F Chris Jent (official thread)

[IronBuckI]

Chris Jent was named interim coach after Davis' firing. He was my favorite player from the J.J. era. Good to see him getting a shot.

[wadc45]

great for Chris...one of my favorite Buckeyes of all time.

[Cornerback6]

Chris Jent had more hustle in his body than half of the teams in college basketball right now. That guy I bet had more floor burns than scUM has decent human beings.

[osugrad21]

Jent was the man...scrapper.

Treg Lee was fun to watch also.

That whole team played roles very well.

[tibor75]

Jent's got a title ring too with his stint with the Rockets (at least I think he does)

[Thump]

Originally Posted by tibor75

Jent's got a title ring too with his stint with the Rockets (at least I think he does)

You are correct Tibor.

If I remember correctly he also got a broken nose out of it. From only playing about 10 seconds!

[wadc45]

I think that picture I posted above was from one of those 10 seconds...

[HabaneroBuck]

No offense to Matta, because he seems like a great get, but THIS is the guy that should have been discussed during the Ohio State hiring frenzy when there was so much idiotic speculation about Knight. He's a Buckeye through-and-through, he was a great example to all, he's young, energetic, and insightful about how the game should be played. This is the type of man that should be representing our institution. Best of luck dealing with Franchise, Mr. Jent!

[BB73]

Great opportunity for Jent. If everybody played as hard as he did, coaching would be much easier.

[Thump]

I love Jent as much as anybody but if you know anything about his past, you'd know why he's not a good candidate for a college coach.

[aglickman]

I think he has 2 RINGS with the Rockets actually - BTW - when was the last time 2 NBA coaches played hoops at tOSU? I think this is a first.

[BucksinFL]

Originally Posted by HabaneroBuck

No offense to Matta, because he seems like a great get, but THIS is the guy that should have been discussed during the Ohio State hiring frenzy when there was so much idiotic speculation about Knight. He's a Buckeye through-and-through, he was a great example to all, he's young, energetic, and insightful about how the game should be played. This is the type of man that should be representing our institution. Best of luck dealing with Franchise, Mr. Jent!

Ill stick with Thad Matta thank ya very much. Matta had at least proved himself on some level before he was hired.

[UpNorthBuckeye]

aglickman, when you asked about two Ohio State players coaching in the NBA, were you talking about Herbie Williams and Jent? I believe Herbie coached the Knicks for a few ganes this year... or is he still coaching?? I mean, I don't follow the Knicks.

I can't think of another one unlessyou are talking about perennial assistant, Jim "Cougar" Cleamons???

but anyway, great thing to see Jent coaching. I don't know what's in his background, but if he can teach NBA players to play like he did, watch out!

Sad to notice that in his second game as coach-of-the-minute his team let a big lead slip away and lost the game. So he's 1-1.

Go Bucks!

[sandgk]

BN Free

Kyle Lamb ---After playing and coaching in the NBA and even having a short stint last year as the interim head coach of the Orlando Magic, one-time Buckeye basketball player Chris Jent has made his way back to Ohio State. Jent will be taking classes as well as helping out with the OSU staff. Kyle Lamb has more.

He might not be the oldest student on campus. He might not be the most experienced coach on Ohio State’s staff. But 13 years after his college playing days ended in Columbus, Chris Jent is making another round in the college game – this time as a coach.
The 6-7 Jent left Ohio State following a successful senior season that ended abruptly in an overtime loss to Michigan in the 1992 Regional Finals. He went on to an NBA career with Houston and New York where he played sporadically while also spending time in the Continental Basketball Association.
Although Jent’s playing career didn’t last as long as he may have liked, Jent took an NBA Championship ring from his 1994 stint with the Rockets into a coaching career.
After serving the better part of two seasons as a bench assistant for the Orlando Magic, last March he took over for the fired Johnny Davis as the interim head coach. He guided the Magic to a 5-13 record, before giving way to Eric Musselman as the full-time head coach.
With nothing coming down the pipeline by way of offers, Jent decided to go back to Ohio State and major in journalism while joining Thad Matta as perhaps one of the most qualified student assistants in the history of college basketball.
Jent is a native of Sparta, NJ and played four years under former Ohio State head coach, Randy Ayers. He played on two Big 10 Championship teams along with Mark Baker, Jamaal Brown, Treg Lee and Jim Jackson.
The move to Ohio State will advance his college education and boost his resume for future jobs. It also gives him more of a solid boost into the coaching ranks. Jent finished just short of his degree when he left Ohio State for the NBA the first time around, so he will get his degree at Ohio State while also helping Matta’s coaching staff as an assistant. One of Jent’s ideal jobs would be succeeding Matta, or whoever else might coach at Ohio State, as the Buckeyes’ head basketball coach. In the interim, NCAA rules prohibit extensive roles by student assistants, which will mean scouting and recruiting will be off-limits to Jent, who is expected to do a lot of administrative work as well as hands-on help during practices. Bucknuts.com will have much more on this story in the near future.

[osugrad21]

Excellent pickup.