Buckeyes Play Their Roles as They Roll – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/24/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 24, 1999
By RUSTY MILLER
%^$AP Sports Writer%^$
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.– Don’t tell Ohio State it’s little more%^$than two%^$stars and a faceless supporting cast.%^$
Ken Johnson, for one, bristles when he hears the words “role player.”%^$
“I don’t like that word,” he said. “This is a team. I don’t really feel%^$one person or three people can win a game. It’s all a collective effort.”%^$
Coach Jim O’Brien has two outstanding players in Scoonie Penn and Michael%^$Redd, but they are not the only pieces in the puzzle.%^$
“We have a collection of guys who do a couple of things pretty well and%^$have some limitations,” he said. “Where you have a gain, sometimes you have a%^$loss. So you just have to keep weighing the trades.”%^$
When Ohio State plays Connecticut in the national semifinals on Saturday%^$night, the players in the background might well decide the outcome. And their%^$parts are clearly defined:
%^$The Mop-up Man%^$
Jason Singleton seldom wanders far from the basket on offense, unless%^$it’s%^$to set a crunching pick or to set up a teammate with a pass.%^$
Asked about a 15-foot jumper he hit earlier in the season, the 6-foot-5%^$senior said he couldn’t remember ever shooting that far from the hoop.%^$
He almost always draws the toughest defensive assignment from the%^$opposing%^$frontline.%^$
“His importance has not really been appreciated enough by people outside%^$the coaching staff,” O’Brien said.%^$
“Jason, he’s like the Robin of our team,” said Penn, who along with Redd%^$is its Batman. “He does all our dirty work.”
%^$The Shot-blocker%^$
A year ago, during an 8-22 season the Buckeyes were forced to play zone%^$every game because they couldn’t keep up with fast point guards and Johnson%^$was%^$constantly in foul trouble, trying to block every shot.%^$
The addition of Penn, who sat out his transfer year from Boston%^$College, has%^$shored up the perimeter defense. And Johnson, a 6-11 junior, has picked his%^$spots and has been a major factor in Ohio State’s remarkable turnaround to a%^$27-8 record. In the South Regional final win over St. John’s, he swatted seven%^$shots.%^$
“Ken Johnson and Jason Singleton have been playing phenomenal for us,”%^$said Redd, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer. “They haven’t been recognized until%^$now. But it’s a great combination.”%^$
Johnson seldom takes an ill-advised shot, yet scored 12 points against%^$St.%^$John’s. But nobody talks about his offense.
%^$The Defender%^$
How many other teams dramatically change their starting lineup after 31%^$games? That’s what O’Brien did when he inserted freshman Brian Brown in place%^$of Jon Sanderson before the NCAA first-round game with Murray State.%^$
Brown handles the ball, allowing Penn and Redd to scissor through%^$picks for%^$open shots or beat defenders backdoor. He also guards the top perimeter%^$threat,%^$shielding the Buckeyes’ big two from foul trouble and fatigue.%^$
“Scoonie and Mike, they’ve been carrying this team all season long%^$offensively,” Brown said. “But Scoonie and Mike couldn’t be here without%^$us.”
%^$The Minutemen%^$
When O’Brien needs someone to muscle the other team’s big man, he can%^$call%^$on the broad-shouldered Sanderson. If the offense is stagnant, he brings in%^$6-7%^$junior-college transfer George Reese. Senior Neshaun Coleman is the team’s%^$3-point specialist and freshman Boban Savovic spells the guards and has broken%^$open a couple of games with perimeter shooting.%^$
O’Brien says it’s been easy to align the parts and keep everyone%^$happy. No%^$one can argue with the result.%^$
“We have an egoless collection of guys for the most part,” he said.%^$”Everyone has an ego, but it has never been a problem with these guys to%^$understand who the marquee players are. That’s a tribute to our team.”
