Matta, Returning Buckeyes Meet with Media Thursday – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s basketball team met with the media Thursday in advance of the team’s first official practice Friday.
The Buckeyes, under the direction of head coach Thad Matta, return four starters from a season ago, when the Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished with an overall record of 29-8. The 2009-10 squad shared the regular season Big Ten title (14-4) and won the postseason crown as well.
Matta has led Ohio State to at least 20 victories in each of his six previous seasons in Columbus, a school-record streak of 20-win campaigns.
The 2010-11 squad blends a mix of veterans along with a half-dozen freshmen, a class ranked among the Top 3 nationally.
Seniors David Lighty, Jon Diebler and Dallas Lauderdale, along with junior William Buford welcome rookies Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas, Jordan Sibert, Lenzelle Smith Jr., J.D. Weatherspoon and Aaron Craft to the fold.
The team will hold a public exhibition game Nov. 7 at Value City Arena vs. Walsh University. That game tips at 2 p.m.
The season officially gets underway Nov. 12 in the Global Sports Invitational. The Buckeyes play host to North Carolina A&T in that game. Tip is set for 7 p.m. That game is part of the Ohio State student season ticket package and marks the first game at Value City Arena where students will be seated directly behind the team benches.
A total of 800 student seats are located behind the teams this year. A total of 1,400 student season tickets went on sale earlier this week and were gobbled up in about 75 minutes during the online sale Tuesday.
Additional ticket information can be found at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
Follow the Buckeyes on Twitter through sports information contacts twitter.com/OSUADAthComm and twitter.com/AlissaC, as well as assistant coaches twitter.com/JeffBoals and twitter.com/BrandonMiller04.
MEDIA DAY PLAYER QUOTES
Senior forward David Lighty
On the 2010-11 Buckeyes:
“We have to make our own identity from the second practice starts and eventually when games start. Each one of the freshmen brings something to the table and they will give us some of the depth we didn’t have last season.”
On team depth:
“It’s a good thing for us because we can save some of our energy. When we’re in the game we can go as hard as possible and not think that we have to hold back a little. It also will help our health as the season goes on.”
Junior guard William Buford
On what he has done to improve in the offseason:
“I’ve worked a lot on my dribbling and the defensive aspect. I have put a lot more time in after practice working on some of the little things that I did not focus on so much in the past.”
On the mental aspect of the game:
“I have been watching a lot more film than I used to and become much more of a student of the game. It’s important to me to work on my defense just as much as the offensive side of things and it’s important to me to know that I can guard whoever they call on.”
Senior guard Jon Diebler
On helping the newcomers:
“Last year we returned a lot of people so a lot of the things came as second-nature to us. It’s important this season to spend time teaching the freshmen every day. With all of the anticpation of your first college season it can be a little overwhelming so we have to focus and teach the little things.”
On team unity:
“We’re already a very close group. The freshmen have come in and seen how close we were and how much it had to do with our success as a team. I think they saw that and immediately have become a part of it.”
Senior center Dallas Lauderdale
On what he needs to do for the team to succeed:
“I need to be a force on both the offensive and defensive end. I need to continue to be a presence and whatever I am asked to do I know I will be fully ready for it.”
On what has changed in the offseason:
“The mental part of my game has definitely changed and I’m a lot more focused. This is my senior year and the time is now to get better. It’s important to always be better today than yesterday.”
