Less than a month after his bout with Robert Morris officially began, Chris Holtman and company opened up a portion of the practice for media members and Buckeye fans at the Schottenstein Center on Monday.
In over an hour of action, Ohio State allowed spectators to watch several defensive moves/rebound drills, 2-on-2 work, situational 5-on-5 plays, and full-court scrimmage. , got all that video.
The scarlet team in a 5-on-5 play consisted of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gale, Bryce Sensarbaugh, Eugene Brown and Zed Key, with Karen Etzler serving as an alternate who spent time in both groups. The gray team consisted of Isaac Likekele, Sean McNeil, Tanner Holden, Judge Sueing and Felix Okpara.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azXGUH1NRow
Ohio State played several sets of 5-on-5 situations with just 58 seconds remaining, before transitioning to a more free-flowing, full-court scrimmage that gave the gray team the upper hand. As a result, the scarlet group performed a sprint to open the door to the floor, with the winner standing on the sideline.
Buckeye then simulated the final six minutes of the game, including a “media timeout”, with 45 seconds left before the gray team held a 14-7 lead before Holtmann pulled out of play following a Holden steal. signaled the end. Bucket by his side.
Ohio State finished with several free-throw shots and wrapped up the event with a Q&A session with former Buckeye captain Ron Stokes. Stokes asked Sowing, Key, Brown and Riquele a series of questions before Holtman spoke in front of the crowd. You can watch the entire session below.
Sowing, Holden, Okpala and Rikele were among the Buckeyes that stood out on the court at the festivities.
Swing finds its own rhythm
It took the sixth-grade collegiate basketball veteran and Buckeye sophomore captain a few minutes to get going, but Suing hit his stride in the second set of a 5-on-5 play.
After missing all but two games last season with an abdominal injury, Suing, who received full medical clearance in late August, will lead the gray team to victory at Ohio State’s more open ground. I knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing and a baseline jumper for the sake of it. – A flowing scrimmage session. In six minutes of scrimmage, Sowing hit two of the Gray team’s first three shots, both three-pointers, and scored on a putback layup in transition, giving McNeil three more assists.
Swing, who played mainly against Censorbo, stole a base near midcourt and gave the gray team another basket. Riquele scored points for the gray team for most of the action, but Suing also coordinated his attack on a few possessions before all was said and done.
Justice Suing greets the crowd after practice pic.twitter.com/wkAb3koBYL
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) October 10, 2022
Holden shows craft on offense
Gray teams weren’t necessarily looking for Holden as a go-to scorer in one-on-one situations, but a move to Wright State saw him make the day as one of his leading scorers. I found his attacks in a variety of ways because I finished. side (informal).
Tanner Holden buckets Bryce Sensabow in a 2v2 drill pic.twitter.com/jtKTt0tMmI
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) October 10, 2022
In Ohio State’s 58-second situational scrimmage, Holden camouflaged a key on a midrange up-and-under to score two points, then scored on the next possession with a dribble drive floater. Holden scored eight points in that portion of practice and converted on two other layups to lead all gray team scorers. Holden was also responsible for transitioning his drive from Censorbo and regaining a ball that could have been a bucket for Scarlett’s side.
Holden didn’t make much noise in a six-minute scrimmage, but came up with the aforementioned steal in the scarlet backcourt that would have been an easy transition bucket had Holtman not whistling play dead.
The 6-foot-6 guard has matched up with Brown in many practices and has shown his offensive rebounding instincts on numerous occasions. Holden proved why on Monday, averaging his 7.1 rebounds per game from his preseason guard position at Wright State.
Okupala blocks several shots
Okpala, a 6-foot-11-inch center, didn’t make much of a difference offensively, but looked ready to make an immediate impact as the Buckeyes’ rim protector in Monday’s scrimmage session.
Okpala blocked two shots in the first two scarlet team possessions and was guarding the keys in the paint for most of the night as Ohio State opened the 58-second scrimmage drill. Okpala made things difficult for Key with a few post-up mistakes for Key, who has 35 pounds in Okpala despite giving up a 3-inch height.
Nice play by Bruce Thornton set up Zed Key low down but Felix Okpara blocks pic.twitter.com/hmU7lcOxK7
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) October 10, 2022
During the Buckeyes’ six-minute scrimmage, Okpala was called for goaltending on Thornton’s dribble drive, but Brown’s subsequent attempt in the paint made his most impressive block of the night, sending a shot the other way. Sent it back. authority.
Okpala looked more raw on the offensive side, which he long knew had to improve in his Buckeye career.
Rikele as center
Oklahoma State’s transfer saw him engage Thornton for most of the practice as the opposing point guard.
The 6.5-foot (215-pound) Rikekele, not the 6.8-foot redshirt freshman, defended the keys in the paint when Okpala subbed out to replace Etzeler. On offense, Riquele also posted up on a high block in one sequence in particular, but his shot attempt was cut short.
Rikele played in multiple positions over the years at Oklahoma State, and his versatility allowed the Ohio State coaching staff to bring him in as a transfer in lieu of a larger part. At practice Monday, Riquele not only could score points when Thornton wasn’t on the court, but could also be a forward (and potentially more It was confirmed that it can match up with a small center).
Freshmen are (mostly) quiet
The highly touted Ohio State freshman had a few moments during practice at Ohio State. He made some great plays as a capable outside shooter and as a ball distributor.
Thornton points the knife inside, feeds Kee and dunks pic.twitter.com/Nrv5kux31A
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) October 10, 2022
But overall, the Buckeye freshman hasn’t truly made a statement about being arguably the top dog on Ohio’s roster.
Okpala’s defense has been balanced by limited success on the offense, with Gale and Sensabo not standing out as the Buckeyes’ primary scoring options, although they hit one or two shots on scrimmage plays. did.
Holtman expects all four of these freshmen to make an impact at Ohio State this season, but Monday said freshman Buckeyes will have a hard time developing into a consistent role when the season begins. , which indicated that it can still take a long time.
