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November 26, 2018Wins and Lessons with the Cavs: Going Streaking!
November 26, 2018Throwback games are fun. No matter what sport or team it is, when a team has a Throwback Night, both the team and fans tend to love it. That is the exact case for the Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team and Buckeye Nation. Fans have been hopeful that the basketball Buckeyes would play at least one game per season in the historic St. John Arena. Whether it’s the atmosphere, history of the arena, or how close fans are to the action, there’s just something about St. John Arena that is really special. They got their wish last Friday night when Ohio State played host to the Cleveland State Vikings the night before The Game. It was the first time the men’s basketball team played a game in that arena since 2010.
Even prior to the game, it wasn’t Scheck West’s “Mo Bamba” or another rap song playing during pregame warmups, it was instead big-time hits from the 1980s, including Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”. Pair that with the throwback jerseys the players wore, which were modeled after the ones worn by the Buckeyes in 1980, the pull-out bleachers the fans with the best tickets in the house had to sit in, the player introductions, the posts on social media, or anything else, everything about Ohio State’s Throwback Night on the hardwood was so well thought out and so well done.
Now it's our time ⏳#Team120 | #StJohnArena pic.twitter.com/jnSYD0XtG5
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/OhioStateHoops/status/1066129115638579200
Second-year head coach Chris Holtmann made it known that he wants a home game at St. John Arena to become an annual tradition. While saying that, he also joined in on the throwback-feel with a jacket that showed that “he had a little drop to him,” according to Andre Wesson.
Chris Holtmann rocking the throwback jacket: pic.twitter.com/j4oDOZULfV
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 24, 2018
Holtmann finished the night by wearing a throwback an Archie Griffin Ohio State jersey, letting everyone know that he was ready for The Game. Holtmann gets us, which is awesome as well.
Chris Holtmann wearing an Archie Griffin Jersey at his postgame presser. pic.twitter.com/wZht56bFjm
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 24, 2018
Ohio State didn’t hold back whatsoever during their Throwback Night last Friday evening. It was part of the reason that made the game and everything surrounding it so great. That type of game in St. John Arena needs to happen much more often, even if it is just once a year. If it’s up to Holtmann, it will.
“We have talked about it a little bit and kind of tossed around that idea. We want to get some feedback on how this night was, and I know logistically it’s a lot of work,” the head coach said. “There are questions about the amenities, but it’s not something that we have said no to. We have considered it. Is it something we’ll do? Would we do two games a year? I don’t think it would be more than that. But I do think we’d like to make it an annual thing, and we have talked about potentially a Big Ten opponent.
“It was a fun night and something we anticipate doing on a regular basis. Obviously, the Schottenstein Center is our home and we recognize that, but this was a fun night for, I think, our fans and our basketball community and Buckeye Nation.”
Whether it was the pregame playlist, the jerseys, the suit jacket, the atmosphere, or the win, hopefully, this isn’t the last time a Throwback Night takes place in St. John Arena. Everything about it was essentially perfect.
