Lady Bucks Basketball Thread - Page 2

OSUBasketballJunkie · #16 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Slam Magazine Tabs Buckeyes No. 3 in Nation

Ohio State faces as many as seven preseason ranked opponents in 2006-07

Oct. 5, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State women's basketball team, ranked in the Top 10 in several preseason polls, is rated No. 3 by Slam Magazine in its 2006-07 Preseason Poll. The Buckeyes also are ranked in the Top 10 by Athlon (No. 5), Lindy's (No. 10) and Street and Smith (No. 6).
Ohio State opponents in the 2006-07 schedule make up a good portion of all four polls, headed by defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma. The Sooners are positioned at No. 3 by Athlon and Street and Smith, while Slam has slated OU at No. 4. The Buckeyes play at Oklahoma Dec. 20.
LSU, which handed Ohio State its only home loss in 2005-06, is ranked as high as No. 9 (Athlon). The Buckeyes return to home-and-home series with the Lady Tigers Dec. 10.
USC (Nov. 19) and Kentucky (Jan. 6) both visit Columbus this season. The Women of Troy sit at No. 16 in Lindy's rankings and the Wildcats are rated as high at 14th by Athlon. In the Big Ten, Purdue, Michigan State and Iowa are ranked. In Lindy's poll, the Boilermakers fall in at No. 11, the Spartans landed a No. 20 standing and Iowa broke in at No. 24.

Bestbuck36 · #17 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 03:41 AM

I'd have to say Slam is the closest to our ranking. With all of our people coming back and Jessica ready to take player of the year honors, this could be the year we win both men and womens national titles. Add that to footballs title and this could be one of the best hauls in NCAA history by one University.

OSUBasketballJunkie · #18 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 06:51 AM

If all three sports were able to win a National Championship, I believe that would be a first in Division IA.

Bestbuck36 · #19 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 01:56 AM

Hey, we got a first last year with both Football and Basketball winning a conference in the same year- still unbelievable that it wasn't done sooner. All that has to happen is the same type of performances as last season with a bit more stamina and a lot of luck.

OSUBasketballJunkie · #20 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 07:02 AM

Dispatch

Quote:

Hoskins believes injury made her a better player

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

MIKE MUNDEN DISPATCH Ohio State?s Brandie Hoskins has worked hard to rehabilitate a torn Achilles? tendon.

What seemed like the worst moment in the basketball life of Brandie Hoskins dramatically changed in mid-dribble last March in Purdue?s Mackey Arena.
Ohio State was 79 seconds from a 79-69 upset loss to Boston College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament when the junior guard caught a pass and collapsed on the court in agony.
"When I dropped the ball, I thought somebody had kicked me," Hoskins said. "I was waiting on the ref to call a foul. When I watched the film, I could see on my face that I was looking around for a call. That?s when I felt the pain. That?s the most pain I?ve experienced physically since I?ve been playing basketball."
Hoskins didn?t know the cause yet, but soon would learn that she had ruptured her right Achilles? tendon. Surgery and 12 tortuous weeks on crutches followed with tough months of rehabilitation ahead.
When the defending Big Ten champions begin practice this week, Hoskins will be on the floor even though she won?t be 100 percent. The future, however, is no longer as murky as it appeared after the surgery. Hoskins is certain that she will be ready to play sooner than later.
"I?m jogging and running," she said. "I?m shooting. I?m jumping. I?m coming around real good. I can?t give you an exact time, but my rehab is going real well. My ankle is healing well. It?s about being patient and listening to what (OSU trainer Chalisa Fonza) tells me to do."
Being patient, however, wasn?t among the strengths that Hoskins brought to OSU from Dayton Chaminade-Julienne High School. The thought of being without basketball still brings tears today.
"I remember after the injury walking on crutches the first day ? I don?t think I was completely here," Hoskins said. "Basketball means everything to me. It?s all I do. I play all the time, nonstop every day. It was hard to accept that I was hurt."
Questions about her availability for this season surfaced quickly. Coach Jim Foster never wavered in his belief that Hoskins would provide the answer.
"Sometimes these injuries have reputations," Foster said. "What were considered catastrophic injuries 20 years ago are today almost routinely taken care of because they?ve gotten so much better at the actual procedure and so much better at the rehab.
"A lot of times people come back stronger and even more aware and in tune with their body. The mere getting back pushes some athletes to places they?ve never been."
In Hoskins? case, that place initially was a chair in the practice gym, where she worked for hours on her shooting form.
"When I was in the boot, I?d sit there and shoot," she said. "Overall, I think it probably made me a better player and a stronger player because this summer I got to work on form shooting and my left-hand dribble."
Foster watched her perseverance. Nobody had to tell him how much Hoskins wanted to come back.
"She is one of those kids who goes to the gym and plays all the time," he said. "And she?s good at it. It?s not like you?re a 15- or 20-handicap golfer and you put the clubs away for the winter months.
"It becomes a very reflective time. You learn a lot about yourself, and ask yourself a lot of questions, and answer a lot of them."
Beyond improving her mid-range game and left hand, Hoskins added something else to her wish list for the upcoming season.
"I want to be a leader on the court ? vocally, mentally and physically," she said.
She knows that her teammates are watching. The Buckeyes have five freshmen who have yet to play a college game. She can see herself in them and laughed at a reminder about how much she hated preseason conditioning as a freshman.
"They?re cool," Hoskins said. "They?re freshmen. They?re just getting into it. You don?t know what you?re getting yourself into. You go from being the best player on your high school team to just another player in one of the best programs in the country. You learn."
Foster expects Hoskins to teach.
"She?s already started," he said. "How you handle an injury is part sometimes of an athletic career. Five freshmen walked in and they?ve watched her in the rehab process all summer. That?s a lot of what leadership is."
Hoskins can?t wait to play again and show everyone what she has learned.
"I think God was teaching me to be patient, strong and to take nothing for granted," she said. "I think this injury has made me a stronger player and a better person."
jmassie@dispatch.com

OSUBasketballJunkie · #21 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 07:03 AM

Dispatch

Quote:

OHIO STATE
Illinois guard says she will be a Buckeye

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Brittany Johnson, a prolific shooting guard from East Richland High School in Olney, Ill., confirmed last night that she planned to play in 2007-08 for Ohio State.
Johnson, 17, said that she chose the Buckeyes over Michigan State and Iowa.
"I visited twice," she said. "I liked Ohio State. The girls were nice and the coaching staff was fantastic. I felt like I would fit in and fulfill my dreams there. I don?t want to sit for a long time. I want to play."
Last season, Johnson averaged 31.7 points, seven rebounds, three assists and 3.8 steals. She has scored 2,829 points in her career and is expected to break the Illinois prep scoring record of 3,403 points this season.
"I really don?t pay attention to points," she said. "I want to win and I?m willing to do whatever it takes to win. I can make shots, but I like to make plays for my teammates."
Per NCAA rules, coach Jim Foster cannot comment on recruits.

? Jim Massie

jmassie@dispatch.com

osugrad21 · #22 (**permalink**) 10-13-2006, 06:04 AM

DDN

Buckeye women's notes
? Senior Brandie Hoskins (Chaminade-Julienne) said she's nearly recovered after rupturing her right Achilles tendon.
"I've got be a lot more mentally focused," she said. "Basketball means everything to me. To have a second chance to be able to play is just great."
? Ohio State women's basketball coach Jim Foster was complimentary toward freshman Maria Moeller (Marion Local).
"Moeller is a (true) point guard," said Foster, adding he hasn't had one in his other four seasons at OSU. "She already knows where everybody is supposed to be and when they're supposed to be there and her teammates understand that."