Gray Defeats Scarlet 65-63 In Men’s Basketball Scrimmage – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 3, 2000
The Ohio State men’s basketball team opened the season with the Kroger Charities Scarlet and Gray Preview Game Nov. 2 at Value City Arena. The contest was a charity event with all proceeds going to the Kroger for Kids Foundation.
The Buckeyes used the contest to give fans an opportunity to see the 2000-01 Buckeyes in action, work on different combinations and play on the Value City Arena floor in a game setting. The Buckeyes seldom practice on the VCA game floor because of shows, concerts and other OSU athletics events scheduled in the facility.
Junior Brian Brown (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) and sophomore Sean Connolly (Peabody, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) each scored 21 points in the game, splitting time with both the Scarlet and Gray squads. The Gray team won the contest 65-63.
Connolly, who sat out last season following a transfer from Providence, connected on 6 of 9 shots overall and 3 of 4 attempts from 3-point range. He also hit all six of his free-throw attempts.
Senior Ken Johnson (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford) tallied 14 points and blocked five shots.
Newcomer Velimir Radinovic (Fr., Toronto/T.A. Blakelock) turned some heads with his efforts as well.
The 7-foot center scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds while connecting on 5 of 6 free throws.
The Buckeyes open the home exhibition season at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 against the One World All Stars. The final preseason contest will be held at 8 p.m. Nov. 13 against Marathon.
The regular season officially gets underway at 8 p.m. Nov. 17 against Yale in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes will then travel to Alaska the week of Thanksgiving for the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 23-25). Ohio State opens the three-game tournament at 9:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 23 against Florida State.
Post Scrimmage Quotes For Head Coach Jim O’Brien
On the team’s performance:
“It was a typical first night. We did a lot of things well tonight. We also need to correct some things. I thought we were tired early, and obviously we need to work on that. I think it’s good we did this now. It was what I expected, with a few rough edges that need to be fixed.”
On the play of Brian Brown:
“Brian’s experience really showed tonight. He is one of two players on this team who can perform at a high level at any given time. He put in significant minutes on the floor and just played terrific.”
Comments on Ken Johnson:
“Ken (Johnson) is our go-to guy. Tonight he threw a lot of shots. As Ken throws the ball more, we are going to get better offensively. We’re going to struggle from time to time. But, the guys played hard tonight.”
