The Francisco Lindor Freight Train
March 19, 2018A Look at the Cavaliers Home Stretch
March 19, 2018The seniors on the Ohio State Buckeyes had plenty of chances to quit on this team. They could have slowly begun leaving the program when the entire 2015 recruiting class—one that was ranked fifth-best in the country and atop the Big Ten—decided to transfer from the program within their first two years in Columbus. They could have given up on the program after missing two straight NCAA Tournament berths after two disappointing seasons from 2015 to 2017. They could have decided to transfer from the program or given up ahead of their final season at Ohio State after their head coach—the guy that recruited them to be a Buckeye and coached them during their first three years in Columbus—was let go five months before their final collegiate season was set to begin. They could have lost hope and faith for any success their senior season, one that was expected by many to be a rebuilding year for Ohio State.
But they didn’t. In fact, they did everything but give up on their team, their new coaching staff, and the Buckeyes basketball program. Their final game donning the scarlet and gray was a perfect example of that. If anything, Saturday’s night’s game was somewhat of a microcosm of the 2017-18 season, one that the seniors deserve an unlimited amount of credit for. Starting the game in a 15-0 hole against Gonzaga, the Buckeyes could have given up and quit, happy that they even made the tournament to begin with, but they didn’t. Led by the seniors, they not only came back to make the game interesting but even took a five-point lead late in the game before losing it with just a few minutes to go.
The Buckeyes may have lost to Gonzaga to see their season end in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, but the loss will never take away from the special season that Ohio State had on the hardwood. A season that included a stunning upset over then No. 1 Michigan State, beating a top-5 Purdue team in West Lafayette.1, and winning 17 of 19 games from December 2 to February 10. It was an unforgettable one, to say the least.
While head coach Chris Holtmann and his staff deserve plenty of credit for Ohio State’s success this season, none of it would have been possible without the seniors. The coaches knew exactly what buttons to push and what rotations to use on such a thin roster, but it was the seniors who led by example and showed so much heart and determination to lead this team to something special in 2017-18 (and beyond). No matter how good of a coach Holtmann may be, it doesn’t matter if the players don’t buy in and play for him. Even though it was their last season in Columbus, the seniors bought in, everyone else followed.
Prior to the season, Ohio State was projected to finish 11th (out of 14) teams in the Big Ten by the conference’s media members. They weren’t supposed to even sniff the NIT, let alone the NCAA Tournament. Fast forward a few months and the Buckeyes not only finished second in the Big Ten but received an at-large bid and were named a No. 5 seed in March Madness. While it was a total team (and coaching) effort, it’s worth noting how special the Buckeye seniors were to not only this year’s team but going forward.
Jae’Sean Tate was the heart and soul of this team all throughout his college career, but especially in his final season. Although listed as a forward, he was the team’s point guard when called upon and even a center at times as well. Tate did anything (and everything) his coaches and team needed him to do in order for the Buckeyes to be successful. He’s the kind of player every coach wants and loves. Whether it was knocking down an open shot, securing a rebound, finding an open player, his defense, or putting his body on the line for a loose ball, the senior literally did everything possible in order to help his team be successful. That doesn’t even count all the things he did that didn’t show up on the box score, either.
Although he’s only a redshirt junior and still has one more year of eligibility, all signs seem to point toward Keita Bates-Diop declaring for this June’s NBA Draft, with the most glaring sign being that he participated in Ohio State’s Senior Night just a few weeks ago. While it will be tough to see him go knowing that he could have returned for his fifth (and final) season as a Buckeye, to say that Bates-Diop deserves to go get paid would be an understatement. While many of the coaches and players deserve a ton of credit for Ohio State’s success this season, it is quite possible that none of it would have happened unless Bates-Diop had a Big Ten Player of the Year-type year. He did just that. Whether it was his ability to score from anywhere on the floor or using his length on defense, the redshirt junior was one of the biggest reasons why the Buckeyes had so much success on the hardwood this season.
Kam Williams had an up-and-down career, which continued during his senior season. But as Holtmann stated on Senior Night, the redshirt senior meant so much to the program. Williams ability to knockdown a shot from virtually anywhere between halfcourt and the basket was special, and his shooting ability was his biggest contribution to Ohio State. As last week showed, just six weeks after he was suspended, Williams knocked down an and-one three-pointer to help the Buckeyes beat South Dakota State and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That’s a perfect example of the rollercoaster that was Williams’ time as a Buckeye.
Although it was his first (and only) season with Ohio State after transferring from Michigan to play for the Buckeyes has a fifth-year senior, Andrew Dakich meant so much to this program even though he rarely ever filled up the stat sheet. Whether it was his leadership or positive mindset, he brought so much to the Buckeyes that many don’t even know unless they watched the scarlet and gray all season. His positive attitude and mindset on a team that was projected to be one of the worst in the Big Ten was well known from the start. When ESPN analyst Dan Dakich, Andrew’s dad, predicted that Ohio State would make the Final Four prior to the season, everyone thought he was crazy and biased toward his son’s team. But it was due to Andrew saying that the Buckeyes would shock the world. They did just that. Although they lost in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Ohio State shocked the college basketball world all season.
Thursday was disappointing because all sports teams and fans hate losing, no matter what type of game it is. But don’t let Saturday’s loss allow you to forget the incredible season that Ohio State had. They exceeded expectations, and that’s all we could have ever asked for.
The Buckeyes are back. Even though they may be a football school, Holtmann’s squad may make people speculate that they’re a basketball school even if it’s only between the months of January and March (and hopefully, someday, into April as well). Tate summed it up perfectly following the game, per Eleven Warriors’ James Grega.
“I couldn’t ask to be a part of a better university. We shed some tears in here because this team is special. Everybody in this room and everybody that contributed to this year is special. We were supposed to be done a month ago,” Tate said. “We set the standard. We ended up coming up short, but the way we fought this year, we put Ohio State back on the map.
“I want to thank Coach Holt and his staff for believing in me to lead this team and my teammates for believing in me to lead this team,” Tate added. “It ended just short, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Although they will miss these four players next season, the four set an example for Ohio State’s new-look basketball team and the coaching staff, an example that if the underclassmen and future Buckeyes follow, will lead to plenty of success in the future.
The seniors could have given up on this season due to a number of things, but they did the complete opposite, and for that, Buckeye Nation should be forever grateful. You will be greatly missed, but what you did for this program means so much for both this season and for the years ahead.
Thank you, seniors.
- Even the best Ohio State teams have a tough time getting a win at Purdue. [↩]