Auburn and Ohio State More than Porter and Penn – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/17/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 1999
%^$By STEPHEN HAWKINS
%^$AP Sports Writer%^$
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Newcomers Chris Porter and Scoonie Penn get%^$most of%^$the attention, and deservedly so.%^$
Players of the year in their respective conferences – Porter in the%^$Southeastern Conference and Penn in the Big Ten – the junior transfers helped%^$Auburn and Ohio State end extended stays from the NCAA tournament.%^$
But Auburn and Ohio State are more than Porter and Penn – who will%^$face each%^$other Thursday night when the teams meet in the South regional semifinals at%^$Thompson-Boling Arena.%^$
Auburn (29-3) and Ohio State (25-8) have not gotten to the NCAA round%^$of 16%^$solely because of their impressive first-year players. Others have stepped up%^$as Porter and Penn have failed in the postseason to match their season%^$averages.%^$
Penn’s 31 percent shooting (15-of-48) in the postseason is well below his%^$season mark of 45 percent. And Porter is the fourth-leading scorer for Auburn%^$in the NCAA tourney with only 9 points per game – seven below his team-leading%^$season average.%^$
“It has been a balanced team,” Auburn coach Cliff Ellis said. “It’s been%^$a team that has not been centered around one player, although there has been a%^$lot of credit given.”%^$
Porter was the only new starter for Auburn, which before this season had%^$four consecutive winning records but had not been in the NCAA tournament since%^$1988. He had originally signed with Auburn, but first had to go to junior%^$college because of academics.%^$
But with Porter drawing a lot of attention from defenders in the%^$postseason,%^$and his numbers down, others have emerged. Guard Scott Polhman had a%^$career-high 28 points in an 81-74 victory over Oklahoma State last weekend.%^$
In the opening round against Winthrop, 12 Auburn players scored – with%^$Pohlman and Doc Robinson each getting 14 – in an 80-41 victory.%^$
“One guy hasn’t made or broken this team,” Pohlman said. “Chris has been%^$an excellent addition … but it takes five guys on the court working%^$together.%^$
“We have no selfish motives. We have one goal of winning and a total team%^$attitude.”%^$
Like Porter, Penn was the only new starter on his team this season.%^$
Auburn had at least experienced some success before Porter. Ohio State%^$was%^$8-22 and finished last in the Big Ten at 1-15 while Penn sat out last season%^$following his transfer from Boston College.%^$
Before the Buckeyes played a game this season, Penn was making a%^$difference.%^$He told his teammates on the first day of practice that they were going to the%^$NCAA tournament.%^$
“I don’t know how the other kids on the team responded, but I was the one%^$that responded like I thought he was off the wall,” said Ohio State coach Jim%^$O’Brien, who had Penn for NCAA appearances at Boston College in 1996 and 1997.%^$
“I just wanted us to be better than we were a year ago. But Scoonie’s%^$mentality is that when March comes around, you play in the NCAA tournament.”%^$
Penn was the only player with any postseason experience for the Buckeyes,%^$who hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1992.%^$
Michael Redd, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer (19.6 ppg) and with five%^$30-point%^$games, said Penn was the needed piece.%^$
“Scoonie brought a winning attitude to this program, brought a lot of%^$leadership to this team and was another scoring weapon for our team, which we%^$didn’t have last year,” Redd said. “That is why we are winning this year.”%^$
Yet, while Penn is struggling from the field in the postseason, Reed has%^$combined in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments to hit 36-of-71 field goals (51%^$percent) while averaging 23 points per game.%^$
With relatively easy victories over Murray State (72-58) and Detroit%^$(75-44), Ohio State has made it as far in the NCAA tourney as it did in its%^$last appearance seven years ago.
