Former OU basketball players take the court abroad … PG 6
Jason Preston steps in front of the camera … PG 8 Women’s basketball rises in popularity … PG 14
part-time & full-time positions see page 13
Every week, Ohio’s basketball teams are subject to a roaring, raucous crowd of fans filling The Convo. The Ohio fandom, consisting of OU students and Athens locals of all different backgrounds, come together to cheer on their teams.
Sports have always been a unifier within a community. In Athens, the sport that has brought people together the most is basketball.
Although the sport has taken place in several venues and hosted hundreds of players since its inaugural season at OU in 1907-08, basketball has always been something fans can rally around.
During the 2024-25 season, fans have had the opportunity to rally around the preseason No. 1 team for the men and a coach that has surpassed 200 career wins for the women.
Through all 118 years of basketball at Ohio, there’s always been a story that Athens residents get to be a part of.
In the last handful of years, that culture has only strengthened as winning has become part of it. In the past decade, both men’s and women’s teams have made the NCAA Tournament, with the men’s team forcing a historic upset over Virginia in 2021.
Ohio fans have witnessed incredible moments in The Convo, and regardless of the world outside its walls will hapily put everything aside to cheer on
their teams. With two histori cally successful programs with inspiring student-athletes on each roster, fans have all the more reason to cheer even louder.
Basketball unifies young peo ple to embrace activity. With public, free-to-access courts in most neighborhoods, a ball is the only required purchase. Especially with girls, given the recent surge in popularity for women’s basketball, involve ment in youth sports is increas ing.
Since the turn of the centu ry, attending sporting events has come to be about so much more than just the game. Whether you care about the re sult of what’s happening on the court or not, has become less important as athletic programs turn their focus to fan engage ment.
Attending an Ohio basketball game at The Convo brings fans a lively atmosphere. They can interact with other fans and lo cal businesses. When basketball season is at its peak, the games become a celebration of Athens.
Whether it’s bringing the community of Athens together to cheer on its teams or inspir ing young fans to get involved in a sport themselves, basket ball has been an integral part of fostering a feeling of together ness at OU and the surrounding area.
Where each team stands as the season winds down
It has been a season of expectations for both Ohio basketball teams. For the men’s team, it came in the near-unanimous preseason No. 1, according to the Mid-American Conference Coaches Poll, with three Preseason All-MAC Selectees in AJ Clayton, AJ Brown and Shereef Mitchell. For the women’s team, it showed improvement and promise after a six-win season in 2022-23.
Although the men’s team has not separated itself as the conference’s top contender, it hasn’t been without promise through adversity. The team remains a contender in the MAC, with only one loss in The Convo all season. Ohio coach Jeff Boals has gotten the most out of each player on his roster as the team tries to peak in the season’s final nine games.
Despite missing three games with injury, senior AJ Clayton is back in action and has had his best year to date. Clayton, who surpassed 1,000 career points with the Bobcats Jan. 11, has looked like a real candidate for MAC Player of the Year.
Veteran leader Shereef Mitchell has also dealt with injuries but is back to form. In his last year of eligibility, he hopes to help lead the Bobcats to a MAC Tournament run.
Junior Jackson Paveletzke is another Ohio transfer portal success story. The former Iowa State guard has been the team’s lead ball handler and one of the MAC’s most effective playmakers in his breakout year.
Redshirt sophomore AJ Brown has also experienced a breakout, getting an opportunity to shine, and succeeding in doing so.
Arguably the biggest surprise of the season has been freshman Elijah Elliott’s breakout. Elliott, who didn’t play in Ohio’s season opener against James Madison, has been a starter in the team’s last four.
Despite an overall frustrating season for the women’s team, players and coaches alike have left their mark in the record books and created memorable moments for Ohio fans. Most notably, Ohio coach Bob Boldon reached his 200th career win with Ohio Jan. 25 against Eastern Michigan.
Veteran leader Kennedi Watkins also reached a career milestone this season, scoring her 1,000th career point Jan. 22 against Buffalo.
Ohio standout Bailey Tabeling has had a successful sophomore campaign, recording a career-high 28 points Jan. 4 against Northern Illinois. Fellow sophomore Asiah Baxter has improved more than anyone for Ohio, going from a freshman who didn’t get much playing time to a sophomore who can be counted on.
After losing key players, the Ohio women’s team reloaded its roster with high-contributing freshmen and transfers. True freshman Gigi Bower has been among the best of the bunch this season, tallying 11 starts in her first collegiate season.
Ohio’s transfers, Anyssa Jones and Aliyah McWhorter, have made their presence felt this season, each finding themselves in the starting lineup at different points in the year.
The story of the 2024-25 season has yet to conclude, but each team has had reasons for excitement this year. Whether the teams’ journeys end in Cleveland or the NCAA Tournament, it’s been a year to remember for Ohio basketball.
Breaking down the MAC with a handful of games remaining.
The college basketball season is heading toward the homestretch, with roughly a month of basketball still to be played. Of course, March only brings about chaos with the Mid-American Conference Tournament deciding which team will represent the conference in the NCAA tournament. With that in mind, The Post took time to rank the teams on how they’ve done up to this point.
This was quite an easy front-runner in the conference, and it’s not hard to see why. The Cardinals have an impressive 19-4 record but also have an unblemished record in the MAC, winning 13 straight games, 11 being in conference. The team has key wins on the road against Kent State, Buffalo and Miami by 9 or more, plus a home win against Toledo of 77-63. Ball State has dominated the MAC to this point and will look to stay hot through March in order to make a run to the NCAA Tournament.
TOLEDO
Of the three teams in the MAC share an 8-3 record in conference play, Toledo is among the best. The Rockets are led by senior Sammi Mikonowicz, who scores 13 points and grabs six rebounds per game. MAC play was a little rocky to start, with losses at home to Northern Illinois and on the road to Western Michigan and Ball State to start 4-3. Now, Toledo has won four straight games, including a massive road win at Buffalo in its last MAC matchup.
The defending MAC Tournament Champions are sitting at 8-3 in conference play and 15-8 overall, earning the No. 3 spot in these power rankings. The Golden Flashes’ leading scorer from
last season, Katie Shumate, graduated. However, senior guard Jenna Batsch has filled in her role very well, scoring 16.4 points and four assists per game. Kent State’s three conference losses are to Toledo, Ball State and a surprising loss to Northern Illinois. Kent State boasts solid wins over Buffalo at home and a road win against a good Miami team that bolsters its resume.
The Bulls are another team to share the 8-3 decree in the MAC, led by the MAC’s top scorer and their senior leader, Chellia Watson. The best win for Buffalo came at Western Michigan, where it won 73-40. The bulls have handled matchups against teams with worse records than them but have struggled against the top dogs. The team lost to Ball State and Toledo at home and has fallen at Kent State. These top teams have been able to make Watson beat them, and that has made the Bulls falter down the stretch of games. Having to rely solely on Watson may be their downfall when March comes around.
Second-year coach Glenn Box has his Miami squad playing some great basketball. The RedHawks have an above .500 record both overall and in conference play. Sophomore guard Enjulina Gonzalez has been one of the conference’s best players this season. Gonzalez is averaging 17.3 points per game on 48.3% shooting from the field and 43.8% shooting from deep. The starting five is young, featuring four underclassmen to go along with graduate student Maya Chandler. This team could make serious noise in the tournament if it stays hot.
The Broncos are another team with a winning record in MAC play, the final team that can boast that fact. Thanks to a tough non-conference start of the season, Western Michigan is just 9-13 overall but has improved since starting conference play. Led by the duo of Marina Asencio and Hannah Spitzley, the Broncos picked up solid wins over Northern Illinois and Toledo. That duo averages over 13 points per game, and they have been the driving force behind much of the Broncos’ success this season.
The Falcons are one game below .500 in the conference standings, but they do have some of the most impressive non-conference wins in the MAC, including wins over Arkansas and Marquette. Despite those remarkable victories, Bowling Green doesn’t have a win over any of the teams above it in these rankings, which is what holds it back from being higher at the end of the day.
Northern Illinois has a worse in-conference record than Central Michigan but still has some impressive MAC wins this season, including victories against Toledo and Kent State. The Huskies have been a weird team to follow, defeating the Rockets in their first MAC game of the season and then losing to the Bobcats the very next game at home. Inconsistency is what holds this team back.
Central Michigan has just been a below-average team this year in head coach Kristin Haynie’s second season. The Chippewas are 5-6 in MAC play with a hardfought 47-46 win over the RedHawks at home, but that is their only win over a
team ahead of them in the rankings so far this season. Freshman Madi Morson has been very impressive, averaging 15.1 points per game in just her first year of college basketball.
The Zips have better overall and in-conference records than Ohio and Eastern Michigan, but that is all they can say about this season. The team’s three MAC wins are over Ohio, Eastern Michigan and the ever-inconsistent Northern Illinois. The senior duo of Shelbee Brown and Alexus Mobley has been the bright spot of the team this season, with both players putting up over 12 points per game.
This season has been a big disappointment for an Ohio team that was seemingly trending up after a surprise tournament appearance last season. Injuries to Monica Williams and Jaya McClure have put Ohio in a tough spot with a record of 4-17 overall and 2-9 in the MAC. Injuries have plagued the team all season, with Kennedi Watkins and Bailey Tabeling missing time as well. This has been a season to forget for the Bobcats, and their chances at the MAC tournament grow slimmer with every game.
EASTERN MICHIGAN
The Eagles have, to say the least, struggled in the first year of new coach Sahar Nusseibeh’s tenure. Eastern Michigan has won just one game all season against Xavier, the bottomfeeder of women’s basketball in the Big East. Nusseibeh is still searching for her first MAC win as the Eastern Michigan head coach, and it will be a tough task to complete as Ball State, Buffalo and Miami still remain on the schedule.
Breaking down the MAC with a handful of games remaining.
With eight conference games remaining, the Mid-American Conference has come into shape as basketball fans approach the MAC Tournament in March. Looking forward to tournament time, The Post took time to rank each MAC team based on what they’ve done this season.
Here are The Post’s power rankings for Men’s Basketball in the Mid-American Conference.
AKRON
This one isn’t a tough choice, nor should it be shocking. Coming off a MAC tournament victory and NCAA Tournament appearance, Akron hasn’t slowed down despite losing its core players. Akron is the only team that remains perfect in conference with a 10-0 record in MAC games. The Zips haven’t only beaten teams; they’ve destroyed them. Most notably, Akron had a blowout win against Miami, scoring upward of 100 points. Akron also had key wins against Ohio, Toledo and Kent State en route to its 10-0 start.
Toledo has epitomized what it means to be a MAC contender over the last decade. Although the Rockets haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1980, they haven’t had a season below .500 since coach Tod Kowalczyk’s first season back in 2010-11. Fourteen years later and it’s much the same, with Toledo claiming a 14-8 record and multiple big-time wins. The Rockets are one of the only MAC teams to have hung with the Zips at home and the only in-conference opponent to claim a victory over the Bobcats in The Convo.
When Ohio is at full strength, it is among the best teams in the conference by far. Ohio is undefeated in MAC games where all its opening-night starters are in the lineup. The problem has been when Ohio is missing players like AJ Clayton, Aidan Hadaway and Shereef Mitchell, all three of whom have missed multiple games.
MIAMI
Miami has been one of the most prolific offenses in the MAC and is undoubtedly a threat in the postseason. However, the weight of their biggest losses far outweighs the staple wins on the RedHawks schedule thus far. Miami’s 102-75 margin is the second largest margin of loss a MAC team has suffered to Akron, while its 4-point home win over Ohio takes a hit due to the injuries Ohio came in with.
Statistically speaking, Kent State is one of the MAC’s darlings. KenPom’s rankings have the Golden Flashes firmly second in the MAC as one of just three positive teams in the conference. However, wins and losses show Kent State still has a ways to go. The Flashes hold an elite defense but a modest 5-5 record in MAC play, with losses against several of the MAC’s other top competitors and a couple of questionable ones to the Broncos and Cardinals.
The Chippewas are the best MAC team in their home state of Michigan, but that’s about where their success stops. Losses to Buffalo and Ball State leave Central Michigan out of the upper tier of the MAC. However, the team is still probable to sneak into the tournament as an eight-seed if it can squeak out a few wins down the stretch.
BALL STATE
Ball State is a tricky team to rank. Although the Cardinals roster two of the best players in the conference, Payton Sparks and Jermahri Hill, they’ve struggled against some teams much lower in the rankings. Ball State remains the only team in the conference to lose to Northern Illinois. However, Ball State has put up good enough fights against Miami, Akron and Ohio to stay around the middle of this list.
BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green was a mid-major fan favorite in the early season due to big man Marcus Johnson’s exploits over Michigan State, keeping Bowling Green competitive for most of the matchup. However, the early results have yet to show their face later on, as Bowling Green has lost six of its last eight games with wins only over Buffalo and Northern Illinois.
EASTERN MICHIGAN
The Eagles are in a free fall down the MAC rankings after three straight losses to beatable opponents. Eastern Michigan would be a lot lower on this list if not for early season wins against Ohio and Bowling Green that make it seem like more of a contender. If the team can turn things around soon, then it could sneak into the tournament and do some damage.
WESTERN MICHIGAN
Of the four teams that currently hold a 4-6 MAC record, Western Michigan has by far the least impressive resume. The Broncos have struggled to put up any kind of fight against the conference’s top teams and also suffered an ugly early season loss to a Buffalo Bulls team that hasn’t had much success this season. Western Michigan is another team that would be a shock to make it to Cleveland at tournament time.
BUFFALO
There hasn’t been much to love from the MAC’s bottom two teams, who have separated themselves from the pack in all the wrong ways. Buffalo won the head-to-head over Western Michigan but has been the far worse team, already up to double-digit road losses and sitting at just 5-5 at home.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
It hasn’t been a good year for Northern Illinois. At 1-9, the Huskies are a long shot to make the tournament come March. A win at home against Ball State was a high point in what has been a rough season for the team. With a rematch against Ball State as well as games against Akron and Miami left on the schedule, it’s hard to see a world where Northern Illinois ends the year with more than three conference wins.
ROBERT KEEGAN III | SPORTS EDITOR
Ohio forward AJ Clayton was just 17 years old when he first played in front of The Convo crowd. Not even a legal adult yet, Clayton was one of the youngest Division I athletes in the country.
After 120 games and 2,426 minutes played, Clayton has cemented himself as one of the best players Ohio basketball has ever seen. Not only has Clayton come to be known as Ohio’s star player, but he’s also known for being a true, authentic Ohioan.
A native of Roseville, Ohio, Clayton grew up and played high school basketball just an hour north of Athens. Despite his continued dominance of the Mid-American Conference, Clayton has never sought to transfer out of Athens for a conference with more national attention. Ohio basketball has become a family he wouldn’t leave behind for any opportunity.
“For me, it was never about the money,” Clayton said. “It’s always been about the relationships that I’ve had. I love OU. I love the friends I’ve made here and the people that I’ve met. There’s no place like it.”
At Philo High School, Clayton was highly recruited within his home state of Ohio. With offers from Kent State, Akron and Cleveland State, Ohio stood out to Clayton, largely because Ohio coach Jeff Boals was the first to contact him.
“I met him when I was 14 years old, and every year, we’ve just gotten closer and closer,” Clayton said. “Coach is exactly how he seems. He really cares about us and puts us before just about everything else. We’ve had so many great conversations throughout my time here. I’m sure we’ll be close for the rest of my life.”
Clayton’s relationship with not just Boals but everyone involved with Ohio basketball is a big reason why he’s decided to stay with the team. As Ohio’s most tenured player, Clayton has been around long enough to experience the back end of one generation of Ohio basketball and become the face of another.
In his freshman season, Clayton shared the court with Ohio legends Jason Carter
and Ben Vander Plas, two players who influenced him to become the player he is today.
“I owe them a lot for teaching me all kinds of stuff,” Clayton said. “When I was 17, they were both a lot older than me. I watched (Carter) play his senior year of high school when I was in the sixth grade, and then we ended up being teammates … Those two taught me so much about being a better college basketball player.”
During Clayton’s freshman season, while playing alongside Carter and Vander Plas, Ohio played a road game against Kentucky, a program that has always been among the best in the country. Just a 17-year-old freshman, Clayton remembers coming off the bench to a crowd of more than 20,000 people and being immediately overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
In the game against Kentucky, Clayton didn’t miss. He went two-for-two from the 3-point line and scored 6 points in just as many minutes. That game set the tone for the rest of Clayton’s impressive college career.
Since the Kentucky game, Clayton has walked onto every court with confidence, scoring over 1,000 career points in an Ohio uniform and becoming the first player to reach the mark since Dwight Wilson in 2023.
After almost four years with Ohio, Clayton’s time playing college basketball is coming to an end. For Clayton, however, the 2024-25 season may be his favorite of his career.
“This is probably one of the closest groups I’ve ever been a part of,” Clayton said. “I’m definitely gonna miss the camaraderie, just sitting after practice and talking, just hanging out whenever.”
Looking back on his career, Clayton will miss nothing more than the brotherhood he’s formed with his teammates and coaches. When Ohio inevitably has to say goodbye to Clayton’s playing days in March, it’s without a doubt that he’ll be remembered at Ohio for years to come.
LOGAN ADAMS | SPORTS EDITOR
Ohio forward AJ Clayton was just 17 years old when he first played in front of The Convo crowd. Not even a legal adult yet, Clayton was one of the youngest Division I athletes in the country.
After 120 games and 2,426 minutes played, Clayton has cemented himself as one of the best players Ohio basketball has ever seen. Not only has Clayton come to be known as Ohio’s star player, but he’s also known for being a true, authentic Ohioan.
A native of Roseville, Ohio, Clayton grew up and played high school basketball just an hour north of Athens. Despite his continued dominance of the Mid-American Conference, Clayton has never sought to transfer out of Athens for a conference with more national attention. Ohio basketball has become a family he wouldn’t leave behind for any opportunity.
“For me, it was never about the money,” Clayton said. “It’s always been about the relationships that I’ve had. I love OU. I love the friends I’ve made here and the people that I’ve met. There’s no place like it.”
At Philo High School, Clayton was highly recruited within his home state of Ohio. With offers from Kent State, Akron and Cleveland State, Ohio stood out to Clayton, largely because Ohio coach Jeff Boals was the first to contact him.
“I met him when I was 14 years old, and every year, we’ve just gotten closer and closer,” Clayton said. “Coach is exactly how he seems. He really cares about us and puts us before just about everything else. We’ve had so many great conversations throughout my time here. I’m sure we’ll be close for the rest of my life.”
Clayton’s relationship with not just Boals but everyone involved with Ohio basketball is a big reason why he’s decided to stay with the team. As Ohio’s most tenured player, Clayton has been around long enough to experience the back end of one generation of Ohio basketball and become the face of another.
In his freshman season, Clayton shared
the court with Ohio legends Jason Carter and Ben Vander Plas, two players who influenced him to become the player he is today.
“I owe them a lot for teaching me all kinds of stuff,” Clayton said. “When I was 17, they were both a lot older than me. I watched (Carter) play his senior year of high school when I was in the sixth grade, and then we ended up being teammates … Those two taught me so much about being a better college basketball player.”
During Clayton’s freshman season, while playing alongside Carter and Vander Plas, Ohio played a road game against Kentucky, a program that has always been among the best in the country. Just a 17-year-old freshman, Clayton remembers coming off the bench to a crowd of more than 20,000 people and being immediately overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
In the game against Kentucky, Clayton didn’t miss. He went two-for-two from the 3-point line and scored 6 points in just as many minutes. That game set the tone for the rest of Clayton’s impressive college career.
Since the Kentucky game, Clayton has walked onto every court with confidence, scoring over 1,000 career points in an Ohio uniform and becoming the first player to reach the mark since Dwight Wilson in 2023.
After almost four years with Ohio, Clayton’s time playing college basketball is coming to an end. For Clayton, however, the 2024-25 season may be his favorite of his career.
“This is probably one of the closest groups I’ve ever been a part of,” Clayton said. “I’m definitely gonna miss the camaraderie, just sitting after practice and talking, just hanging out whenever.”
Looking back on his career, Clayton will miss nothing more than the brotherhood he’s formed with his teammates and coaches. When Ohio inevitably has to say goodbye to Clayton’s playing days in March, it’s without a doubt that he’ll be remembered at Ohio for years to come.
Expectations for the Ohio Women’s Basketball team were quite high coming into this 2024-25 season in Athens. The previous year, Ohio coach Bob Boldon took a team that had won just six games the year prior to the MAC tournament on the back of a freshman trio of Bailey Tabeling, Monica Williams and Laylay Fantroy.
While that 2023-24 squad’s season ended at the hands of Ball State in Cleveland, the future seemed clear for an Ohio team that had loads of young talent, including then-sophomore Jaya McClure, who would be returning for another season. Lost in the shuffle of what appeared to be the distinct young core for Ohio was another freshman, Indianapolis native Asiah Baxter.
It was admittedly hard for Baxter to be on the bench for most of her freshman season, especially coming from the high school ranks where she was highly-touted.
“It was definitely just a wake-up call to know that this is big, you literally have to put in the work to be in that big position,” Baxter said. “It was different for me, coming from schools and AAU teams where (I’m) actually playing every two minutes, going to barely seeing the floor. It was definitely a mental and just physical growth for me.”
Fast forward to now and see Laylay Fantroy transferred to Texas Southern in the offseason, and both Jaya McClure and Monica Williams have missed either the entire season or the large majority of the entire season. It became clear Boldon and co. were going to need players to step up and fill holes because of the injuries that plagued the team.
Baxter became a clear choice after receiving some minutes off the bench in the team’s first couple contests where she showed her ability to do the little things well.
“I have the hustle,” Baxter said. “I know I can go and box somebody out, play that post defense, just the little things that people overlook.”
After not seeing the floor much last season, Baxter’s willingness to be scrappy and do the little things to help her team win has been a huge part of her starting games in her sophomore year.
It wasn’t just her ability to be a glue guy for this Bobcat team this year that earned her a considerable increase in minutes. Her hard work in the offseason contributed massively as well.
According to her, it was specifically the three-ball that Baxter honed in this offseason.
“I always knew that I could shoot, but (my coaches) were like, OK, you need to shoot the offer,” Baxter said. “In high school, I was used to just driving in, doing all the bigger things, but when I got here, it was like, OK, we know you can shoot, so you need to shoot.”
Her work when it came to shooting this offseason earned her the increased role that she has had this season, a role that has changed and adapted to the team's needs as the season has gone on.
“I feel like at the beginning, (my role) definitely started off a little small,” Baxter said. “Now that I've stepped up to that starting position, it's definitely been way bigger. You got to get in there, you have got to drive, you have got to shoot, you have got to look for your teammates, you have to communicate on defense. They definitely expect a lot out of me because I’m very vocal on the court.”
After starting 20 games this season, her position as a leader has grown as well, with coaches and teammates needing her to be vocal on and off the court. The combination of her growth on the court as a player and leader has led to a boost in confidence for the young guard, a boost that is still growing as the season progresses, especially compared to last season.
“Last season it was really hard, just the confidence and everything was really hard,” Baxter said. “I'm still learning confidence today, but I definitely think that it has gotten way better, just because my coaches have put the step forward to help me in ways that I didn't know that I needed that help.”
As the confidence and comfortability on and off the court for Baxter grows, so will her role and success with Ohio. While this season has been a struggle as a whole for the Bobcats, Baxter and her development this season and into the future will be a key factor to watch moving forward.
Ohio has had a handful of players make the jump from college to the pros in the last couple of years. Here is how Jaylin Hunter, Ben Vander Plas and Dwight Wilson have been doing while playing overseas basketball.
ROBERT KEEGAN III | SPORTS EDITOR
Ohio represents a storied basketball program that has produced a handful of professional athletes all over the world. From Dave Jamerson to Jaston Preston, Ohio has proved it can be a mid-major program that produces real professional talent.
Over the last couple of years, Ohio has had a handful of players land contracts in professional basketball leagues, including Jaylin Hunter, Dwight Wilson and Ben Vander Plas. The Post had a chance to talk to a couple of these players to check in on the overseas experience.
Here is what they had to say:
JAYLIN HUNTER
Ohio’s most recent professional graduate, Jaylin Hunter, has thrived in 2024-25, playing in the United Kingdom for the Leicester Riders.
Hunter played for Ohio from 2022-2024 where he recorded 895 points in two seasons. Hunter was Ohio’s leader during the 2023-24 season, averaging 14 points and five assists per game. In Leicester, Hunter has transferred that success, currently averaging 12 points and seven assists per game.
“One thing that’s really important to me, and something that I got when I was at Ohio, is just being around good people,” Hunter said. “I think that’s really important. It’s good to have great basket-
ball minds around, but also having good people.”
The adjustment can be tough for any player going from college basketball to overseas. Hunter admitted that sometimes being in the UK can be lonely and difficult.
“I would say it comes and goes; there are good days, and there are bad days, just like everybody else,” Hunter said. “It’s taught me to enjoy being alone, finding out things that I like to do on my own time.”
One thing that’s helped Hunter is connecting with players he knew from the U.S.
“There’s a player that my dad coached back when he was at Nebraska (Leslee Smith), back in 2014,” Hunter said. “When I was 14 years old, I remember going to his games and watching him play. He still has a successful career and is playing in this league now. So every time we played them, I make sure I go and talk to him.”
Hunter hasn’t only connected with players playing overseas; he keeps in contact with former teammates and coaches, especially current Ohio guard Shereef Mitchell.
“I just got off the phone with Reef probably a day or two ago,” Hunter said. “Me and him talk pretty often. We send TikToks to each other all day, so we’ve kept in contact. He’s going through a lot
of the same things I went through my senior year … staying in the moment, but still being ready and prepared for whatever’s next for him.”
Hunter said there are highs and lows of playing overseas, but if you’re as passionate about basketball as he is, it’s all worth it.
BEN VANDER PLAS & DWIGHT WILSON
Ohio’s Ben Vander Plas and Dwight Wilson were once roommates in Athens and have now found themselves together again, playing in the same league but on different teams in Sweden.
Vander Plas and Wilson are among the most memorable players of the last 10 years of Ohio basketball. Each played a critical role in Ohio’s 2021 MAC Championship win and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Wilson spent two seasons as Ohio’s big man, tallying 1,000 points and rebounds in his collegiate career. Vander Plas spent four years as a go-to scorer with the Bobcats, tallying over 1,500 points during his time in Athens.
Both Wilson and Vander Plas shared similar stories of a struggle to adjust to overseas basketball. However, now that each has finished a couple of seasons, things have become admittedly easier.
Earlier this season, the former teammates and roommates had a special
opportunity to face off with one another for the first time.
“It felt surreal, kind of like full circle,” Wilson said. “It was like we were wearing green jerseys the whole time. To me, I was overall just happy to see him. I was happy to see him and happy to see that he’s doing well. It was nice, it felt like old times.”
For Vander Plas, who won the battle between him and his ex-roommate, the experience of playing against Wilson was equally surreal.
“(Dwight) is one of my best friends from back at OU,” Vander Plas said. “We were roommates for a couple of years. He’s got a special place in my heart; he always will … After the game, we talked for a long time. It was really cool just to see someone that you grew with and you played with for so long, chasing their dream and meeting up with them across the world.”
For both Vander Plas and Wilson, getting back to America to play professional basketball in either the NBA or the G-League is the ultimate goal.
“I’ve been blessed to be able to make a living off of playing the game and support my family that way,” Wilson said. “It’s the reason I started playing in the first place, and you know, as of right now, we’re still trying to make it a reality.”
Jackson Paveletzke builds relationships through transfer journey.
LOGAN ADAMS | SPORTS EDITOR
Jackson Paveletzke’s journey is becoming more typical by the year. Not long ago, if a college basketball player played for three teams in three years, it would have been unheard of. However, the transfer portal has allowed players like Paveletzke to find a home according to need.
For Paveletzke, the transfer portal gave him the chance to play on teams and build relationships he otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to.
Paveletzke was recruited lightly out of Kimberly High School in Kimberly, Wisconsin. His father, John Paveletzke, played for Division III St. Norbert College, but as a self-described smaller and less athletic guard, Jackson’s Division I options were limited.
“I was pretty underrated (out of high school),” Paveletzke said. “I didn’t have a ton of offers. Toledo was my only (Mid-American Conference) offer, but I was between Wofford and St. Thomas.” He ultimately decided on Wofford College, which represented the Southern Conference in the NCAA Tournament five times in a decade under now-Virginia Tech coach Mike Young. In 2019, Young was replaced by Jay McAuley, who recruited Paveletzke before being fired halfway through his freshman year.
Despite a coaching change, Paveletzke had a great year. He won SoCon Rookie of the Year, averaging 15.1 points and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting nearly 40% from three.
Paveletzke’s performance was enough to convince himself he could play at
a higher level. As the transfer portal opened up, several high major teams seemed to agree.
“My top (six options were) Iowa State, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Ohio State, Georgia and Gonzaga,” Paveletzke said. “It was a ton of schools from all over a ton of different conferences. It was super cool to see, just working hard your entire life and then seeing that is pretty cool.”
Paveletzke’s first taste of the transfer portal was hectic. While still attending classes at Wofford, his phone was flooded with calls from coaches all across the country attempting to recruit him.
“The transfer portal was kind of nerve-wracking because you don’t know what to expect,” Paveletzke said. “Then you’ve got to build new relationships with coaches, whereas out of high school, they can recruit you for years and build that relationship … you have to make a decision within three to four weeks.”
Iowa State ended up winning the Paveletzke sweepstakes. Although he saw a dip in minutes, going from 32.9 per game as a freshman to 10.5 per game as a sophomore, Paveletzke had the chance to experience winning at the highest level and build relationships that last to this day.
“It was one of the more connected teams I’ve been on,” Paveletzke said. “We were super close on and off the court, always spending time. Just a lot of hard-working guys there. Nobody’s selfish. Everybody just cares about winning.”
This mentality was visible on the court. The Cyclones entered the NCAA Tour-
nament as a No. 2 seed, peaking as high as No. 4 in the AP Poll and making it to the Sweet 16. Paveletzke aided Iowa State to an undefeated 18-0 record at home.
The winning experience with Iowa State and the relationships he built were invaluable for Paveletzke.
The one thing missing was the
to play ball in his hands, leading him to enter the transfer portal once again, this time landing in Athens.
In his recruitment, Ohio coach Jeff Boals noted the suc cess his program has had in devel oping and empowering point guards such as Jason Preston, Mark Sears and Jaylin Hunter. However, it was Boals’ commitment that won Paveletzke over.
Tuesday, February 11
Community Conversation: Community Engagement Student Needs Assesment
10:00 am & 11:00 am
Academic Engagement Ctr.
*Sign up on Bobcat ConnectPIZZA PROVIDED
Wednesday, February 12
Midweek Bible Study hosted by: Encompass Campus Min.
7:00 - 9:00 pm Baker 503
Friday, February 14
RISE Collegiate Recovery Community Meeting
3:00 - 4:00 pm Baker 313
Friday, February 14
Friday’s LIVE Season 54 E01 hosted by Jeanie Stanton 8:00 pm Studio C (RTV 515)
Saturday, February 15
The Gathering ALL Day with FREE Aetherdrift Draft hosted by OU Magic the Gathering
10:00 am - 10:00 pm 45 University Terrace
Wednesday, February 19
Midweek Bible Study hosted by: Encompass Campus Min.
7:00 - 9:00 pm Baker 503
Thursday, February 20
Mindfulness through Music OU Mindful Based Living
6:00 - 7:00 pm Morton 126
RISE Collegiate Recovery Community Meeting
3:00 - 4:00 pm Baker 313
Martie & Stewie Craft Night hosted by: Housing & Res Life & THRIVE
7:30 pm- supplies are provided West 82 Food Court
ens) from a couple
easy decision.”
career highs in categories, as well as
what he was looking somed accordingly.
Friday, February 21
Humans vs. Zombies: All of Us Part II 7:00- 10:30 pm Walter Hall
*Sign up on Bobcat Connect
Friday’s LIVE Season 54 E02 hosted by Sam Gottfried 8:00 pm Studio C (RTV 515)
Wednesday, February 12
Sophomore Housing Exemption Meeting 2:00 PM Baker 231
Monday, February 17
Sophomore Housing Exemption Meeting 7:00 PM Walter 135
Wednesday, February 19
Sophomore Housing Exemption Meeting 6:00 PM Morton 201
February 15 & 16
Minot @ OHIO 7:00 PM & 2 PM
February 21 & 22 OHIO @Liberty 7:00 PM, Lynchburg, VA (follow on X for streaming link)
March 13 - 18
ACHA National Tourn. St. Louis, MO
* To have your event included on this calendar make sure it is registered on Bobcat Connect!
Although it’s been four years since Jason Preston made his presence felt on The Convo’s hardwood, his love for basketball has brought him back to Athens to explore his passion for broadcast.
LOGAN ADAMS | SPORTS EDITOR
Jason Preston ingrained his story into the floorboards of The Convo with three years of excellence. In 82 games with Ohio, Preston earned two All-Mid-American Conference selections, a MAC Tournament MVP and has his name all over Ohio’s record book. However, Preston’s passion for basketball extends far beyond the court.
It’s easy to forget Preston was once a sports blogger for a Detroit Pistons- focused blog titled Piston Powered. Preston worked on the blog for just six months in 2016-17, but the foray into media was a sign of things to come.
Recently, Preston has begun contributing as a broadcaster for Ohio, returning to Athens occasionally to call games. The homecoming in itself has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for Preston.
“It was awesome (returning to Athens). I got to see so many people I’ve grown to love and grown great relationships with,” Preston said. “Seeing a lot of players and coaches, even some of the fans when I was there. It was awesome, they’re all so very receptive.”
Although Preston’s passion for basketball media is evident, and something he plans to pursue, getting back on the court is what’s on the front of the Orlando native’s mind.
After leading fifth-seeded Ohio to a MAC Championship and an upset over Virginia in the NCAA Tournament, Pres-
ton’s first year in the NBA was marked by a pre-season ankle injury that caused him to miss the entire season. Once healthy, he spent time bouncing between the NBA and G-League.
“I’d never had a significant injury, so I’m thinking, ‘I just tweaked my ankle or something,’ but I end up going to the doctor, and they say I’m going to be out the whole year,” Preston said. “But afterward, I began to sit back and reflect and really appreciate the time that I had … it was definitely a learning experience and I’m happy things went the way they did.”
In the short term, Preston’s goal is to make a return to professional basketball. The 6-foot-4 point guard led the G-League in triple-doubles last year.
Currently out for what would have been his third season, Preston continues to find the bright side of something as dark as injury.
“Playing is definitely something I’m still pursuing but this time I also want to pursue a lot of other basketball interests, kind of similar to what I had going on in high school,” Preston said. “I’m just looking at basketball through a different lens and exploring all the different avenues I can explore during this time.”
Preston is currently rehabbing a second season-ending injury with physical therapists at Ohio State, giving him time to explore the other areas of his passion for basketball. After giving it a test drive, Preston is confident basketball media is an area he wants to continue to explore in the future.
“I really like the space to just talk truly about the game,” Preston said. “It’s cool seeing the different dynamics of me being a player and seeing how broadcasters prepare, and everything they have to do heading into games, everything they have to know.”
After two season-ending injuries in just four years, it’s hard to imagine a lot of players would be able to look at their situation through the lens of positivity Preston has been able to. However, Preston knows being on the court is not the only way he can make his impact felt and story known.
“I really like having the platform (in broadcasting) to educate people as they watch, and give a perspective that many people might not see,” Preston said.
Preston has been using media, whether it be writing or social media, to explore his passion long before his broadcasting with Ohio this season. While at Boone High School in Orlando, Preston famously shared his highlights on X. Had he not, he may not have made it to the floor of The Convo or college basketball in general.
Through media like broadcast, Preston has been able to fully explore his passion for basketball, using the platform to share his knowledge and passion for the game. While he waits on his return to the floor, Preston is getting even closer to the game he loves.
Ohio’s season hasn’t gone as planned. A string of injuries forced the Bobcats to make unexpected adjustments, shaking up the lineup and challenging players to step into new roles. One of those players is sophomore Bailey Tabeling, who has taken on a different position and become more crucial than ever.
“This year, with all the injuries that we have had to deal with and with not everyone being at 100%, the season was getting started,” Tabeling said. “(Ohio coach Bob Boldon) walked up to me and he was like, ‘Hey, we’re going to need you to play (point guard).’”
Although Tabeling was recruited as a shooting guard, she had experience playing point guard in high school. When Ohio needed someone to take over the position, Boldon didn’t have to look far, Tabeling was ready to step up and prove her versatility.
“It was definitely a big change because the role they needed me to fill was much bigger and carried more responsibility than the one I had last year,” Tabeling said.
Still, she never doubted her ability to adapt. Her experience before college prepared her for the challenge, and she has embraced the opportunity to lead. Tabeling has created key scoring opportunities and provided consistency the Bobcats desperately need.
Tabeling’s determination has not only helped the Bobcats but also led to personal milestones. In Ohio’s game against Eastern Michigan, she recorded her first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, playing a key role in securing the Bobcats’ second conference victory of the season.
“I think as a player, it’s helped me mature because I am a sophomore and this is not what I came here to do,” Tabeling said. “I didn’t expect to be doing this at all, but I think it has helped me. I feel like I’ve grown as a player, but also as a person.”
Tabeling shared that this experience strengthened her communication with the team. She also noted that the challenges have led to personal growth, teaching her valuable lessons on and off the court.
“I think it’s helped me realize that you can
expect something, but sometimes you’re not going to get that, and it’s OK as long as you’re willing to learn and figure out how you’re going to attack that new situation,” Tabeling said.
The Bobcats design plays that allow Tabeling to showcase her elite shooting ability, particularly from beyond the arc. While her 3-point shooting remains a key asset, she’s also focused on improving her physical strength to become a more well-rounded player. When asked about her goals, she admitted that she feels pushed around on the court at times and wants to build strength to hold her ground more effectively.
Tabeling also realizes she will most likely be expected to step up even more as a leader next season as the current seniors are closing out their time playing as a Bobcat.
“We’re definitely going to need somebody to step up next year,” Tabeling said. “I feel like it’s part of my job since I’m the point guard to step up into that role.”
Tabeling’s leadership is a lot more present than she gives herself credit for. Her ability to adapt and do what’s best for the team holistically is a huge aspect of finding her voice as a leader. She views this season as an opportunity for the team to perform to the best of its ability with the cards it has been dealt.
“With all the injuries and all the cards we’ve been dealt, we have not been dealt a really good hand. I think that, yes, our record is showing that we’re not having a good season,” Tabeling said. “But I think as players and teammates, we’re getting better and growing, especially the communication aspect.”
Tabeling’s mindset is now to continue to do the job she is expected to do in hopes of a turnaround and a chance to compete at a higher level.
“I feel like now people are starting to understand, like, all right, we’re at the end of the season,” Tabeling said. “But I think we have grown as a team, and how much we communicate with each other, especially off the court.”
MS356522@OHIO.EDU
OWEN LIPSTREU | FOR THE POST
Ohio assistant coach Abby Garnett isn’t too far removed from lighting up The Convo between the sidelines; Garnett was a forward for Ohio until 2023. Now, only a year after retiring from playing basketball, Garnett fills a role from just outside the sidelines for Ohio.
Garnett was inspired by the coaches she had at Ohio, so much so she decided to use her experiences as a player to give back to the university as a coach.
“I was able, as a player, to see the court from all sides of view, so not playing, being injured, to being in the starting five,” Garnett said. “I wanted to take all of that knowledge and pour it into girls.”
During her time as a player, Garnett listened closely to the knowledge Ohio coach Bob Boldon imparted to her. Having built Boldon’s knowledge up over five years with the team, it seems fitting coaching was the next step.
“With as much as I learned as a player, I was excited to learn the strategy side of things that (Bob Boldon) makes decisions on,” Garnett said. “I couldn’t be more grateful that I’m learning under the person who was a part of my college career
for the last five years.”
Garnett didn’t have the end to her collegiate basketball career that she wanted. In her fourth season, Garnett played only two games before being sidelined for almost the whole season. In her final season with Ohio, the team only won six of its 29 games.
The misfortune Garnett faced late in her career left her hungry for more.
“I wanted to flip the script of what the last couple seasons have been and hopefully be a part of getting back to where this program’s standards are,” Garnett said. “That was something I was excited to have the opportunity to do, and just enter a new world for my first year being a coach.”
The game of basketball is something that found Garnett and has had a substantial impact on her life, her play and now, her coaching style. The Golden, Colorado, native coaches with passion and respect, two things that made her feel at home in Athens.
“It goes back to why I committed to the program,” Garnett said. “Obviously, (Boldon’s) winning track record, but also
the genuine relationships … we care about the person first, and then, how are we going to develop these players and help win games?”
Garnett shared the court with several current players on the team which has allowed her to have more complex relationships with them. As a coach, Garnett has had to learn to balance those relationships to succeed in her new role.
“There was a mutual respect entering, which I was very grateful for on both sides,” Garnett said. “I am a shoulder to lean on, but I’m also trying to get the most out of each other’s experiences. So holding them to that standard that I was held to was an easier transition for me.”
Garnett believes that through her extended relationships with current players, she has been able to become a better coach. As a coach, Garnett tries to spread positivity and be a good energy in the locker room.
“If we were to drag our feet going to practice, we’re not going to get the best out of (our players),” Garnett said.
I am a shoulder to lean on, but I’m also trying to get the most out of each other’s experiences.”
– Abby Garnett, Ohio assistant coach
“It honestly takes more energy for me to be negative than positive … I try to be as positive as I can.”
Garnett hopes her passion and respect for players will help bring change to a lack of recent success at Ohio. She will look to lead by example but also never forget the lessons she learned from Boldon and others who have gotten her this far. She hopes these women will be given the best opportunity to succeed with her guidance and said she is excited for what the future holds at Ohio.
LOGAN ADAMS SPORTS EDITOR
Elijah Elliott has always been talented. As a high schooler, he played in the best Amateur Athletic Union circuits his home state of Florida had to offer, earned scholarships from historically great programs and has been dubbed Ohio’s most athletic player by his teammates. He was even talented enough to play for a high school team, Sunrise Christian, that has churned out recent NBA lottery picks such as Grady Dick.
Had Elliott relied on just his talent he would be nowhere near contributing at his current level for Ohio.
After not seeing the floor in Ohio’s season opener, Elliott has become a starter for five straight games. In a full-circle moment, he scored a career-high 14 points in 30 minutes in Ohio’s most recent matchup against Appalachian State.
“He’s been working hard,” Ohio coach Jeff Boals said after Elliott’s career-high. “He stays extra, comes in early and gets shots up.”
With every game, Elliott proves that Ohio struck gold by signing him, something that it almost missed out on doing.
Elliott was initially committed to Florida Atlantic, just two-and-a-half hours from where he grew up. However, when Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May went to coach for Michigan in March 2024, it took Elliott less than two weeks to announce his decommitment. Less than a month after that, Elliott was officially a Bobcat.
“(Ohio assistant coach Lamar Thornton)
was one of the first coaches to reach out to me after I decommitted,” Elliott said. “(Ohio) is a school I took a visit to before I went to FAU, so I was already kind of familiar with the staff and some of the players.”
One of those players Elliott holds ties to is redshirt sophomore AJ Brown, another Orlando native.
“(Brown and I) actually played for the same AAU program, so I knew him coming in,” Elliott said. “That’s a big part of why I came, having someone I’m familiar with.”
Regardless of how he got to Ohio, Elliot had to work incredibly hard for his current role on the team. He didn’t receive double-digit minutes in consecutive games until Ohio’s back-to-back blowout wins over Robert Morris and Morehead State, where he showcased signs of what was to come.
From then on, Ohio has played just one game without Elliott seeing floor time. Elliott recorded his first double-double in just 20 minutes against Muskingum, with what was at the time a career-high in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Boals was hesitant to play the freshman in Ohio’s next game, its first Mid-American Conference matchup against Central Michigan, but it didn’t take long for Elliott to earn his spot.
“I put up a lot of reps every day, practicing the same stuff,” Elliott said. “It was only a matter of time before I could be able to showcase it because I work so hard on it. Staying in the gym and staying ready is the recipe to success.”
Ohio’s Jan. 17 matchup against Akron
on the road was where Elliott proved he wasn’t leaving the rotation. Ohio lost the matchup by 12 points but the team managed to outscore its opponent while Elliott was on the court – something no other Ohio player did.
Not long after — in large part due to injuries, Ohio suffered against Akron and the following game against Eastern Michigan — Elliott got his first start. Since receiving the opportunity, he’s only become more impressive.
Elliott credits his resilience, even through the games he wasn’t playing in, to the same coach who initially reached out to him. Over time, Elliott and Thornton have built a great relationship.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for (Thornton),” Elliott said. “He keeps me in the gym every day. Even the games I wasn’t playing,
the next day he was in the gym with me, before and after practice, we’re getting shots up, keeping me uplifted.”
Alongside his continuous effort to improve his game, what’s most important for Ohio is building Elliott’s confidence. In Ohio’s last two games, where Elliott has scored a combined 25 points and shot three-of-three from 3-point range, Boals and the Ohio coaching staff got a glimpse of what a confident Elliott looks like.
“It gives us a different dynamic, athletically,” Boals said. “And, the more you play, the more confident you get. When you’re more confident, you’ll be able to do some more things.”
@LOGANPADAMS LA486821@OHIO.EDU
ROBERT KEEGAN III SPORTS EDITOR
Ohio’s season has been riddled with unfortunate injuries. It feels like every game was affected one way or another by a player absent for any number of reasons. Against Appalachian State, that was the story again.
In the lopsided 72-59 loss, Ohio rotated only eight players. Of those eight players, four scored 55 of the Bobcat’s 59 points. The Ohio bench produced just 2 points in the game.
In another low-scoring output by Ohio, the team needed more offensive production from pieces it simply does not have. Without Aidan Hadaway and with AJ
Clayton being restricted, Ohio’s offense was diminished to only four consistent stat producers.
In the first half against the Mountaineers, the Bobcats were able to produce in the paint, scoring 22 of its 34 points down low. Despite a lopsided final, Ohio went into the half with a 6-point lead.
Even though the team had a halftime lead, Ohio’s three bench players combined for 25 minutes played and 0 points scored in the period. What the team had done was enough, but it wasn’t sustainable for 40 minutes.
Ohio’s starters were forced to play more minutes in the second half than usual. After being outscored 44-25 in the second half, it's hard to point blame at any one party in particular. However, it’s also hard to believe that things wouldn’t have gone differently if Ohio had more suitable options.
Guard Ajay Sheldon was one of three players to come off the Ohio bench and provide little production in either half. Sheldon took five shot attempts in the game, all of which were missed 3-pointers. Ohio was outscored by 10 total points when Sheldon was on the floor in the second half.
The other Ohio guard to come off the bench, Elmore James, had an equally uninspiring game. In 17 minutes played, James recorded no points, no assists and no rebounds while committing one foul and a turnover.
Ohio’s eighth man off the bench, transfer forward Vic Searls, was responsible for the only 2 points the bench could produce against Appalachian State. At 6-foot-9inches, Searls couldn’t haul in a rebound in 9 minutes.
After the game, Ohio coach Jeff Boals claimed Appalachian State’s size under the basket was a leading factor for Ohio’s inability to score in the second half. The Mountaineers starting lineup features two players who stand taller than 6–foot-8inches, the height of Ohio’s tallest starter.
Boals also said the Bobcats were getting the shots they wanted, they just weren’t falling. Ohio shot 4-of-23 from the 3-point line as a team despite getting a handful of open looks.
The loss to Appalachian State doesn’t really mean anything in terms of how the season ends for Ohio. A nonconference game at the beginning of February won’t have any impact on the final standings, but Ohio still needed to show more than what it did.
If Ohio wants to come out victorious in the MAC by the middle of March, it’s going to have to start getting production from more than four or five players every night. Someone has to step up off the bench for Ohio to have a sustainable method of success.
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ROBERT KEEGAN III | SPORTS EDITOR
Sports have long been a field dominated by men. Whether on the playing field, off it or in an office, women have seldom been given equal opportunities to men in sports. In many ways, Ohio strays from this standard.
Ohio’s senior director of athletic communications Sara Legarsky has been an inspiration in Ohio’s athletic communications office for more than 10 years. However, when she first got to Ohio, things looked much different than they do now.
In 2018, Legarsky was the only woman to hold the position of sports information director at Ohio. At the time, Ohio University was under the leadership of former President Duane Nellis and former athletics director Jim Schaus.
Now, in Legarsky’s 11th year at Ohio, the communications department consists of only women.
“It happened organically … I just hired the best people for the position,” Legarsky said.
When Legarsky got her start in communications at St. Bonaventure, there weren’t any women working in full-time positions in the office where she interned. However, that didn’t bother her in pursuing a fulltime job in athletics.
“I don't really remember seeing anyone in that role where I was like, ‘Yeah, this is the person I'm going to look up to,’” Legarsky said. “I think that is partly why I've taken it upon
myself to try to be that person.”
Legarsky is proud to work for OU, one of the country’s only schools with a female athletic director and a female president. For Legarsky, it’s an honor to see so many women hold deserving positions of power, no matter the field.
“It's really great. I love to see (Ohio) being one of the handful that has a woman AD and a woman president,” Legarsky said. “I think it's something that is really cool for our students to see and to learn from these women and to see them front-facing, leading a university in that way. Being able to see both holding those powers during this time, I think, is something that's important.”
Although Ohio is home to many women of power, it remains the only program in the Mid-American Conference with a woman in charge of communications for both men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Outside of basketball, Ohio is also the only MAC program with a woman as the head of football communications.
Despite the diversification of the field across the board in recent years, there are still challenges for women working in sports. For Legarsky, there were a couple alarming moments when she was first establishing herself in the field.
“I've been here a long time, so people in the men's basketball space and the softball space are used to me, but that was an adjustment,” Legarsky
said. “When I first started my first couple years with the men's team, I would be stopped by security guards trying to get to the locker room after the game, even though I would have a team pass.”
Luckily for Legarsky, the issues she had only happened outside of OU. Ohio athletic director Julie Cromer has set up an environment where anyone can thrive, and it's not weird to see a woman in power.
In her first season with Ohio, Legarsky was the communications director for hall-of-fame coach Frank Solich.
“Frank was so open and respectful, he did not care that a woman was now his SID, let alone a 24-year-old woman who was probably not much older than his oldest players,” Legarsky said.
Though sports still have a long way to go before reaching an acceptable level of diversification, departments like OU’s are setting the tone for a future where it is not weird to see a woman in power in athletics.
“We've had a number of women leave who have been students here, whether they're writers or help with stats, photographers, videographers, go on and do amazing things in athletics,” Legarsky said. “Part of me hopes that my faith that was put into them was able to help them along the way.”
Every team needs a player who brings more to the court than talent, a player whose spirit inspires teammates to show up to practice with passion. For the past four seasons, Kate Dennis has been that player for Ohio.
The 6-foot-1-inch guard from Rockford, Illinois, has started in almost every game the past two seasons for the Bobcats. Dennis has made her mark at Ohio in more ways than one through her skill on the court and by sharing her vitality with those around her.
Dennis shared her gratitude for her family, recognizing them as her support system. In addition, she acknowledges the impact of the wisdom and friends she has gained on her journey.
“Our athletic trainer, who used to be here before he got another job, was really amazing in the sense that he gave some great advice,” Dennis said, “One thing that really stuck with me was he told us to be the CEO of you. I think that really resonated with me because I try, in every room that I walk into, every day, every game, every practice, wherever I’m at, to be the best representation of myself.”
Dennis has a mentality that facilitates positivity and success. This optimistic characteristic has opened up leadership opportunities and has curated a fulfilling experience as a student-athlete. Her presence is undeniable on and off the court, her goal being to be the best part of someone’s day.
As her journey playing basketball at the collegiate level is coming to a close, Dennis continues to follow her positive mindset and plans on finishing how she started.
“I started playing because I loved it and because it was fun and it was an outlet. I made friends this way, and it was just something that I truly loved. Coming full circle, I just want to finish it out that way, doing my best and providing what I can,” Dennis said. “So just coming every day, giving my best for this last however long we’re playing, but to just enjoy it.”
Ohio coach Bob Boldon often shines a light on Dennis and what she contributes to the team. The relationship they have built is special, benefiting the careers of one another and growing as a pair along the way.
Boldon provided Dennis the space to be herself and find her voice while being a motivator and always holding her and the team to a high standard. She describes their relationship as being strong from the beginning,
with him feeling like a safe space for her and reminding her of home.
“I feel like our relationship has really developed over the course of as long as I’ve been here. He’s really just allowed me to be myself,” Dennis said. “I felt like I was able to grow and that he would help me if I needed it. He allowed me that space and opportunity to be my own person. I feel like we both taught each other a lot of things.”
Dennis has been the player Boldon can depend on, and her dependability stretches across all areas of her life. As a business Bobcat, Dennis has harnessed her passion for education, earning Academic All-MAC for the past three seasons and CSC Academic All-District for the past two.
School is something Dennis enjoys; she is currently getting her MBA, and she plans on earning her MSA degree next year at Ohio University in the dual degree program.
“I think that overall, the school was something that I really enjoyed, which is something not a lot of people can say,” Dennis said. “Some people dread going to school, and I really enjoyed it.”
Making connections does not seem to be a skill Dennis lacks. The friends and communities she has surrounded herself with are a positive representation of who she is. She has gained an appreciation for Athens and is looking forward to continuing her education at OU.
Dennis has clear, strong expectations for herself, and much of her mindset comes back to being ‘the CEO’ of herself. Her perspective of life is bigger than basketball, she acknowledges that her experience playing basketball for Ohio has taught her more about everything: life skills, relationships and that her time here is bigger than the game itself.
“I get to do this. It’s not a have to. I get to,” Dennis said. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity and everything that it’s brought me. Just coming in every day, being very grateful and just trying to have fun with it as much as possible and finding the little joys and the little wins.”.
Dennis, per usual, has an optimistic outlook on the time she has left playing basketball for Ohio. She is looking forward to her next chapter of life, planning on rising to the occasion of new opportunities and using her energy to be the best version of herself.
“I think that there’s so much more to life than basketball, and I think it’s incredibly important to represent yourself well,” Dennis said.
MS356522@OHIO.EDU
Ohio (4-18, 2-9 Mid-American Conference) took part in the MAC-SBC Challenge when it traveled to take on Southern Mississippi (9-15, 4-8 Sun Belt) in the final non-conference game of the season for both teams.
The Golden Eagles came out strong, scoring the first 6 points and not surrendering a basket to the Bobcats for nearly the first 4 minutes of play in this matchup. The name of the game in the first quarter was defense, with neither team allowing over 15 points in the period.
The Bobcats were led in the first quarter by sophomore Bailey Tabeling, who put up 7 of their 13 points in the period and helped cut the lead to heading into
the second, down 15-13.
The second quarter felt like it could have gone either way for the first 8 minutes of play. Neither team was able to pull away as the score came to a standstill. Unfortunately for Ohio, it got off guard by some nifty shooting and pivotal freethrows that helped Southern Miss close the quarter on a 7-2 run, taking a 32-25 lead into the half with a last-second 3-pointer.
The halftime break did not bode well for the Bobcats. The Golden Eagles came out of the break on a tear. The lead they took into the locker room began to grow.
Southern Mississippi scored at all three levels and disoriented an Ohio defense that had done well at contesting shots in
the first half.
The Golden Eagle’s spark of points was part of an 11-2 run to start the half, one that felt hard to stop. Southern Mississippi shot 57% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc in the third quarter.
Ohio faced a huge deficit after only scoring 9 points in the third quarter to the 20 from Southern Miss, finding itself down 52-34 going into the fourth quarter.
Ohio allowed only two field goals in the game’s final quarter, which added promise to a potential comeback. However, an 18-point deficit was just too cumbersome to overcome.
The Golden Eagles led 55-44 with 5 minutes to play and sealed the game with a 3-pointer at just under the 4-minute
mark to put the game away.
Ohio would struggle from the field throughout the contest and fell too far behind to mount a comeback. The team still saw success on some levels throughout the afternoon.
Senior Anyssa Jones led the way with 14 points and five rebounds, followed by Tabeling with 10 points and five boards of her own. The team did well on the defensive end throughout the entire afternoon in the turnover department. It forced 21 turnovers and scored 15 points off of them, which is something to build on when they return home to Athens next weekend and take on Buffalo for the second time this year.
OL415422@OHIO.EDU
CHARLIE FADEL | SPORTS STAFF WRITER
Jan. 25, Ohio coach Bob Boldon achieved yet another milestone in his storied career coaching in Athens: his 200th win at the program’s helm. The landmark achievement only further cemented Boldon as the program’s winningest coach of all time.
The journey to the milestone was a long time coming for Boldon, an Ohio native and former basketball player at Walsh University in Canton, Ohio, right by his hometown of Louisville, Ohio. At Walsh, Boldon was a two-time All-America selectee and the program’s leader in assists.
Despite his on-court success at Walsh, coaching wasn’t the first option for Boldon.
“My degree is in elementary education, and I wanted to be a school teacher,” Boldon said. “I wanted to coach high school basketball on the side. I have always had a passion for basketball.”
Boldon knew he wanted to be involved with the game of basketball, but didn’t realize he could make it a career until he got his first college coaching job as a graduate assistant. It was during that job he met Karl Smesko, the then-head coach for Walsh and the current head coach for the Atlanta Dream.
Both coaches jumped around, and it was at Purdue Fort Wayne where the two reconnected and where Boldon realized coaching was a legitimate career possibility.
“I went to Wilmington, Ohio, and did substitute teaching and coached on the side, and reconnected (with Smesko at Purdue Fort Wayne),” Boldon said. “That’s when I realized I could just coach and not teach.”
Now fully in the coaching world, Boldon bounced from team to team, including Division I programs Florida Gulf Coast and Akron. Although the work was fulfilling and rewarding for Boldon, the constant moving was tough for him and his family.
“It’s very stressful,” Boldon said. “You move your family from Arkansas to Akron to Jackson, Tennessee, and then to Fort Myers, Florida, and then Ohio, all within like, six years. That’s hard on a family.”
Although constantly moving around was difficult, Boldon once again had the chance to reconnect with his mentor, Smesko, as one of his assistant coaches at Florida Gulf Coast and Akron.
“You’ll meet a lot of people that will tell you things that aren’t true,” Boldon said. “(Smesko) was always very honest with me … He helped me prepare for how to move up the ladder, but also how to do your job well where you’re at.”
After his one season at Florida Gulf Coast that included a Women’s National Invitation Tournament appearance, the next rung on the coaching ladder for Boldon was his first Division I head coaching job at Youngstown State. (The program was coming off an 0-30 season the year prior.) Despite the circumstances, the opportunity was
something Boldon previously hadn’t thought was a possibility.
“I never thought I would be a Division I basketball coach,” Boldon said. “It never crossed my mind until it started to become a reality.”
The reality set in quickly for Boldon, who was now captaining a ship with two players who hadn’t experienced an NCAA win. In just his fourth game, Boldon changed that, creating a moment he’ll never forget.
“The joy on the players’ faces is something that I’ll never, ever forget,” Boldon said. “I’ll never forget our first win … for the community to be proud of kids who were the laughing stock of their league was really special to me.”
In his final season at Youngstown State, Boldon’s team went 23-10, completing its best season in over a decade with a win over Indiana State in the WNIT.
The next stop for Boldon was Ohio. Before coming to Athens, Boldon had never been at the same school for more than three seasons. Now, Boldon is coming up on the end of his 12th season with Ohio.
After his early success with Ohio which included winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament and winning MAC Coach of the Year in 2015, bigger offers were available for Boldon, but he was grounded with his family in Athens.
“(My kids) had just moved back to Ohio, and there was no job in America that was taking me away from them at that point,” Boldon said. “My resume was good enough to take the next job, but I wasn’t moving … things have worked out pretty well here.”
Things have gone more than pretty well for Boldon at Ohio. He is the program’s all-time winningest coach, took the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament in 2015, and most recently won his 200th game with the team.
Despite the weight of the milestone, its impact is a bit diluted for Boldon, as it comes in the midst of Ohio’s worst season with him at the helm.
“It has been a disappointing season. It has been very difficult, and we’ve had a lot of challenges come up,” Boldon said. “The other wins came at a time when the team was playing well and there were a lot of reasons to celebrate. This doesn’t feel like a time to celebrate.”
Despite the challenges of the current season, there isn’t much more for the 12th-year coach to accomplish before retirement. Boldon has spent almost all of his adult life in coaching, and the end of the road is coming sooner rather than later.
“I would like to get this program back, and then hand it off to somebody else and go into retirement,” Boldon said.
When and where the end of the road for Boldon will be is uncertain, but what is certain is he has left an everlasting mark on Ohio. Two hundred wins was just the cherry on top of a career full of stops and accomplishments.
ASHLEY POMPLAS | FOR THE POST
Basketball has long been a source of inspiration in cinema, with numerous films capturing the excitement, drama and emotions of the sport. From underdogs to love stories, basketball movies go beyond the game and warm the hearts of viewers.
Whether the movies are inspired by true stories or fictional journeys, each one highlights the deep connection between the game of basketball and the human spirit, making these movies unforgettable for both sports fans and movie lovers.
Here is a list of iconic basketball movies.
“AIR BUD”
The 1997 film “Air Bud’ made the golden retriever Bud
The film is about high schooler Josh (Kevin Zegers) who struggles to adapt to his new home in Washington state and his father's death. He decides to sign up for the basketball team one day, and he discovers that his pet dog Bud can play the sport very well.
Bud joining the team helps brighten Josh’s life all over again. It is a heartwarming film about a boy and his dog, making this one of the best basketball films to add to your watchlist.
“SPACE JAM”
There’s no question as to why “Space Jam” is on the list of iconic basketball media. It is a comedic film including many major stars and the Looney Tunes, revolving around their attempt at freedom with a basketball match.
The film is about an evil alien theme park owner (Danny DeVito) who needs a new attraction at Moron Mountain. When his gang, the Nerdlucks, head to Earth to kidnap the Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny challenges them to play basketball to help determine their fate. The aliens steal the powers of NBA players, including Larry Bird and Charles Barkley. Bugs gets help from superstar Michael Jordan, and in the end, wins the game to keep their freedom.
“Space Jam” is an iconic basketball film because it is a family-friendly movie that combines Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes characters in a fun, nostalgic mash-up.
“SEMI-PRO”
Another comedic basketball film is “Semi-Pro,” which stars Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson. In 1976, singer Jackie Moon (Ferrell) used the profits from his one hit single to fulfill a longtime dream of owning a basketball team. His team is called the Flint Michigan Tropics and is the worst team in the league. The franchise is about to fold when the ABA and NBA announce plans to merge, so it is up to Jackie and the Tropics to be the underdogs for their chances of survival.
Although they don’t get accepted into the NBA, the ending is bittersweet and makes for a heartwarming film with lots of laughs. “Semi-Pro” is an iconic movie because it tells the story of a basketball team's journey
to achieve its dreams.
“THUNDERSTRUCK”
The 2012 film “Thunderstruck” includes basketball star Kevin Durant and is another comedy to add to your watch list.
The movie is about a teenager named Brian (Taylor Gray) who is very uncoordinated and bad at playing basketball. All of that changes when he magically switches his talent with his hero, Durant, and he quickly becomes the star of his high school basketball team. The switch leaves Durant with Brian’s abilities, making him unable to sink a shot.
The film ends with both parties gaining their rightful abilities back, just in time for the Thunder to qualify for the playoffs. The message of this movie is that humility is better than pride, making it a funny basketball movie while also leaving a message for its viewers.
“Love & Basketball” is a well-received movie exploring the lives of two young basketball players, Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps), and their relationship. The story is divided into four quarters, each one representing a different period of their lives.
It begins with the two as children, meeting when they are 11 years old as talented players on the court. As time progresses with them in high school, they both are talented players and end up getting together and going to the same college. In the third quarter while at college, struggles arise between them and they break up.
The fourth quarter was in 1993, a few years before the establishment of the Women's National Basketball Association. The two eventually get together and Monica plays in the WNBA, with a happy ending in the post-credits of Quincy and their daughter waving at Monica playing in the WNBA.
The movie is a coming-of-age story while also highlighting the importance of women in sports, making this timely with the recent explosion of growth of the WNBA.
@ASHLEYPOMPLAS AP125920@OHIO.EDU
ALAINA DACKERMANN DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Whether Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are playing or Katie Ledecky and Team USA are swimming, women's sports draw crowds of hungry and thirsty people to bars nationwide.
However, one problem that keeps popping up is that most bars are not streaming these events or any other women's sporting events, which has led to a new style of bar being created by women who want to fix the problem.
These new sports bars specialize in presenting major games and offer fans a safe space to watch the game while serving food and beverages in a traditional sports bar setting.
The Sports Bra was the first women's sports-centered bar established in the U.S. Located in Portland, Oregon, the bar offers a rich community that celebrates and empowers girls and women in sports and is also open to children. The Sports Bra stated, "We also welcome kids, as we believe exposing them to women's sports can have lasting impacts on their understanding of equity in sports and life."
The bar regularly plays games from the Portland Thorns, an American professional soccer team based in Portland, the WNBA and any NCAA women's sporting event.
The bar serves a variety of food, including burgers, salads, appetizers and other sandwiches that are all house-made. In addition to the food, The Sports Bra offers an extensive drink menu, with several of the drinks named after sporting terms: the Alley Oop, 30 Love and Title IX.
Described as “Seattle’s pub for women’s sports,” Rough and Tumble Pub, located in Seattle, Washington, got its name from one of the earliest women’s soccer teams, the Dick, Kerr Ladies FC (the “Rough Girls”). The bar offers a stadium-centered experience honoring the legacy of women's sports and advocating for equal playing fields when it comes to watching and playing.
The bar is open during the week from 4-10 p.m. and until midnight on the weekends. It offers a wide selection of food options such as salads, burgers, fish sandwiches, various appetizers and desserts with fun sportsbased names like the Billie Jean King Chicken Wings and the Little League Ice Cream.
Similar to The Sports Bra, Rough and Tumble Pub's drink menu uses witty names for the beverages served. Notable ones include the Benchwarmer, the Buzzer Beater and the Play Like a Girl.
In 2023, during a night out, Jillian Hiscock was shocked that no TV screen in any bar was playing the University of Minnesota Gophers softball national tournament game. After asking a bartender to put it on, she thought to herself, "What if fans of women's sports had a place to come together and cheer loudly for their favorite team on the biggest screen in the bar … with the sound on?" The thought led to her creation of A Bar of Their Own.
The inclusive and family-friendly space is the first of its kind in the state. In addition to regularly playing women's sports, the bar hosts watch parties for the Minnesota-based Professional Women’s Hockey League team, The Minnesota Frost, and a weekly trivia night hosted by Hiscock.
The menu includes starters such as the Knockout
Nachos and MVP Cauliflower Wings and entrees such as the Tee of Turkey Burger.
Open Wednesday-Sunday, A Bar of Their Own's drink menu features local seasonal beer and ciders, cocktails, draft beers, seltzers and mocktails to appease any crowd.
With several professional teams based in Cleveland, including the Browns, Guardians, Cavaliers and Monsters, there is no shortage of sports coverage at local bars. However, as women's sports continue to grow in popularity, the demand for them to be streamed in bars has also increased. Soon entering the screen to help its demand will be The W Sports Bar.
The bar was created by three women who wanted to merge their passion for women's sports with their desire for an inclusive space for sports fans. The bar's mission statement includes wanting to be a business celebrating women's sports, creating a welcoming environment and amplifying diverse voices that “celebrate the stories, achievements, and impact of athletes, fans, and supporters."
While the bar has not opened yet, it recently announced its plan to be up and running in the spring of this year. People wanting to support the bar can purchase W Sports Bar hoodies and shirts or donate to the establishment's Back the Bar campaign to help fund the building and operating costs.
With the WNBA games in full swing and several NCAA championships coming up, these women's sports-centered bars are sure to be filled with fans of all ages eating, drinking, watching and supporting women in sports.
LOGAN ADAMS | SPORTS EDITOR
Prior to the introduction of the transfer portal to NCAA athletics in 2018, finding a new home was something athletes could seldom achieve. If high-major recruits realized their futures were limited, moving to a grander opportunity was unlikely. Inversely, mid-major players playing above their competition had to work extra hard to earn the spotlight they deserved.
The former scenario has been especially relevant. Now, seven years into the transfer portal era and three years into the NIL era, staple players in mid-major programs are becoming less common. High-major programs such as Duke, North Carolina and Michigan State will always have the spotlight and the money to offer that mid-majors just can’t.
That’s not an inherently negative thing. One such byproduct of the mass migration of mid-major stars to high-major programs is the opportunity it provides for the roster’s younger players.
Following the 2022-23 season, Ohio women’s basketball experienced the departure of its best player, Mid-American Conference leading scorer Yaya Felder. Felder took to Texas, joining Baylor in the Big 12. While she saw a decline in usage, her spotlight was exponentially brighter.
The effect it had on the team she departed from was arguably even greater. Last season, Ohio gave more minutes to freshmen than any other team in the MAC. Its core three first-years, Bailey Tabeling, Monica Williams and Laylay Fantroy, combined for 72.1 minutes per game, as well as around 40% of Ohio’s total points scored. The season prior, freshmen contributed just 36.1 minutes per game and only 14% of Ohio’s total points.
Although Ohio’s season was an outlier, with no other MAC school coming close to matching its freshmen production, mid-major teams as a whole are outpacing high-major squads with high-opportunity first years.
Among the nation’s top 10 men’s basketball freshmen in minutes percentage, all 10 spots belong to mid-major players, with only Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber cracking the top 15.
New freshmen are emerging for Ohio, both men’s and women’s. For the men’s team, Elijah Elliott has recently established himself as a starting-cali-
ber player, while Ayden Evans has seen occasional minutes, finding time to contribute with injuries to fellow big men. On the women’s team, Gigi Bower and Dani Scully have both earned impressive minute totals, averaging 21.8 and 15.6 minutes per game, respectively.
This trend reigns true even for the MAC’s undefeated representatives, Akron for men’s and Ball State for women’s, which feature at least one first year in their consistent rotation. The Zips run their prized freshman, Sharron Young, as a sixth man, while the Cardinal’s duo of Grace Kingery and Zuri Ransom have combined for 27 minutes per game and nearly 10 points per game.
As players continue to gain more freedom to choose their destiny in college basketball, mid-major freshmen will only continue to get the opportunities they are receiving to succeed.
@LOGANPADAMS
LA486821@OHIO.EDU
ROBERT KEEGAN III | SPORTS EDITOR
Since the NCAA passed a new name, image and likeness policy in 2021, a bylaw that allowed college athletes to receive compensation for their personal brand, many things have changed in college sports.
The most drastic change NIL brought was a new incentive for athletes to transfer. Now, athletes who perform at a high skill level in smaller-town environments are inclined to transfer into an environment where they can be more recognized and make some money off their image.
The transfer portal in all sports, especially college basketball, has run rampant since the 2021 decision by the NCAA. Following the 2024 season, thousands of men’s college basketball players entered the transfer portal.
With the new challenges NIL has brought, small-town schools like Ohio have been forced to adapt. Although the portal has decimated some programs,
Ohio’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have found success through the portal despite having a much lesser opportunity for NIL.
Following the 2024 season, when almost every team in the country lost a player via the portal, Ohio’s men’s basketball team was able to retain every non-graduate player who received minutes during the season.
Not only was Ohio able to retain its own players, but it also brought in two high-value transfers that have had an immediate impact on the team in 2025.
Transfer guard Jackson Paveletzke was the headliner in Ohio’s 2024 class, a Wisconsin native who transferred out of the Big 12’s Iowa State to come to Athens and play for Jeff Boals. Since putting on an Ohio uniform, Paveletzke has started in every game while leading the team in assists.
Ashland transfer Vic Searls was brought
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the best they’ve been since LeBron James’ return in 2016. With the momentum they possess, they can win another championship.
ABBY JENKINS HUMAN INTEREST EDITOR
Cleveland is looking at potentially seven years of top-tier basketball as one of the youngest teams in the league enters a new golden age. The Cavaliers are putting up record numbers and recently made a trade that will seal the deal for a 2025 championship.
A 15-0 record started the Cavs’ 2025 season and beat the previous record held in 2016. Coming in on that high note, Donovan Mitchell led the team into what now is the number one team in conference standings.
Currently favored to go all the way for the 2025 NBA Championship, this team has chemistry that will push them to the top. With the most recent trade for De’Andre Hunter, the Cavs now have a roster of players that can potentially play together for up to seven years based on their contracts. With the team already so close and used to playing with each other currently at the top of their game, it’s looking like the team will continue to be at the top of the league for years to come.
Cleveland basketball recognition needs the spotlight. While the Bengals and Buckeyes have put Cincinnati and Columbus on the map, Cleveland has only had the Browns to put them in a negative spotlight.
The Cavs have put the city back on the map for a good reason. LeBron James took a lot of the spotlight with him when he left for the Lakers after winning in 2016. Now, eyes are back on the city as the first sports champi-
in to help Ohio down low where it has lacked size in the past. When star forward
AJ Clayton went down with a minor injury, Searls stepped up and filled the void for Ohio’s starting lineup.
On the women’s side, two of Ohio’s most significant contributors in 2025 have come via the portal.
Graduate student Anyssa Jones came to Ohio after spending her first handful of years with Dayton and Ohio State. Jones has contributed 7.3 points per game for Ohio while being an occasional starter.
Graduate student Aliah McWhorter has also been quick to make an impact after transferring in from Wake Forest prior to the season. McWhorter consistently provides more than 20 minutes a game, facilitating the Ohio offense from the guard position.
To succeed in the portal as a mid-major program you have to have an established culture that athletes want to play for.
onship since 2016 is on the horizon.
In addition to a championship, this historic run has the potential to cement Mitchell as the best shooting guard, and potentially as one of the top 20 players, in the league. His legacy with the Cavs has been incredible thus far, and his loyalty will fuel his ability to break records for the team.
In such a generally exciting time for basketball, with numerous stars currently popularizing the sport, having the Cavs as a threat to other teams is exciting for the city and the fans. Despite the past successes with the team in previous years, this year in particular is the beginning of another historic run for the next few years. There is truly nowhere to go but up with this team.
After being eliminated in the playoffs last year by the Celtics, who then went all the way as 2024 Champions, the team’s biggest hurdle will be their rival. Both teams are similar in stats and every encounter with each other this year has been a toss-up. The Celtics have a one-game-win lead against the Cavs, but the playoffs are a different atmosphere in basketball. It will really be anyone’s game, but if the Cavs pull off a win, it will be nearly a guaranteed 2025 Championship title.
Abby Jenkins is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Abby know by tweeting her @abbyjenks18 or emailing her at aj205621@ ohio.edu.
edent for success, making it an attractive landing spot for players looking for a new home.
As college sports continue to change, Ohio will continue to adapt while maintaining the historical presence of success within the program.
The beginning of February brought in a new month, six more weeks of winter and a huge NBA trade. The Lakers conducted a three-team trade deal Feb. 1, trading a first-round pick in 2029 as well as Anthony Davis and Max Christie for Luka Dončić. The trade was a shock for NBA fans everywhere, as it happened in the middle of the night and was one of the strangest deals to date. The Dallas Mavericks made a massive mistake with this trade.
Dončić is a phenomenal player. The star point guard was third in NBA MVP voting and helped take the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season. The Mavericks traded their best player and received very little in return for the 25-year-old who is projected to be one of the best or second-best players in the league for the next few years.
The shock of the trade came from the fact that there were no rumors about the players being traded. Key players in the NBA including LeBron James, Davis and Dončić and neither the Lakers or Mavericks coaches knew this was occurring. Reports detail this was a highly confidential trade. Shams Charania, an ESPN reporter, was the first to post about the trade.
His first post about the trade came at 12:12 a.m. and was followed up with a tweet that said, “Yes, this is real.” The trade was so shocking that many NBA players and fans alike thought Charania was hacked when he made the report. Even Charania himself said he thought it was fake when he received the news.
It was reported Dončić was traded due to his conditioning and defensive performance. While Dončić is an offensive powerhouse, this was insufficient for Dallas to keep their superstar.
However, this wasn’t a deterring factor for the Los Angeles Lakers who have now added another star to their roster. Since the trade, Dončić has yet to play with the Lakers, although he is predicted to debut in Los Angeles on Feb. 10 against the Utah Jazz. Coach JJ Reddick shared it would be most likely Monday, citing that Dončić
and the Lakers medical team needed to feel confident before he hit the court. Dončić injured his left calf on Christmas Day and hasn’t played since his injury, so the wait doesn’t come as a shock to fans. For the Lakers, this trade is an aggressive push towards another championship. With Davis now in Dallas, the Lakers are putting a lot of hope in Dončić alongside LeBron to propel them to a championship season.
For Mavericks fans, this trade was heartbreaking. One fan told CBS Sports this is a trade that could ruin a franchise. Many fans are upset about the trade of their superstar player, directing their anger towards Mavs general manager Nico Harrison. Since the trade, many have taken to social media to ridicule Harrison, and he has even received death threats. Although the Mavericks made the wrong decision with this trade, it is at the end of the day the business of the game and no one deserves death threats ever, especially due to a trade.
Although Mavericks fans were upset about Davis’ arrival to Dallas, his first game with the team ended with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. Before the game, a protest occurred outside the stadium with many wearing Dončić’s number and chanting at Harrison.
Ultimately time will tell how this shocking trade plays out. But despite Davis’ performance during his first game, his injury history and age make him a significant risk for the Mavs. If the Lakers can make it to another championship this bold trade move will go in favor of Los Angeles. There is an opportunity for Davis to revitalize his career and help Dallas get to the playoffs, although it is unlikely. Otherwise, this could go down as one of the worst trades in franchise history. Especially if the Mavericks don’t win the finals, or get another generational player with the pick they got in the trade. Achieving a finals win would have been possible with Dončić still on the team. After this trade, Dallas has a lot to prove moving forward. And if they don’t, Dallas has made a colossal mistake by trading Dončić to the Lakers.