Men's Basketball
Buckeyes Hoops Outlook
A look forward to the 2007-2008 season
By John Porentas

[Editor's Note: Before you read too much into this, no, we don't have any special insights or knowledge as to whether specific players are going to the NBA or not.

We are presenting this piece using the roster as it is now, today. That could change if players opt for professional basketball.]

The Buckeyes concluded a tremendous season with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament championship game and fell just short of bringing home the hardware. We'd like to take a position-by-position look forward to next season to see what the Bucks will bring to the table when that season begins.

Guards

Losses: Ron Lewis
Returners: Jamar Butler, Mike Conley Jr. Daequan Cook
Newcomers: Jon Diebler

The Buckeyes return three of the four guards from the 2206-2007 squad next year and pick up Jon Diebler in the freshman class.

With the loss of Lewis the Buckeyes lose one of their primary threats to drive the ball as well as an adequate outside shooter. Lewis' ability to drive the ball allowed him to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. He was also an above-average rebounder at his position.

Conley and Butler will both be better if for no other reason than they have one more year of experience, a year that included a Final Four run. That experience should pay dividends in 2007-2008. The real wildcard at the guard position is Cook. Cook is capable of driving the ball, shooting the three and is an outstanding rebounder, but ran into the freshman wall in his first year as a Buckeye.

We look for Cook to be one of the most-improved players on the OSU squad next season. He will add both scoring punch and rebounding to the Buckeye lineup when he is on the floor. If Cook can regain his early-season form, he will more-than replace Lewis on the offensive end and is a strong rebounder.

Diebler is a prolific scorer who set the Ohio High School Career scoring record this past season eclipsing former Buckeye great Jay Burson. At 6-7, Diebler can do it at all on the perimeter. He is a deadly three-point shooter who averaged 40.8 points per game as a senior after averaging 35.5 as a junior. He is also a good ball handler who can put it on the floor and is big enough to finish around the rim. His rebound number of 12.6 per game his senior year was up over his 9.3 his junior season. He is also a good passer who averaged 6.7 assists per game as a senior. Though he is somewhat slight at 170 pounds he is tough as nails and proved it in the state championship game against Dayton Dunbar when he played most the game with a broken nose but refused to come out of the game.

Overall Outlook for Guards: The guard positions will be improved in 2007-2008. The loss of Lewis will hurt, but his scoring should be made up for with an improved Cook and the addition of Diebler. Both Butler and Conley will be better, and we expect Conley's shot, particularly from three, to be much improved. Additionally, both Cook and Diebler should be better rebounders than Lewis. Overall the Buckeyes should have more scoring punch, rebounding and depth at guard in 2007-2008 than they did in 2006-2007.

Forwards

Losses: Ivan Harris
Returners: Othello Hunter, David Lighty, Matt Terwilliger
Additions: Kostas Koufos, Eric Wallace, Evan Turner

The Buckeyes return three of four wing players from this year's squad, the lone loss being Ivan Harris. Harris was a bona fide three-point threat but was very streaky as a shooter. His defense and rebounding improved his senior season and he contributed significantly in both those areas.

Hunter played just his fourth year of organized basketball last season as a Buckeye and improved throughout the season. At 6-9, he can play both in the paint and on the wing and actually showed the ability to shoot the three. Hunter has all the physical tools to be an excellent player but at times lacked confidence in 2006-2007. The year of experience that included a Final Four run should do wonders for Hunter. He should be a vastly improved player in 2007-2008 and is capable of having dominant performances.

Lighty started the season slowly offensively but came on as the season progressed. He is a defensive demon that can guard in the paint and on the perimeter. He is extremely athletic, can run the floor and is a good rebounder as well. Like both Cook and Hunter, we expect bigger and better things from Lighty next year in all phases of the game.

Matt Terwilliger probably surprised some people this year with his play. Terwilliger was called upon to spell Greg Oden when necessary and did credible work as a rebounder and defender, particularly late in the season. Terwilliger will most likely be used more as a forward next season, and if his shooting skills improve could be a major contributor. He is a hard-nosed and intelligent player who could surprise some people next year if he is allowed to work on his perimeter offense in the off season.

Kostas Koufos was the Division I player of the year in Ohio this year and is a legitimate NBA prospect. At 7-2, he can shoot the three and can play inside as well. He averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds his junior season and 25.4 points and 15 rebounds his senior season at Canton Glen Oak. He was named to the McDonalds and Parade All-American teams. Koufos will be better rebounder and shooter than Harris and will make an immediate impact next fall.

Evan Turner will bring athleticism and speed to the front court. At 6-6, 180, Turner averaged 16 points per game and 6 rebounds per game as a junior at West Chester, Illinois St. Joseph High School. As a senior he upped those numbers to 22 points, eight rebounds and added six assists. Turner will allow the Buckeyes to match up with smaller, quicker forwards. He has a good shot and can score off the dribble as well.

Like Turner, Eric Wallace is very athletic and brings speed and agility to the table. Wallace is listed at 6-6 to 6-7 depending on who is doing the listing and like Turner, should help the Buckeyes match up with small, quick baseline players. A native of Chatham, Virginia, he played his senior season at Hargrave Military Academy. He is extremely athletic but needs to improve his shot. What he lacks on the outside, however, he offsets in his ability to score in close to the rim. Wallace may bring a new standard to Ohio State for slam-dunk style points.

Overall Outlook for Forwards: Much stronger. Harris will be replaced as a shooter, either by better shooting from the returning forwards, but more likely by better shooting from the guard positions. Additionally, Koufos is every bit the shooter and rebounder that Harris was, just bigger. Hunter, Lighty and Terwilliger will all be better by virtue of their experience, and Thad Matta will be able to mix-and-match players to go big (Koufos, Terwilliger, Hunter) or small (Lighty, Turner, Wallace) or some blend in between thus making for better matchups, and more efficiency, for whatever forwards are in the game. The Buckeyes should score better from the forward position and definitely should rebound and defend better.

Centers

Key Losses: None
Key Returners: Greg Oden
Newcomers: Dallas Lauderdale, Kyle Madsen

Greg Oden was very good the first day he took the floor for the Buckeyes then continued to get better as the season went on. As his right wrist regained its range of motion Oden improved on offense. His defense and rebounding were excellent from start to finish. If Oden returns he will continue to improve on offense and will be able to utilize his face-up game. He has those skills but was unable to use them due to the wrist injury. He may actually be better both as a defender and rebounder as well if for no other reason than his conditioning will be better. He was not able to ever get in true basketball shape last season due his injury rehab schedule prior to the season.

Madsen is a 6-10 transfer from Vanderbilt who who was required to sit out last season. He did, however, practice with the Buckeyes and that year in the practice gym will be extremely valuable to him. Look for Madsen to assume Terwilliger's role as the guy who comes off the bench to spell Oden or to play if Oden has foul trouble.

Lauderdale is a 6-9, 250 pound center who averaged 21 points per game, nine rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game as a junior. Lauderale will probably bring more athleticism to the floor than Madsen but will lack experience. Still, he brings depth to the center position that was lacking in 2006-2007.

Overall Outlook for Centers: If Greg Oden is back, the center position will be as strong at OSU as it is at any other school in the nation. Madsen and Lauderdale are icing on the cake.

General Outlook for the Buckeyes: The-Ozone tries to stay away from those scarlet-colored glasses, but it's hard not to be excited about the basketball Buckeyes if everybody comes back. It's even hard not to be excited about them even if a few of them leave.

Given the original premise, that this piece deals with the outlook as the roster is today, it's hard to believe the Buckeyes won't actually be better than this year's team that went 35-4, won a second-consecutive outright Big Ten championship, won a Big Ten tournament championship, made it to the Final Four, and made it to the final game of the season. Some people are saying that if everybody stays the Buckeyes could win them all. We're not going to argue with that.

A favorable non-conference schedule (Florida at home, home floor for the Big Ten/ACC challenge) won't hurt, but we fully expect the Big Ten to be better next year. Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana will all be good, and you can never count out Wisconsin. If the Buckeyes can survive road trips to West Lafayette, East Lansing, Bloomington and Madison it could be a very, very special season for the Buckeyes.

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