Men’s Basketball Set To Open Preseason Schedule vs. Team Nike – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2002
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Opponent Team Nike
Site Value City Arena (19,200)
Game Time 8:07 p.m. (EST)
TV ONN
Local TV None
TV Talent Mike Gleason (P-by-P), Bill Hosket (Color)
Radio OSU Radio Network (63 stations)
Local Radio WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
Radio Talent Paul Keels (P-by-P), Ron Stokes (Color)
Ohio State Buckeyes
Probable Starters (0-0)
G 4 – Brent Darby, 6-1, Sr.
G 3 – Sean Connolly, 6-5, Sr.
G 1 – Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, 6-1, So.
C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, Jr.
F 33 – Zach Williams, 6-7, Jr.
Team Nike
Probable Starters
G 2 – Dedric Willoughby, 6-3
G 1 – Dave Ferguson, 6-1
C 23 – Jay Locklier, 6-10
F 4 – Daryl Cunningham, 6-7
G 5 – Casey Frank, 6-8
O’Brien Names Captains
Seniors Brent Darby and Sean Connolly along with junior Zach Williams will serve as tri-captains for Ohio State in 2002-03. All three will be serving their first full seasons as captains.
Darby on Preseason All-League Squad
Both the Big Ten Conference men’s basketball coaches and the league’s media selected Brent Darby to the Big Ten Preseason All-Conference Team. Darby joins Brian Cook (Illinois), Tom Coverdale (Indiana), Kirk Penney (Wisconsin) and Rick Rickert (Minnesota) on the preseason squad. The Buckeyes have had a preseason first team member in each of the last four seasons. Michael Redd made the team in 1998, Scoonie Penn and Redd in 1999, Ken Johnson in 2000 and Brian Brown in 2001.
Darby Closing on 1,000 Pts., 100 3s
Senior guard Brent Darby is 10th all-time in career 3-pointers made with 98. He has averaged 41 made 3-pointers the last two seasons, which if he were to connected on 41 again as a senior, would put him fourth all time with 139 behind Scoonie Penn (153/1998-00), Neshaun Coleman (147/1996-99) and Jamie Skelton (144/1991-94). Darby also has 782 career points over three seasons. He has averaged 353 the last two years with a career high of 409 as a junior. He is on pace to become Ohio State’s 41st player all-time to reach 1,000 career points. At least one player has reached 1,000 points in each of the last four years. Michael Redd (5th/1,879) and Jason Singleton (39th/1,022) reached 1,000 in 1999 followed by Scoonie Penn (34th/1,076) in 2000, Ken Johnson (36th/1,055) in 2001 and Brian Brown (19th/1,384) in 2002.
Buckeyes Seek 20th 20-Win Season
Jim O’Brien has guided the Buckeyes to 20-win seasons in each of the last four years. Another 20-victory campaign in 2002-03 would set an Ohio State record for consecutive seasons (5) with 20 or more wins. Only the 1960-1963 teams won more games over a four-year period (98) than O’Brien’s last four squads, which finished with 94 victories. Ohio State teams have won 20 or more games 19 times in 103 years of basketball.
Buckeyes Also On Big Ten Win Streak
Ohio State has won 11 or more games in Big Ten Conference play in each of the last four years, winning co-championships in 2000 and 2002, finishing second in 1999 and third in 2001. Only the 1960-64 teams, which won or shared a record five-consecutive Big Ten titles, had a more successful stretch in league play.
Buckeyes Open With Coppin State
Ohio State opens the 2002-03 regular season at home against Coppin State College Nov. 25. The Buckeyes then travel for a pair of neutral-site games against Alabama at the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic in Springfield, Mass., and Duke at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Greensboro, N.C.
Early Schedule Features 3 Top 10 Foes
Ohio State will battle three teams ranked among the nation’s Top 10 before Big Ten Conference action begins in January. The Buckeyes battle No. 4 Pittsburgh on the road Dec. 18, No. 6 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Dec. 3 in Greensboro, N.C., and No. 8 Alabama Nov. 29 in Springfield, Mass., in the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic. Michigan State is No. 10 in preseason voting with Indiana (21), Minnesota (24) and Indiana (25) cracking the Top 25. Wisconsin, Louisville and Hampton are receiving votes. Ohio State is No. 33 in the ESPN/Coaches Poll.
Opponent Postseason Experience Prevalent
The Buckeyes will play a total of 15 regular-season games against teams that participated in postseason competition in 2002. Ten games will be against NCAA tournament teams with the remaining five against National Invitation Tournament participants. Alabama and Duke provide tournament-tested opponents in two of the first three games of the season. When January rolls around, the Buckeyes will face a stretch of seven against six opponents with 2002 postseason tournament experience. Three of those games are against 2002 Big Ten Champions Indiana, twice, and Wisconsin. Another is against Michigan State, the 2002-03 preseason favorite win with the league title.
Sylvester Back Sooner Than Expected
When redshirt freshman Matt Sylvester underwent successful back surgery Aug. 7, he was expected to miss significant practice time while recuperating. He has progressed ahead of schedule and is participating in full practices with the Buckeyes. The 6-7 guard missed the majority of his freshman season with calf and back injuries. He was granted a medical redshirt year by the NCAA and will retain four years of eligibility at Ohio State.
Three Card Monte, LaMonta, Emonte
When Jim O’Brien looks down his bench this season, he’ll have a full compliment of Monte’s with assistant coach LaMonta (la-MON-tay) Stone, Monte (MON-tee) Mathis and junior guard Emonte (e-MON-tee) Jernigan. O’Brien also will have a trio of players, who use the same pronunciation but different spellings of the first name (SHAWN). Seniors Sean Connolly and Shaun Smith along with junior Shun Jenkins all pronounce their names the same.
Sylvester Begins Buckeye Career-Take 2
Matt Sylvester opens the 2002-03 season with the hopes of playing a more significant role for the Buckeyes after sitting out the majority of his true-freshman season. Sylvester played in three early games in 2001-02 before back and calf injuries forced him to the sidelines for the remainder of his freshman year. He received a medical redshirt and will retain four years of eligibility following offseason back surgery. He is still rehabilitating from the surgery and will slowly work his way into the Buckeye rotation this fall.
O’Brien Selected for NCAA Committee
Jim O’Brien will serve as one of four NCAA Division I men’s basketball coaches on the NCAA Basketball Issues Committee. O’Brien will serve for one year. Coaches and administrators on this committee will meet to discuss NCAA Division I men’s basketball issues.
Stockman, Sullinger Wait for 2003-04
A pair of Ohio natives will be on the bench during home games this season but will not dress, travel or play this season. Sophomore J.J. Sullinger and junior Tony Stockman transferred to Ohio State from Arkansas and Clemson, respectively, following the 2001-02 season. Both will practice with the Buckeyes this year and will begin their eligibility in 2003-04. Sullinger will have three years of eligibility with the Buckeyes. Stockman will have two.
Jernigan Familiar with Adjusting
Junior guard Emonte Jernigan knows how to adjust to new challenges as a student-athlete. He began his career as a junior college player before signing to play NCAA Division I basketball with Oregon State. After one season with the Beavers, Jernigan left to attend another junior college for the 2001-02 campaign. He did not play organized basketball last year and will have two seasons of eligibility at Ohio State. His season out of basketball last year allows him to play immediately at Ohio State without having to sit out following his transfer.
Nwankwo, Sherman Added to Roster
Jim O’Brien added a pair of walkons to the Ohio State men’s basketball roster in early November. Sophomore Ugo Nwankwo (OO-go WAN-kwo) and junior Nick Sherman, both guards, are eligible to practice and play for the Buckeyes this season. Nwankwo (6-2, 185) is a native of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Sherman (6-3, 190) is a Hilliard, Ohio, native.
O’Brien Welcomes Changes in Staff
Paul Biancardi, a longtime assistant to Jim O’Brien both at Boston College and Ohio State, was promoted to associate head coach in the offseason. Bruce Parkhill, who held the spot for two seasons, returned to his native State College, Pa., to spend more time with his family. In addition to Biancardi’s new role, a couple other positions were filled over the summer. LaMonta Stone, who last coached at Eastern Michigan, accepted one of the assistant positions on O’Brien’s staff. Monte Mathis, who was a full-time assistant on an interim basis in 2001-02 was made a full-time assistant as well. Andy Murphy, who had been a volunteer helping with the video needs of the OSU program, took over that spot on a full-time basis this year.
Team Nike Drops Openers
Team Nike fell to Marquette 84-60 to open its exhibition schedule Nov. 2. Syracuse then downed the Nike Squad 93-74 Nov. 5. Massachusetts, Rutgers and Penn State each played host to Team Nike before the squad arrived in Columbus for its meeting with the Buckeyes. Nike will continue its swing through the Big Ten with games at Michigan State Thursday, Michigan Friday, Indiana Saturday, Iowa Nov. 19 and then will end the tour at Arizona Nov. 20.
Globetrotters Next Up for Ohio State
Ohio State will do the entertaining for a change as the Harlem Globetrotters visit Value City Arena Nov. 22 for the final exhibition of the season. The Globetrotters will conclude their 2002 Fall College Tour at Ohio State. Purdue, St. John’s, Western Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Maryland, Mississippi State, Connecticut, Central Connecticut State and Ohio State make up the Globetrotters’ 2002 tour.
In 76 years of competition, the Globetrotters have won nearly 21,000 games and have entertained 120 million fans in 117 countries. In the last three years, the Globetrotters have played against some of the best college competition in the country losing only to Michigan State in 2000 and Western Kentucky in 2001.
