. 5 and beat No. 18 Michigan 77-66 in Columbus March 3, 1992. Again this season, the Buckeyes matched the back-to-back feat over the ranked by downing No. 16 Purdue 72-43 and No. 17 Minnesota, 89-60.
Ohio State 4-2 vs. the ranked Ohio State faced its sixth ranked team when the Buckeyes traveled to No. 8 Michigan State (1/27). Buckeyes have not won more than four games against ranked opponents since the 1991-92 season when the Buckeyes went 5-3 vs. ranked squads.
Ohio State seeks 7th win in Big Ten for 1st time in five years With a 6-3 record in Big Ten play, the Buckeyes will be seeking its seventh win in the conference for the first time since the 1993 season when OSU was 8-10 (7th) in the league. Ohio State has not won six league games since a 6-12 campaign in 1994.
Buckeye starters scoring high from the field
The five players who have started each game for Ohio State this season are knocking down 51 percent of their shots this season (474-930). Senior Jason Singleton leads the way with a .683 shooting percentage (86-126). Ken Johnson (.539) and Jon Sanderson (.536) are the other starters averaging .500 or more. Michael Redd (.473) and Scoonie Penn (.451) round out the starting five.
Ohio State makes quickest turnaround in school history
Ohio State equaled its win total from last season with the win over Florida Atlantic (99-70, 12/17/98). 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.
Cunningham paces Boilers over Iowa
Carson Cunningham scored 23 points and Jaraan Cornell added 22 as No. 17 Purdue defeated 14th-ranked Iowa, 90-75, in a Big Ten Conference game. Purdue (16-6, 4-4 Big Ten) won for just the second time in its last five games and faces three ranked opponents in its next four games. The Boilermakers held a 52-38 lead at halftime and never trailed therefter. The victory further tightened the middle of the Big Ten standings. Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue — which fourth through eighth in the conference — are separated by only one game. J.R. Koch scored 20 points for Iowa (15-5, 6-4), which faces ranked opponents in its next three contests. The Hawkeyes had won the last four meetings with the Boilermakers, but Purdue leads the 90-year rivalry, 70-61.
Purdue starts with 16-6, 4-4 record
Purdue started the season 4-0 before losing 54-47 to No. 9 North Carolina in the Preseason NIT. The Boilermakers then won eight-consecutive contests, including wins over No. 23 St. John’s (70-69) and No. 22 Xavier (71-57) before losing to Providence on the road, 87-82. Purdue was to have opened the Big Ten season at home against Minnesota Jan. 2 but the game was postponed because of snow. Penn State then hosted the Boilers but lost 70-67 in State College, Pa. No. 24 Wisconsin then downed Purdue in Madison, 61-56. The Boilermakers then hosted both Illinois (W 63-54, Jan. 13) and Indiana (L 87-76, Jan. 16) before traveling to Columbus (L 72-43, Jan. 19) for the first meeting with the Buckeyes. The Boilers then beat Michigan at home, 81-71 (Jan. 23) before falling to Northwestern (Jan. 27) on the road (54-50). Purdue then downed Iowa 90-75 Thursday in West Lafayette.
OSU, Purdue series
Ohio State trails in the all-time series with Purdue 77-65 since the first meeting in 1905. The Boilermakers had won nine-consecutive games, which ties its longest winning streak in the series, prior to OSU’s 72-43 win earlier this season in Columbus. Purdue also won nine in a row from 1926-1932. The Buckeyes are 20-50 in West Lafayette.
Gene Keady at Purdue
Gene Keady has walked the Purdue sidelines for the last 19 seasons and has compiled a record of 410-174 during that span. He has an overall record of 448-193 after two seasons at Western Kentucky and a 38-19 record (1978-80). The Boilermakers have advanced to postseason play in 17 of 18 years Keady has been in West Lafayette. Purdue has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and three National Invitation Tournament appearances in Keady’s tenure. The Boilermakers have won or tied for five Big Ten titles, including three-consecutive titles from 1993-1996 with Keady at Purdue.
OSU vs. the Big Ten
Ohio State played its 1,200th game against the current alignment of Big Ten teams against Indiana (Jan. 9). The Buckeyes earned their 600th win over current Big Ten opponents with a 70-62 win over Penn State in the earliest Big Ten game ever played Nov. 20 in Columbus. The Buckeyes won in their 1,200th game vs. Big Ten teams against Indiana 73-56 Jan. 9 in Columbus. Big Ten Series Records
Illinois 55-93 Indiana 64-92 Iowa 58-66 Michigan 75-67 Michigan State 43-50 Minnesota 67-50 Northwestern 94-44 Penn State 9-9 Purdue 65-77 Wisconsin 75-53 Totals 605-601
OSU three-point field goal streak extended to 206
Ohio State has connected on at least one three-point field goal attempt over the last 206 games. Senior Neshaun Coleman extended the streak with a three early in the first half (5:06) against Illinois. Six different player have extended the streak this season. Penn has extended the streak 10 times followed by Redd (6), freshman Brian Brown (2), sophomore Jon Sanderson (2), freshman Boban Savovic (1) and Coleman (1). The last time an OSU team missed all attempts from three-point range was Feb. 2, 1992 when the Buckeyes went 0 for 5 in a 68-58 OSU win over Michigan. Buckeye opponents have a streak of 198-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.
Buckeyes lead league in scoring
Ohio State leads the Big Ten in scoring (76.1 ppg.), field goal percentage (.486) and turnover margin (+3.73) this season after 22 games. As a team, OSU rates among the Top 5 in 10 categories. The Buckeyes are second in scoring margin (+12.1) and steals (8.68), third in blocked shots (4.14), fourth in rebounds (36.1) and offensive rebounds (13.45) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (.403) and scoring defense (64.0).
Penn among Top 10 in six Big Ten categories
Individually, junior Scoonie Penn ranks among the Big Ten’s Top 10 in six categories. He is third in assists (4.55), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (+1.54) and steals (1.95), eighth in scoring (15.6) and field goal percentage (.451) and 10th in 3-pointers made (2.09). Sophomore Michael Redd is fourth in scoring (19.1), fifth in field goal percentage (.473) and 15th in rebounds (5.5). Junior Ken Johnson is third in the league in blocks (2.73) and eighth in rebounds (6.1). Senior Jason Singleton is sixth in steals (1.95).
Buckeye bits…
OSU is 14-2 when leading at the half…67 times members of the Buckeyes have scored in double figures this season, Michael Redd has been in double digits in 21 games, Scoonie Penn 18 times…Ten different Buckeyes have scored in double figures this season…Redd has scored in double figures in 50 of 52 career games…He has six career double-doubles after his 28-point, 12 rebound effort against UAB (12/21) in the first round of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.
Opponents shooting 40.3 percent
Buckeye opponents went over the 40 percent shooting mark for the first time after Iowa knocked down 53 percent of its shots in a Hawkeye 71-68 victory. Ohio State has held 12 of 22 opponents under 40 percent shooting this season. Foes are shooting just 40.3 percent overall from the field (493-1,223). Ohio State has been held under 40 percent just twice. Penn State allowed the Buckeyes to connect on 26 of 66 attempts for 39.4 percent and Miami held OSU to 36.2 percent (25-69). OSU is shooting 48.6 percent on the season (624-1,284).
Aggressive defense helps OSU
Not only is the Ohio State defense holding opponents to 40 percent shooting from the field, it has been blocking shots and helping itself with steals as well. Ohio State has blocked nearly twice as many shots as its opponents (91-50) and has a 191-116 advantage in steals. Ken Johnson is the leading shot blocker with 60 while seven Buckeyes have 10 or more steals. Scoonie Penn leads with 43 followed by Jason Singleton (39), Michael Redd (31), Brian Brown (22), Jon Sanderson (14), Boban Savovic (15) and George Reese (11).
Penn, Redd reach 1,000 career points, Singleton within reach
Two Buckeyes reached 1,000 career points this season. Sophomore Michael Redd went over 1,000 with a 30-point outing against Purdue. Redd has 420 points this season after his record-setting freshman campaign (658 pts.). Another Buckeye, junior Scoonie Penn, reached 1,000 points as well for his career with a 21-point effort against Iowa (1/12/99). He tallied 737 during two seasons at Boston College. He has scored 345 at Ohio State. Senior Jason Singleton has 909 career points in 105 Buckeye games. He has averaged 8.6 points a contest at Ohio State.
Noting the Illinois Game
n Five Buckeyes scored in double figures against the Illini, marking the first time this season that has happened. Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd each had 15 while Jason Singleton, Ken Johnson and Neshaun Coleman each added 10. n Jason Singleton went over the 900-point mark in his career with 10 at Illinois. He has 909 career points. n Ohio State has connected on at least one three-point field goal attempt over the last 206 games. Neshaun Coleman extended the streak with a trey at the 5:06 mark of the first half. n Senior Neshaun Coleman connected on three 3-point attempts to give him 130 made 3-pointers for his career. He ranks second all-time in both 3-pointers made and connected (389). He has made five of his last six attempts from three-point range. n Junior Ken Johnson has 60 blocks this season to surpass his effort last year as a sophomore (58). Johnson’s single season total this year is the most since Brad Sellers swatted 97 in 1986. Johnson’s averaged this year of 2.7 blocks per game is the most (so far) since Sellers averaged 2.9 in 1986. n Ohio State’s sixth win in the Big Ten is the most since the 1993 team went 8-10. The 1993 squad also was the last to secure a winning season at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are assured a winning campaign after the win over Illinois. n Michael Redd moved into the No. 32 spot all-time in career scoring with 15 against Illinois. He has scored 1,078 career points. He needs 22 to reach the 1,100 scored by Mel Nowell (1960-62).
Three Buckeyes make Puerto Rico All-Tournament team
Sophomore Michael Redd was selected as the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic MVP while teammates Jason Singleton and Scoonie Penn joined him on the all-tournament team. Redd averaged 23.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, scoring 70 points in the three-day event. He connected on 53 percent of his shots from the field as well. Singleton, a senior forward, scored on 74 percent of his shots from the field (14-19) while averaging 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds. Penn, who led all scorers with 20 points in the championship game, averaged 16.7 points, while adding 15 assists and six steals. Penn also knocked down 80 percent of his free throws (16-20).
Noting the Buckeyes…
Neshaun Coleman…Will be playing in his 100th career game against Purdue (2/6/99)…needs 11 points to reach 700 for his career…has made 7 of his last 10 three-point attempts (.700) after knocking down 3 of 4 at Illinois (1/30/99)…In last five games he has connected on 60 percent of his shots from the field (9-15)…has played double-digit minutes in nine games this season in a backup role…matched a season-high with three 3-pointers against Illinois (1/30/99) and notched his second double-digit outing of the season with 10…scored a season-high 11 points against Oakland (11/13/98)…has eight assists and seven steals and just two turnovers in 12.0 minutes a game this season…had string of 21-consecutive free throws broken when he missed his first attempt at Illinois…his one assist against Miami gave him 200 for his career. Scoonie Penn…Eclipsed the 1,000 career-point mark with 21 vs. Iowa (1/12/99)…has 18 double-digit scoring outings this season, including 12 of his last 13 contests…scored a season-high 24 at Toledo (12/5/98) and matched that against Minnesota (2/23/99)…has two or more threes in 14 games…leads team in minutes played with 748 (34.0)…Big Ten Player of the Week (11/16)…has started all 78 games in which he has appeared…has at least one assist in all but one game in his career (Miami, 1/2/97)…voted to the all-tournament team in Puerto Rico…reached 100 assists this season with two at Illinois (1/30/99)…needs 13 assists to reach 300 for his career…has played 30 or more minutes in 17 games this season, including 12 of last 13 contests…has at least one steal in last eight games and in 19 of 22 games this year. Brian Brown…Made both free-throw attempts with 5 seconds to play to secure 64-41 win over Illinois (1/30/99)…knocked down clutch 3-pointer in overtime to put OSU up for good in win over Wisconsin (1/2/99)…it was his first 3-pointer in six games…held scoreless as a Buckeye for the first time against Michigan State (1/29)…has played 11 or more minutes in every game, averages 18.3 minutes a contest…adds depth to the guard spots…has at least one assist in 18 of 22 games as a Buckeye. Boban Savovic…Led team with a career-high seven rebounds at Michigan (1/16/99) while adding 12 points…tied career-high with three 3-pointers in overtime win over Wisconsin (1/2/99)…had career-high 16 points against UT Martin…hit 6 of 8 shots vs. the Skyhawks, including 3 of 5 3-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…hit all four FTs in win over Indiana (1/9/99)…also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal vs. the Hoosiers…has 10 or more minutes in 7 of last 8 games…has four double-digit scoring outings this year. Michael Redd…Wooden Award candidate…has been Big Ten co-player of the week three times this season (12/21/98, 1/4/99, 1/23/99))…is the second fastest Buckeye to reach 1,000 points…reached 1,000 with 30 against Purdue (1/19/99) in his 49th career game…leads team with 19.1 ppg…Puerto Rico Holiday Classic MVP…also has 46 assists and 31 steals…set a career high with six steals against Miami (12/27/98)…second on team in rebounding with 5.5 rpg…second on team in minutes played with 31.5 mpg…has started all 52 OSU games in career…leads team with 155 FGs this season…had career high six 3-pointers made vs. Oakland (11/13) and Florida Atlantic (12/17)…45 of 121 rebounds this season are on offensive end…has at least two rebounds in every game as a Buckeye (52 gms)…Redd has made 10 or more field goals in a single game 13 times as a Buckeye, nine times as a freshman and four times this year, including a career-high 14 against Purdue (1/19/99)…Has played 30 or more minutes 14 times this season after playing 30+ in all 30 games last season (44 total). Jason Singleton…Having a productive senior year…shooting 68.3 percent from the field (86-126)… had 8 of 9 outing against Indiana (1/9/99) and 7 of 8 vs. Minnesota (1/23/99) …connected on 73.7 percent of his shots in Puerto Rico (14-19) to earn a spot on the all-tournament team…hit 7 of 8 FTs to seal win over Alabama (11/15/98)…has played in 104 games at OSU…leads team with 2,586 career minutes…has connected on at least 60 percent of his shots from the field in 15 of 21 games this season…went over the 100 career steals mark with four against Minnesota (1/23/99). Devon Smith…Has appeared in seven 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 3-pointer against UT Martin…has seen action in nine games…scored two points in opener against Oakland…grabbed three boards in win over Army. Ken Johnson…Needs 13 blocks to tie and 14 to take over the No. 5 spot all time at Ohio State…enters game with Purdue with 118 career rejections…Lawrence Funderburke (1992-94) is currently No. 5 with 131…set career-high in rebounds in back-to-back games with 11 against Miami (12/27/98) and 12 at Wisconsin (1/2/99)…added 11 rebounds in win over Indiana to give him 11 or more in three-consecutive games…tied career high with 15 points at Vanderbilt (11/28/98)…set career high with seven blocks against both Robert Morris (11/18/98) and Vanderbilt (11/28/98)…hit 7 of 8 shots from the field vs. Vanderbilt…leads team with 60 blocks…has at least one block in 41 games as a Buckeye and 21 of 22 this year…has a streak of 11 games with at least one rejection and eight games with at least two. 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 50 of 52 career games as a Buckeye…is shooting 53.6 percent from the floor this year (52-97). George Reese…Scored a career-high 14, 12 in the first half, at Michigan State (1/29)…top player off the bench…in the game when it counts…made all six FT attempts against Vanderbilt…buried a pair of free throws late in game with Wisconsin to tie score at 66 in regulation…capable of giving team a boost both on the offensive and defensive end of the floor…has three double figure scoring games and six games with nine points. Will Dudley…Has appeared in 15 of 18 games this season…shooting 67 percent from the field (14-21)…connected on all five shots against Army for career best 11 points…will be out 4-6 weeks following surgery on his right foot (1/21/99). Shamar Herron…Had season-high five points in win over Army…has played in seven 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…sidelined with strained right ankle suffered during practice (1/17/99).
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 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.
Recruiting class among Top 15
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.
