PF Othello Hunter (Atlanta Hawks)

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

OHIO STATE MEN?S BASKETBALL
Oden?s presence helps Hunter
Duels in practice paying off in games for junior-college transfer
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

One thing coach Thad Matta likes about the load of talent he has hauled into the Ohio State men?s basketball program ? besides all the games the Buckeyes are going to win ? is how much it has elevated the competition in the practice gym.
Nowhere was it higher last week than in the post, where 7-foot, 280-pound Greg Oden was full-go for the first time and 6-9, 225-pound Othello Hunter had to deal with it.
Against Oden, Matta said, "You have to bring it every day."
Hunter had his best week of practice since he?s been at Ohio State, Matta said. Not coincidentally, he had his first double-double Saturday in a win over Cleveland State, with 17 points and 11 rebounds in only 13 minutes.
"I told him before the game, ?If you just play the way you did in practice this week, I think you?re going to see a great carryover,? " Matta said.
"Every play (against Oden), you?ve got to battle. Greg makes you do that. I?ve had it before with David West (at Xavier). The guys that went at David just continued to grow as players because of what they were doing every day."
Just a couple of weeks ago, Matta answered a question about Hunter?s progress by implying it was intermittent.
"When you?re playing at this level, the quicker you come to the realization that every play, every possession, every practice is vitally important," the better off you will be, Matta said.
Hunter evidently came to that realization against Oden.
"It helped a lot," he said. "You have to stick every play. You?ve just got to go out there and execute."
He also had an opportunity, for a few minutes against Cleveland State, to play alongside Oden.
Hunter, who played high school basketball in Winston-Salem, N.C., for only one year, was recruited out of Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla., with the idea of pairing him inside with Oden, giving the Buckeyes two rebounders and shot-blockers with wingspans exceeding 7-2.
Saturday was the first time the tandem saw the court in a game. When Oden made his debut the previous weekend against Valparaiso, 6-8 Matt Terwilliger was with him in what Matta calls his "big-ball package."
"I think Othello relished the opportunity," assistant coach John Groce said. "We?ve told him that he?d benefit greatly from Greg being out there, but obviously it?s one thing to tell him, it?s another thing for him to see it or feel it actually happening."
Hunter is averaging 8.3 points and 6.6 rebounds and shooting 57.4 percent from the field. Terwilliger is averaging 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds and shooting 55.2 percent. He did not help his cause Saturday by failing to get a rebound in 18 minutes.
"We?re still sort of feeling out that lineup, that rotation," Matta said.
With Hunter, Terwilliger and starter Ivan Harris all vying for minutes at power forward, the competition has heightened. Harris responded with a careerhigh 10 rebounds Saturday.
"It better be quality time when you?re in there," Matta said. "Hopefully, that?s a staple of our program. What we?re trying to do is get guys to understand that."

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Hunter has been a pleasent suprise so far......with him and Oden in the paint, that is a nightmare for opposing teams.

[akronbuck]

[quote=osugrad21;686684;]Dispatch

OHIO STATE MEN?S BASKETBALL
Oden?s presence helps Hunter
Duels in practice paying off in games for junior-college transfer
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

One thing coach Thad Matta likes about the load of talent he has hauled into the Ohio State men?s basketball program ? besides all the games the Buckeyes are going to win ? is how much it has elevated the competition in the practice gym.
Nowhere was it higher last week than in the post, where 7-foot, 280-pound Greg Oden was full-go for the first time and 6-9, 225-pound Othello Hunter had to deal with it.
Against Oden, Matta said, "You have to bring it every day."
Hunter had his best week of practice since he?s been at Ohio State, Matta said. Not coincidentally, he had his first double-double Saturday in a win over Cleveland State, with 17 points and 11 rebounds in only 13 minutes.


those stats in 13 minutes are amazing. He has to play more then that.
I can't even imagine by the NCAA tourny time. A healthy Oden and him with all those great outside players/threats means another title coming but, in BASKETBALL.

[OSU_Buckguy]

kenpom's ORP ranking

2007 National Leaders: Offensive Rebounding Percentage*

Through games of Saturday, December 16

Note: Minimum 40% minutes played to qualify.

1 Othello Hunter, Ohio St. 20.9
2 Chris Holm, Vermont 19.5
3 Ike Ofoegbu, Southern Methodist 19.2
4 Jeff Pendergraph, Arizona St. 19.1
5 Andrew Preston, Belmont 18.8

* Offensive rebounding percentage (OR%): This is the percentage of possible offensive rebounds a player gets:

PlayerOR / [%Min * (Team OR + Opp. DR)]

The denominator is scaled based on the percentage of a team?s minutes played by the player. Anything over 10% is good. Sean May of North Carolina was the best I saw for the 2005 season at 16.7%

-----------------------------------------------------

- interestingly, the gap between othello and #2 (1.4) is nearly three times the next largest gap between any two consecutive players (0.5) in pomeroy's top-100.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

OSU NOTEBOOK
Hunter responds to Matta's challenge
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


CHAMPAIGN, Ill. What has gotten into Othello Hunter?
"My foot," coach Thad Matta said. That could be, then, why Hunter has kicked his game into a higher gear since he and the rest of the Ohio State men?s basketball team had a forgettable 86-60 loss two weeks ago at Florida. In three wins since, the 6-foot-9 junior has 40 points, 20 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Continued....

[OSU_Buckguy]

from grad's post in the oden thread:

Dispatch

Matta also said that Othello Hunter?s grandparents died in their native Africa within the past week but that Hunter does not plan to leave the team.

truly a difficult week for our buckeyes. my thoughts go out to othello, greg, and their friends and families.

[crazybuckfan40]

It has to be truly difficult with losing family across sea and not being able to be with the rest of the family.

Thoughts go to Othello and his family...

It has been a difficult week for Greg and Othello...

[OSUsushichic]

Ohio State players Oden, Hunter mourn losses

Posted: Tuesday Jan 30, 2007 7:34 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -Ohio State center Greg Oden left the Buckeyes on Tuesday to return to his childhood home in Terre Haute, Ind., for the funeral of a close friend killed in a car accident last weekend.

Travis Smith, Oden's best friend from his adolescent years, was killed in an automobile accident on Saturday night in Muncie, Ind. Smith was a freshman at Ball State and a member of the golf team.

Also, junior forward Othello Hunter lost both a grandmother and a grandfather over the past week in their native Africa.


Continued

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Best wishes to Othello's family......God Bless.

[graveyard.roses]

Really unfortunate for both Greg and Othello. One thing I'd like to say about Othello is that I just get the sense that he could be more of a contributor. He has shown the range (shot a three last game), and he has the athletic ability. It just seems that his number isn't called as much as it could and should be. His problem is on the defensive end, where he's been overpowered by talented bigs in the post.

[Golferdow01]

Originally Posted by graveyard.roses

His problem is on the defensive end, where he's been overpowered by talented bigs in the post.

I disagree. I think Hunter has played great defense as a 4-man.

[crazybuckfan40]

I am with Golfer here...

[DaytonBuck]

Count me in to, I'm pretty sure Othello is here for defense and rebounding

[MaxBuck]

Othello had a magnificent game today on the offensive glass. Without him Sparty would have prevailed IMO. Great job, OH!

[Best Buckeye]

I think Hunter plays solidly. IMO he isn't really part of the Offense, when he scores usually it's from rebounding