GETTING INSIDE

When John Groce left the stability and security of an assistant’s job at Ohio State and took over the program at Ohio University, he started his tenure in a manner similar to that employed by many new coaches. Groce made some promises, talked about his grand plan, and filled the room with positive notions.

Last season was the time for Groce to do a lot of the foundational work required to put his system in place, and get the Bobcats moving in the right direction. After a 15-17 season, Groce pushed forward, recruiting to fill the needs, and to load up with the type of players he would need to make this all work.

With six returning lettermen, some talented recruits, and a high-profile transfer, the Bobcats looked to push further up the ladder in the MAC East in 2009-10, and Groce continued to stress his mantra that the hard work would all pay off.

The really cold slap in the face came when the preseason poll of the media that covers the Mid-American Conference dropped the Bobcats into the sixth position in the MAC’s East Division. Now, with several East teams loaded with skilled veteran players, no one in Athens was realistically thinking they had a title contender working out at the cavernous Convocation Center, but getting pegged as a bottom feeder did not sit well with Groce or his crew.

After Ohio reeled off four straight wins to open the season, the Bobcats’ following had a spring in its step, and a feeling that maybe great things were in the works. The three consecutive losses that followed let some of the air out of that balloon, but wins over Delaware and Illinois State in mid-December showed the team is resilient, if nothing else.

Groce is learning about his team as the pre-conference schedule plays out. He has seen junctures where the defense and his team’s ability to “grind it out” has been up to his standards, and other stretches where it has been lacking. In the short couple of weeks that remain before MAC play, Groce will seek to nail down his best playing rotation, and put the Bobcats in position to show the rest of the MAC that they are not comfortable at the bottom of the standings, and have no intention of residing there.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Indiana transfer Armon Bassett demonstrated the kind of impact he might have in the MAC this season when he exploded for 27 points on eight of 12 shooting from the field in a recent 86-70 win over Delaware. Bassett was also 9-for-10 from the line in the game.

• In an especially efficient performance in a recent 81-80 loss at Tulsa, the Bobcats had just eight turnovers and forced the Golden Hurricane into 18 turnovers.

January At A Glance:   After opening the month with a couple of non-league road tests against Robert Morris and IUPUI, the Bobcats dive into the meat of the MAC schedule with seven conference games over the final three weeks of January. Ohio will get a good sense for where it stands in the conference power grid since it will face the best of the league right out of the gate.

First up will be perennial MAC power Kent State and Akron, this season’s favorite to win the championship. After facing always-tough Miami and defending conference champ Bowling Green on the road, Ohio meets Buffalo, last year’s East Division co-champ. If depth is going to be an issue with this team, it will be exposed in this crush of critical games.

Quote To Note:   “It’s a dream come true for me to have the opportunity to be the head coach at a school as prestigious as Ohio University. Sometimes you just have a feel about a school. It’s not something you can encapsulate in writing, it’s just a connection to a place.”—Ohio head coach John Groce, on looking forward to accomplishing great things with the Bobcats.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Season Recap:   The Bobcats have shown their mettle on the road throughout the first month of the season, although Ohio’s toughness and resolve has not always led to victories away from home. The Bobcats took a huge and talented Tulsa team to the limit in an 81-80 loss, and then snapped out of a three-game losing streak with a dominant performance in an 86-70 road win over Delaware.

Second-year head coach John Groce made it clear from the start of his tenure that demonstrating the hardiness to weather adverse surroundings and scratch out wins on the road would be a key to Ohio’s turnaround. The early returns from this season seems to indicate that mindset is taking hold with his team.

Player Rotation:   Usual Starters—G Tommy Freeman, F DeVaughn Washington, F Reggie Keely, G D.J. Cooper, G Armon Bassett. Key Subs—C Kenneth van Kempen, G Steven Coleman, F Ivo Baltic, G Jay Kinney.

Game Review:  

Austin Peay 68, Ohio 66

Ohio 86, Delaware 70

Ohio 75, Illinois State 57

Game Preview:  

vs. Eastern Kentucky, Saturday, Dec. 19

at Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Dec. 22

vs. Elon, Tuesday, Dec. 29

at Robert Morris, Saturday, Jan. 2

at IUPUI, Wednesday, Jan. 6

In Focus:   When a guy has as many stamps on his college basketball passport as Armon Bassett does, it can mean trouble. It can often mean that this is a problem child constantly in search of a new home. Ohio received Bassett when he left UAB after transferring there from Indiana. Bassett never played a game at UAB, and after sitting out last season per NCAA rules, he was eligible to play for the Bobcats in late November and made his debut against Marshall.

Bassett, who was third-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore at Indiana, averaged 10 points and three assists per game for the Hoosiers. Just two weeks after becoming eligible at Ohio, Bassett exploded for 27 points in a rout over Delaware that helped the Bobcats snap out of a three-game losing streak. If Ohio gets Bassett the player without any associated problems, this addition could pay huge dividends this season and next.

Roster Report:  

• Senior C Kenneth Van Kempen has provided a consistent physical presence in the middle for the Bobcats over the past three seasons, and has played in every game in his career with the Bobcats. While not a prolific scorer, Van Kempen is surrounded by offensively gifted performers who should appreciate his rebounding, screening and defensive work inside.

• Ohio freshman G D.J. Cooper is a Chicago native who is quickly making a name for himself around the conference, even before MAC play begins. Through the first five weeks of his college career, Cooper was among the top players in the conference in steals, minutes, and free-throw percentage.

• Junior F Asown Sayles, who missed the 2008-09 season after shoulder surgery, set seven career marks in his first outing since a long rehab period. Sayles had nine rebounds, four points and a pair of blocked shots in a season-opening win over Ohio Valley.

• F Alex Kellogg will sit out the 2009-10 season after transferring to Ohio from Providence College. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.