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Lady Bucks Basketball Thread

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Big Ten Media Day Quotes - Ohio State


Buckeyes voted to win conference title.



Oct. 30, 2006
CHICAGO - Jim Foster, head coach

"It looks like we are going to start a freshmen point guard, Maria Moeller. We like her a lot. Andrea Walker is a 6-5 freshmen and she makes Jess (Davenport) a better player. Jessica has not had anyone her size to play against in practice in a while, so it should help both of them."

On Ohio State's offense
"We like our team right now, but I think we could stand to get a little better offensively. We are going to be able to keep defense honest with our balance."
On returning players
"(Marscilla) Packer has never shot the ball better. Brandie Hoskins, you can not tell that she had major surgery not to long ago. She is better than she has ever been."
Jessica Davenport, senior center
On the Big Ten this season
"I think this league gets better every year. It was a real honor last year to be voted by the coaches and media as the best player in the conference."
On going into her last season
"It is exciting. This is my last year to enjoy college life and the social atmosphere of it. I plan to take advantage of this time in my life and enjoy it." On the five freshmen added to the team this season
"They are a good group. They just have to learn new systems on offense and defense. That is challenging. They have to gain experience and get comfortable with the team and the systems."

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/103006aaa.html
 
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Dispatch

Thursday, November 02, 2006
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TheLantern

Basketball Preview



Issue date: 11/8/06 Section: Sports

No. 5 OSU women
By Brian Polking

With three returning starters and the addition of five highly-touted freshmen to a squad that finished last season with a 29-3 record, the Ohio State women's basketball team is expected to be among the nation's best again this season.

ESPN women's basketball analyst Nancy Lieberman ranked the Buckeyes No. 5 in her preseason Top 25, which is not surprising considering the Buckeyes' three returning starters are also their three leading scorers from a year ago.

Highlighting the group is center Jessica Davenport, a two-time All-American and back-to-back Big Ten player of the year. The senior led the conference and team in points, rebounds and blocked shots the last two seasons.

"I want to be the best player I can be," Davenport said. "I don't think about how many awards I can win junior guard Marscilla Packer round out the trio of returning starters. Hoskins, a versatile scorer, is returning from an achilles tendon injury, while Packer is OSU's top perimeter threat, having led the conference in 3-point percentage in 2005-06.

"(Marscilla) Packer has never shot the ball better," Foster said. "Brandie Hoskins, you cannot tell that she had major surgery not to long ago. She is better than she has ever been."

Completing the Buckeyes' starting lineup are senior forward Stephanie Blanton and freshman guard Maria Moeller. Blanton was hampered by a shoulder injury for much of last season, but has been a productive player in the past. Moeller possesses all the skills to become a complete point guard.

"Right now I'm just trying to get adjusted," Moeller said. "It helped to be here over the summer. But I'm trying to learn the offense and get settled."

Sophomore guard Ashlee Trebilcock could also make some starts at point guard. Trebilcock, a transfer from UCLA, is expected to bolster the Buckeyes' outside attack.

"I'm excited and happy to be here," Trebilcock said. "The thing that impresses me the most about this team is we are good at picking each other up and it will get us far this season."

The Buckeyes have a deep, talented bench led by three veteran players: Junior forwards Tamarah Riley, Alice Jamen and sophomore forward Star Allen are expected to provide help in the frontcourt.

"I am excited to start the season," Riley said. "I have my own style of play and I've learned to adjust my game against taller opponents."

Joining Moeller are four more talented freshmen who are all expected to play significant minutes this season.

"This team has a lot of youth and ignorance," OSU coach Jim Foster said. "We have five freshmen and some of them have a lot of questions. This year we are in much more of a learning environment. The upper classmen have been getting involved and answering a lot of their questions. It is a fun environment, and they have a lot of energy about them."

Davenport also spoke of the freshman group: "They saw us get our (Big Ten) rings and they want them. They hear us telling stories about winning the Big Ten (tournament championship) game. They want it, too. We won't be able to win games without them."

Freshmen guards Cherise Daniel and Shavelle Little will be counted on to contribute this year. At 5 feet 11 inches, Daniel's height brings an added dimension to the Buckeyes' backcourt. Little should provide immediate defensive help after averaging nearly seven steals per game in high school.

"Our freshman class has come together and it seems like we've known each other a long time," Daniel said. "We've been working hard all summer and fall quarter and have learned a lot from the older players and the coaches."

In the frontcourt, freshman center Andrea Walker and freshman forward Lesslee Mason-Cox will play key roles. At 6 feet 5 inches, Walker will have to step in whenever Davenport needs a breather. She appears to be up to the task after averaging more than five blocks and connecting on more than 70 percent of her field goals in high school.

Mason-Cox comes to OSU with an impressive high school resume as well, averaging a double-double in points and boards.

"I'm excited because we have a great team and coaches," Mason-Cox said. "The leadership is great because they are helping us learn the plays. Everyone mostly is positive with us, but negative with us at the right time."

The Buckeyes will need contributions from every player on the team to handle the difficult schedule that awaits them. Seven of OSU's non-conference opponents made the NCAA Tournament last season, including Final Four participant LSU, as well as Boston College, the team that ended OSU's season one year ago in the second round of the tournament.

The Big Ten schedule isn't any easier. Four conference opponents made the NCAA Tournament last season, and the Buckeyes' 17-game conference winning streak is sure to put a bull's-eye on their backs.

"There is so much competition and heart in the gym," Blanton said. "We have to work hard to achieve our goal. We want to win the Big Ten again this year. The Big Ten is tough, but if we work hard we hope to do it again."

The Buckeyes will open the regular season Sunday against Army in the Maggie Dixon Classic at West Point's Christl Arena. The quest for a third consecutive Big Ten title begins Dec. 31 against Iowa in Iowa City.
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cstv.com

Foster Announces Signing of Four Student-Athletes
Buckeyes ink two Ohio standouts and a pair of Illinois backcourt stars


Nov. 8, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Jim Foster, Ohio State women's basketball head coach, announced the signing of four student-athletes Wednesday at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes added a set of 5-11 guards from Illinois and landed a pair of frontcourt standouts from Ohio.
Jantal Lavender, of Cleveland Central Catholic High School, and Sarah Schulze, from Anna High School in Anna, Ohio, make up the additions from the Buckeye state. Guards Alison Jackson, from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill., and Brittany Johnson, out of East Richland High School in Olney, Ill., will come to Columbus after finishing their senior seasons in Illinois in 2006-07.
"I like the diversity of this class," Foster said. "All four have the ability to run the floor, shoot the 3-point shot and score off the bounce. This should be a fun group to coach and I look forward to it."
Lavender, 6-4, is rated as the No. 1 post player in several recruiting publications and ranked as high as No. 3 overall in the country. She averaged 20.7 points and 16.0 rebounds her junior season, successfully defending her Ohio Division III Player of the Year award from 2005. Lavender was a second-team high school All-American selection by Street & Smith and a Parade Magazine Third-Team All-American. This summer, Lavender was selected to play on USA Basketball's Under-18 Team National Team. A Wendy's High School Heisman Award finalist, Lavender carries a grade point average of better than 3.85. Schulze, at 6-1, also is a frontcourt standout. She poured in 23.0 points per game in her junior year, earning district MVP honors, a first-team All-Ohio selection and was tabbed league MVP. She averaged 19.0 points per game in both her sophomore and freshman campaigns and was named first-team all-league and honorable mention All-Ohio as a freshman. Schulze played against current Buckeye point guard Maria Moeller in 2006 and scored 33 points in a tight 59-55 loss to Moeller's Marion Local team. Schulze carries a 4.0 scholastic grade point average.
Jackson and Johnson, both stand at 5-11, adding height to the Buckeye backcourt. Johnson netted 32.0 points a game last season and added seven rebounds a contest from her guard spot. She also was selected for the Team USA Under-18 tryouts. The 2006 Associated Press Illinois Player of the Year, Johnson is a 2006 Street and Smith Preseason All-American and has been named to the All-Illinois teams at least twice by the Champaign News-Gazette, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

Jackson heads into her fourth season as a starter at Fenwick. She posted 14.2 points and 4.3 rebounds a game as a junior and joined Johnson and Lavender at the USA U-18 tryouts this summer. She is a three-time Street & Smith's Honorable Mention All-American. An Associated Press All-State Class AA second team selection last season, Jackson merited Chicago Sun Times All-Area and Chicago Tribune All-State special mention in 2005 and '06 and made the Champaign News-Gazette All-State team last season.
The Buckeyes, ranked No. 7 in both the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA and Associated Press preseason polls, also are ranked seventh in the All-Star Girls Report recruiting rankings release Wednesday.
Ohio State Women's Basketball Class of 2010
Alison Jackson, 5-11 guard, Fenwick High School, Oak Park, Ill.
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Four-year starter at Fenwick ... averaged 14.2 points and 4.3 rebounds a game in 2006 ... USA Basketball selection for under-18 team tryouts ... three-time Street & Smith's Honorable Mention All-American ... adidas Top 10 "All American Camp" Invitee in 2005 and `06 ... All-Conference selection junior and sophomore seasons ... Chicago Sun Times All-Area and Chicago Tribune All-State special mention in 2005 and `06 ... Associated Press All-State Class AA second team ... Champaign News-Gazette All-State team ... netted 10.4 points and six rebounds a game in 2005 ... earned adidas Top 10 "All American Camp" participant & all-star after pouring in 9.1 points and 5.3 boards as a freshman ... played club basketball for Chicago Hoops Express. Rankings: No. 53 overall in All-Star Girls Report, No. 62 in HoopGurlz.com
Brittany Johnson, 5-11 guard, East Richland High School, Olney, Ill.,
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Averaged 32.0 points and seven rebounds a game during sophomore and junior seasons ... has scored double figures in 95-of-96 career games ... netted 1,045 points in junior year, mark ranks third all-time in Illinois state high school records ... selected to USA Basketball team trials under-18 tryouts ... preseason Street & Smith Honorable Mention All-American in 2005 and `06 ... 2006 Associated Press State Player of the Year ... 2006 Champaign News-Gazette State Player of the Year ... first-team Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State (top vote getter) last two seasons ... first-team Associated Press All-State team (top vote getter) as sophomore ... first-team Chicago Tribune All-State team and Chicago Sun-Times All-State team as sophomore and junior ... first-team Champaign News Gazette All-State team as sophomore ... 2005 and `06 Decatur Herald & Review All-Area Player of the Year ... also established single-season free-throw percentage record at 90 percent ...made 47-consecutive free throws, an Illinois State record ... pocketed 125 steals as junior ... averaged 26 points and more than six rebounds per game as a freshman ... established five school records as a freshman ... freshman season honors included second-team Champaign News Gazette All-State ... Decatur Herald and Review All-Area player of the year ... all-league in volleyball ... Southern Illinois Coaches Association All-South team ... Champaign News-Gazette Area team. Rankings: No. 33 overall in HoopGurlz.com, No. 63 in All-Star Girls Report
Jantal Lavender, 6-4 center/forward, Cleveland Central Catholic High School, Cleveland, Ohio
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Averaged 20.7 points and 16.0 rebounds in junior season ... second-team high school All-American pick by Street & Smith ... two-time Ohio Division III Player of the Year (2005-06)... 2006 Parade Magazine Third-Team All-American ... selected to play on USA Under-18 Team National Team in 2006 ... named First Team Preseason All-American Team 2006 by HoopGurlz.com in 2006 ... USA Today Junior All-American and Student Sports Junior All-American ... Ohio Div. III All-State First Team in 2005 ... All-Metro First Team in 2005 ... Street & Smith honorable mention All-American in 2004 after averaging 22.0 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks a game ... Nike All-America Camp invitee in 2004 ... earned All-District First Team recognition in 2004 ... freshman stats included 18.6 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks a game ... academic honors include Summa Cum Laude status at 3.85 to 4.2 GPA ... a Wendy's High School Heisman award finalist ... lettered three times in volleyball. Rankings: No. 1 center/forward by HoopGurlz.com and All-Star Girls Report; No. 3 overall player by HoopGurlz.com and All-Star Girls Report. Sarah Schulze, 6-1 forward, Anna High School, Anna, Ohio
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Averaged 23.0 points per game in junior season, earning district MVP honors ... first-team All-Ohio selection ... tabbed league MVP ... netted 1,000th career point in junior campaign ... played just nine games as sophomore because of injury, but averaged 19.0 points per game ... also poured in 19.0 points per game as a freshman ... named first-team all-league as freshman and honorable mention All-Ohio ... also an AAU All-American in 2006 ... played against current Buckeye point guard Maria Moeller in 2006 and scored 33 points in tight 59-55 loss to Moeller's Marion Local team ... also ran cross country and track in high school ... won cross 2004 country state championship (Div. III) as sophomore and took the runner-up spot as a senior ... four-time district and regional champion ... owns school record in cross country ... Ohio state track and field champion in 800-meter run and state runner-up in 1600m in freshman year ... also holds school record in 100m, 200m, 800m, 1600m ... 4.0 scholastic grade point average.
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DDN

OSU women's recruits
Anna forward Sarah Schulze joined Cleveland Central Catholic post Jantal Lavender and out-of-state guards Alison Jackson (Oak Park, Ill.) and Brittany Johnson (Olney, Ill.) in signing letters of intent Wednesday.
"The two wing players are athletic," OSU coach Jim Foster said. "All four can shoot a 3. All four can put the ball on the floor."
 
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Dispatch

OHIO STATE WOMEN?S BASKETBALL
Recruiting class rated among best in nation
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Four years later, Ohio State women?s basketball coach Jim Foster appears to have put together a recruiting class to match his highly-regarded first one with the Buckeyes.
Foster met the media yesterday in Value City Arena to announce the signing of four players for the 2007-08 season. Philadelphia-based Blue Star Basketball rated the class as the sixth best in the nation.
The quartet included Jantel Lavender, a 6-foot-4 center from Cleveland Central Catholic, Sarah Schulze, a 6-1 forward from Anna (Ohio) High School, Alison Jackson, a 5-11 wing from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill., and 5-11 Brittany Johnson, a 5-11 wing from East Richland High School in Olney, Ill.
"I like this class," Foster said. "These kids are athletic and have significant skill level with the ball. All four have the ability to run the floor, shoot the threepoint shot and score off the bounce. All four are terrific additions."
Lavender is the best known of the group. She is a second-team Street & Smith?s magazine All-American and is ranked the third-best player in the nation by All Star Girls Report and HoopGurlz.com. Blue Star has her at No. 6. She will arrive as OSU senior All-American center Jess Davenport departs.
"The objective sometimes is to get a freshman (post) with a senior," Foster said. "And if you can?t do that, the next ideal situation is to get someone of Jantel?s abilities to take someone like Jess? place."
Foster smiled when asked to describe Lavender?s game.
"My phrase for her would be Karl Malone," he said.
Johnson, Jackson and Schulze will be asked to fill the shoes of the other two members of Foster?s first class, Brandie Hoskins and Stephanie Blanton.
"The two (guards), I think, will help us," Foster said. "They?re different from what is leaving, and different in a good different. Brittany obviously knows how to put the ball in the basket. And Alison has really improved her game off the bounce in the last year.
"And Schulze is probably the sleeper in the class because she is not as visible outside of the mainstream of summer basketball. She?s a runner, so she doesn?t really do the spring (basketball) thing. She hasn?t been seen as much, nor has she spent as much time working on the game. Those kids usually surprise you."
The Davenport, Hoskins, Blanton class became the core of an OSU program that has a 59-8 record the past two seasons and has won back-to-back Big Ten championships. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 7 in the first AP poll this season.
"I think they gave us instant credibility that we were going to be in the hunt for the Ohio players," Foster said.
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DDN

Davenport Wants NCAA Title as Her Legacy

By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Jessica Davenport came to Ohio State as a shy girl trying to get comfortable in her 6-foot-5 frame while learning to use it as leverage on a basketball court. She hopes she leaves celebrating at midcourt with her friends, a net draped around her neck and a trophy in her grasp. That's about all she hasn't accomplished.
The most decorated Buckeyes player ever, Davenport enters her senior season with perhaps her best chance at finally playing in a Final Four, just up the road next April at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
"I want to just be the best player I can be," Davenport said of her legacy. "I don't go out there thinking about what award I can with this year. Just being around my teammates and being able to practice every day and being healthy ? that's enough for me. Wherever I fall in history, that's where I am."
Davenport, who has averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds for her career, is a two-time first-team Associated Press All-American and the Big Ten's player of the year the past two seasons. She has played on teams that have gone 80-18, won two conference titles and a Big Ten tournament title and have played in three NCAA tournaments.
But on two of those trips, the Buckeyes, ranked No. 7 in the preseason, lost to Boston College in the second round. As a sophomore, Davenport and the Buckeyes advanced to the regional semifinals before falling to Rutgers ? a team they had beaten at home earlier in the season.
Coach Jim Foster, back for his fifth year at Ohio State, said there is no lingering effect from the latest NCAA tournament disappointment.
"Only one team ends the season the way you'd like to," he said. "So if you dwell on other areas, you're just sort of spinning your wheels."
The key points the Buckeyes dwell on as they enter another new season is the continuing health of guard Brandie Hoskins, meshing with six new players in the rotation and dealing with a killer schedule.
Hoskins tore an Achilles' tendon late in the tournament defeat and spent the rest of the spring and summer rehabbing. She has apparently conquered an injury that not so long ago left an athlete barely able to walk after six months. Now she's slashing her way through the lane in practice this fall just like she did before.
Foster lost several key components from last year's team including starting power forward Debbie Merrill and point guards Ashley Allen and Kim Wilburn. He begins his 29th year as a Division I head coach shuffling five freshmen and acclaimed transfer Ashlee Trebilcock into the mix.
Andrea Walker, an athletic 6-5 center from West Allegheny, Pa., will learn from Davenport while trading elbows with her in practice. Foster says he may even put them together on the floor from time to time ? a daunting prospect for any team hoping to get a rebound or a shot in the paint.
Maria Moeller, a 5-7 coach-on-the-floor from Maria Stein, Ohio, will handle the point while vets Stephanie Blanton, Star Allen, Alice Jamen and Tamarah Riley provide support underneath for Davenport.
Trebilcock, who becomes eligible in early December, was one of the top recruits in the nation a year ago but left UCLA after playing just four games.
"UCLA's school is awesome. But once I got there I just realized that I didn't fit into the program. People can believe whatever they want, but it was not a playing-time thing or anything," said Trebilcock, declining to go into any more detail.
Foster believes that Trebilcock, adept at hitting pull-up jumpers, will be a potent force on the perimeter along with Marscilla Packer, the top 3-point field-goal shooter last year in the Big Ten (46 percent).
"We definitely have a lot more scorers from the guard positions this year," said Packer, who averaged 10.8 points a game, third-best on the team behind Davenport's 18.7 and Hoskins' 12.3.
In an effort to muscle up for the postseason, Foster loaded up the schedule with bullies. The non-league portion includes home games with USC and NCAA nemesis Boston College. They also play road games against heavyweights LSU and Oklahoma.
"Playing a tough schedule is always advantageous," said Foster, who has a 606-253 mark at Ohio State, Saint Joseph's and Vanderbilt. "This year we have a very difficult schedule, but we have good players so we should have a tough schedule."
The Buckeyes have plenty of good players ? and one great one.
Asked what is left for her to accomplish, Davenport doesn't waste time. She knows she doesn't have much left in her college career.
"A national championship," she said.
 
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DDN

Moeller gives OSU women direction

The freshman point guard has made a quick transition from tiny Marion Local to Big Ten powerhouse.


By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer

Saturday, November 11, 2006


COLUMBUS ? Maria Stein isn't the first place Ohio State women's basketball coach Jim Foster would look for a point guard. But that's where he found one in freshman Maria Moeller.
"What befuddles me is how a kid can grow up in a town with not one red light and walk into an environment and direct traffic and know how to play the game at that level," Foster said. "Where do you learn that?"
Moeller, a three-time player of the year for Marion Local in the Midwest Athletic Conference, said her skill is based on opponents, not geography.
"It's just the way I grew up, I guess," Moeller said. "Even though I'm from a small town, we had a really strong conference and strong competition."
In his fourth year in Columbus, Foster called the 5-foot-7 Moeller his first true point guard at Ohio State.
"This will be the first I've had here," he said. "True point guards are very difficult to come by."
Her new teammates have noticed the mostly seamless transition Moeller has made to the college game. She'll be counted on to contribute right away.
"When she first got here, I think she probably was one of the quickest people to pick up our offense," said center Jessica Davenport, a two-time Big Ten player of the year. "Just getting her to be more vocal and tell her other freshmen what to do, I think that was one of her biggest adjustments."
The Buckeyes return three starters from last year's team, which earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. OSU has several scoring options, which puts Moeller's emphasis on defense and running the offense. She plans to live up to Foster's assessment of her as a true point guard.
"I take it as a compliment," Moeller said. "People from small towns may not play on big (Ohio high school) Division I or II teams, but we can still compete.
"Just being able to try to be a leader even though I'm a freshman, try to be a leader on the court. That's what he expects out of me."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-6951 or [email protected]
.



Ohio State women's basketball preview
Coach: Jim Foster, 606-253 in 28 seasons; 102-28 in four seasons at OSU
2005-06 record: 29-3, 15-1 Big Ten
Starters returning: Jessica Davenport, Brandie Hoskins, Marscilla Packer
Storyline: The Buckeyes have national championship dreams so the intermediate goals of a third straight Big Ten title, conference tourney title and NCAA berth are just the start. With starters Davenport, a 6-5 center (18.7 points, 8.9 rebounds) and two-time Big Ten player of the year, C-J grad Hoskins (12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds) and Packer (10.8 points, 2.0 rebounds) joined by reserve Stephanie Blanton and "Foster Five" freshmen G Cherise Daniel, G Shavelle Little, F Lesslee Mason-Cox, C Andrea Walker and PG Maria Moeller, the Buckeyes are deep. A top-10 team in most polls, Ohio State must mesh the older and younger players to make a deep tournament run.
Quote: "We haven't won anything. I want to win the national championship. We won the Big Ten (twice) and that's great, but I want to win it all. Only one (team) can win the national championship. A lot of people can win their leagues." ? OSU senior and former C-J guard Brandie Hoskins.
Tickets: Call (800) GO-BUCKS for information. To buy tickets online, go to ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com or various ticket brokers.
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Dispatch

Sunday, November 12, 2006
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Dispatch

Davenport knows what game means to Army

Sunday, November 12, 2006




In a way, Ohio State All-American center Jessica Davenport knows what the Army players will be feeling today when they play host to the Buckeyes in the Maggie Dixon Classic to honor their late coach.
She remembers a similar game the Buckeyes played at Michigan State in 2004 the day after Caity Matter lost her brother, Ricky, in an automobile accident.
"I think there will be a lot of energy in the gym," Davenport said. "After the Caity Matter incident, we had a situation similar to that. We had to play a game on someone’s spirit.
"We have to go out and play. It’s the first game of the season, so obviously we want to win. We want to be respectful of whatever ceremony they have before the game. But we have to make sure our focus is on the game." — Jim Massie
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CPD

OHIO STATE BASKETBALL

Guard swaps scripts for assists

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter

Columbus- The Ohio State women's basketball team will be on a road trip some day when Ashlee Trebilcock will pop onto the TV screens on the team bus. She knows the day is coming. Center Jessica Davenport has vowed to acquire the incriminating tapes from Trebilcock's mother - the ones that show little Ashlee with George Clooney on "ER" or with Zack and Screech on "Saved by the Bell" - and make sure every Buckeye sees their teammate's former life as a child actor.
Not that she hangs with those guys any more.
"I'm not going to keep Zack's [from 'Saved by the Bell'] number and be like, 'Oh, I got his number,' " Trebilcock said. "[Acting] was very cool, but I'm kind of glad I got out of it."
Trebilcock was plucked out of an Idaho mall as a 4-year-old, flown to Los Angeles, signed by an agent and thrust into her first commercial soon after, starting an acting career that would last a decade. Eventually, as a teenager, acting faded and basketball took over. Her arrival in Columbus was almost as unexpected as her move from Idaho to Hollywood.
She verbally committed to UCLA before her junior year in high school, but it didn't take her long after she arrived on campus last year to realize the return to Los Angeles wasn't right for her. She checked out Connecticut, Georgia and Oklahoma before deciding to transfer to Ohio State, where coach Jim Foster had known her only through a USA basketball tryout. She made the move last December, and the Buckeyes won't have her when they open their season at Army today.
But she'll be eligible under transfer rules around Dec. 9 or Dec. 10, and will become a big part of the team, if not a star, as soon as she's in the lineup.
"She can score," Foster said. "She's very good in the pick-and-roll and just has a knack for scoring the ball. That's a nice knack to have."
Foster also praised her ability to hit the pull-up mid-range jumper, a disappearing part of the game that led the coach to call her a "throwback."
"I don't know what that means," Trebilcock said. "I'm the farthest thing from flashy. Maybe boring is kind of what he meant by it. I just dribble and shoot and pass. That's probably what he means by that."
How can the actress Ashlee Lauren be boring? She used her middle name for her stage name, probably in part because Tre-BIL-cock is so often mispronounced. Her first big part was on "Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style" in 1992. A three-episode arc on "ER" followed, as well as bigger roles in two short-lived TV series - "McKenna," which also starred Jennifer Love Hewitt, and "Angel Falls," whose cast included future "Sex in the City" star Kim Cattrall.
"I just learned from a young age to be humble," Trebilcock said. "When you're a kid actor, you have all these people telling you you're amazing, and you learn to take it with a grain of salt. It turns out that the famous movie stars are really cool, and it's the kind-of-famous ones that had to tell you that they were famous."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
dlesmerisesplaind.com, 216-999-4479
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