Lady Basketball Buckeyes Tidbits 2005-2006 Season

[BuckeyeSkins]

That 5 ranked opponents in the last 10 games was a key stat that was left out of the conversation on the selection show.

Would have been interesting if Mr. Wingo had pointed that out to the Tennessee whiner sitting besdie him. Wonder how she would have tap danced around that and tried to explain herself.

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Originally Posted by BuckeyeSkins

Would have been interesting if Mr. Wingo had pointed that out to the Tennessee whiner sitting besdie him. Wonder how she would have tap danced around that and tried to explain herself.

Kara Lawson has a face that can stop a clock. I just lost most of the respect I had for Pat Summitt because all of the whining she has done. Jim Foster wouldn't be whining like a little bitch if he perceived Ohio State got jobbed by their seeding.

[BuckeyeKid789]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeSkins

I think good ol' Espin could have found someone other then a ex-Tennessee player to be an analyst/commentator on their selection show. I think that if you're supposed to be analyzing things you really need to keep your obvious bias to yourself. I suppose an argument could be made for the Vols but that still is no excuse to [censored] and moan and try to put down other schools. But then again that's probably what the talking heads were hoping for. The Lady Bucks are just as deserving of their number 1 seed as any of the other schools.

What were the things that she was saying?

[BuckeyeKid789]

Sounds like they got another version of Lou Holtz.

[BuckeyeSkins]

I don't remember her exact words but suffice it to say in the process of her whining about her ex team not getting a number 1 seed, she felt the need to express her feelings on why the Lady Bucks should not have received one.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

3/16/06

Fostering a revival

Coach’s recruiting style won over players who have fueled OSU turnaround

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Dave O’Neil
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




Ohio State’s nationally ranked recruiting class of 2003 had no interest in bells or whistles.

Apparently, they weren’t concerned with the Buckeyes’ recent record, either.

Good thing for Jim Foster.

When Foster was hired OSU coach in 2003, the program wasn’t brimming with much success to sell. Ohio State had just one NCAA Tournament win in an eight-season stretch following its run to the national title game in 1993.

The Buckeyes’ fourth-place Big Ten finish in the 1998-99 season was their highest during the span.

The personal touch Foster brought allowed him to score a recruiting coup, even before his first team at Ohio State finished 22-10 with an NCAA Tournament win. His impressive 24-year coaching resume didn’t hurt either.

"He sold me more on his individual personality than the just the program," said Jessica Davenport, a 2002 recruit and McDonald’s high-school All-American. "Most coaches just talk about basketball. He wanted to know what was going on in my life and how I was doing."

Fellow McDonald’s All-American Brandie Hoskins and first-team All-Ohio player Stephanie Blanton also joined Davenport on campus in fall 2003. The recruiting class included Tennessee transfer Michelle Munoz, a former Parade magazine All-American.

Foster said he didn’t have to wow his recruits with anything except his commitment to improving the program.

"I think we got three kids in Hoskins, Davenport and Blanton that had their heads on top of their shoulders," Foster said. "I think recruiting is nonsense . . . I think they made good decisions and didn’t pay attention to the floats going by their homes."

The trio has played a large part in reversing Ohio State’s fortunes. OSU finished third in the Big Ten during their freshman season and tied for first in 2004-05. This season, Ohio State won its first outright Big Ten title since 1986 and gained the program’s second No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The turnaround is nothing new for Foster. He turned Vanderbilt into a perennial top-10 team. Before his arrival in 1991, the Commodores’ all-time win percentage in the Southeastern Conference was below .500.

Davenport, a finalist for the Wooden Award (national player of the year) said her perception of Ohio State has changed greatly since her days at Independence High School. Ohio State is no longer a school that must be in a player’s backyard to recruit top national talent, she said.

"In the Big Ten, we’ve gotten stronger and stronger each year," she said.

"That’s not something I saw (at Ohio State) before coach Foster."

Hoskins, second on the team in scoring this season at 12.3 points per game, said Foster’s insistence on talking about more than basketball brought her to Ohio State.

"You know you’re good if you’re getting recruited by some of these schools," Hoskins said. "When coaches show interest in other things besides your basketball skills, I think that kind of helps."

Ohio State’s success in recruiting has improved alongside its success on the court.

His players say Foster’s demeanor remains the No. 1 reason the team has attracted top talent.

Sophomore guard Marscilla Packer hit the winning three-pointer against Purdue last week, giving the Buckeyes their first Big Ten Tournament title.

Count her as a member of Foster’s fan club.

"I definitely don’t think I would have looked at Ohio State if he wasn’t there," she said.

sports@dispatch.com

Thursday, March 16, 2006

[BB73]

Congrats to Jessica Davenport for being included in the crowded cover shot of this week's Sports Illustrated. (Terence Dials is also on there).

She's near the bottom, to the right of center.