Buckeyes Win First Game In Europe – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 26, 2001
LUGANO, Switzerland – Jim O’Brien, Ohio State head men’s basketball coach, was concerned his team would suffer from the high altitude, fatigue and weary legs as the Buckeyes warmed up to face its first competition of a seven-game European tour Saturday in Bormio, Italy.
His concerns were evident in the early going against the Cimberio Basketball Club of Navarro, Italy, but Ohio State shook off its travel weariness to win the opener, 85-74.
The Buckeyes left their hotel in Venice, Italy, about 8:45 a.m. Saturday. The team boarded a bus following a ride on a water taxi on the Grand Canal at about 10 a.m. A seven-hour climb through the mountains of Northern Italy followed before arriving in Bormio about 75-minutes before the 6 p.m. tip.
Senior guard Boban Savovic led the way for Ohio State with a game-high 24 points, which included 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. He also added three assists and four rebounds.
O’Brien credited Savovic and senior guard Brian Brown’s experience for the win.
“I was thrilled with our effort after a seven-hour bus ride,” O’Brien said. “Our guards were crucial. I thought we played really hard. The strength of our team is our backcourt and it showed today.
“I was worried about the altitude, tired legs and fatigue,” O’Brien said. “We were able to keep our guys fresh by playing all 11 guys. (Walkons) Ryan Heflin and Shaun Smith did a great job filling in for (Brent) Darby in the second half.”
Darby, a junior from Detroit, Mich., became ill near the end of the bus trip and suffered extreme fatigue at the half. He did not play in the final two quarters of the game but is expected to be available when the Buckeyes face the Lugano Basketball Club Monday. Brown tallied 17 points after a slow start (2-11 in the first half). He connected on 4-of-5 shots in the final 20 minutes to go along with a game-high nine assists. Junior guard Sean Connolly added 14 points followed by senior center Will Dudley’s 11. Sophomore center Velimir Radinovic led the Buckeyes with seven rebounds followed by sophomore Zach Williams with six.
Savovic said it helped that he has played against international competition in the past.
“I have played on these courts before and I know how the Europeans play,” Savovic said. “We were able to practice a couple times over here so the altitude did not bother us too much. The team could not wait to get out and play. I was able to find some open space and hit some shots. The big men did a great job of screening for me.”
Brown said the game was similar to a Big Ten contest because of the physical nature of the European players.
“It was a tough game to play after the long trip,” Brown said. “It was a physical game. I was a little off to start out but we came together and won. I knew after we got off to a slow start we would regroup, come back and win the game.”
Ohio State shot 30-of-70 from the field (.429) and 7-of-16 (.438) from 3-point range. Cimberio connected on 29-of-58 (.500) but could not keep from fouling the quicker Buckeyes. Ohio State (18-of-24) outshot Cimberio (8-of-20) by 10 from the charity stripe. The Buckeye defense held Cimberio to 8-of-21 (.381) from long range.
Note: The team spent Sunday resting around the hotel in Lugano. Most of the others associated with the trip took a bus tour around Lugano (Switzerland) and Como (Italy) lakes.
