Buckeye Ballers Blogspot

(Special Collage) WNBA #Buckeyes || 1997-2025

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 13:06:00 +0000

(WNBA Buckeyes - Past & Present)

(Year 29) || Big Shoutout to Ohio State Women's superfan & historian Sarah for the assistance. As Women's hoops gains more visibility with each passing year, she thought it was appropriate to look back in homage of past & current players. This graphic was made before the 2025 Regular Season, the WNBA's 29th Season in their league history.

(Pictured) Just about every former Ohio State player that participated in a WNBA camp & beyond (could not find images of Yvette Angel & Brittany Johnson)

Several players are pictured multiple times representing different teams' jerseys (those specific teams on the image are listed below - Using maiden names to make it easier).

Katie Smith (OSU 1992-1996) Minnesota Lynx & Detroit Shock - 3X Olympic Gold Medalist, 2X ABL Champion, 2X WNBA Champion, WNBA Finals MVP, 7 Time WNBA All-Star, Euroleague Women Runner-Up, 4X All-WNBA, WNBA All-Decade Team (2006), Top 15 Player of All-Time (2011), Top 20 Player of All-Time (2016), Top 25 Player of All Time (2021), Naismith Memorial Hall Of Fame, #11 WNBA All-Time Points (6,452), #23 WNBA All-Time Assists (1,258), #3 WNBA All-Time Three Point Leaders (906 3FGs Made), Single Season Scoring Leader (2001) 2nd Team All-Defense (2008), WNBA Commissioner's Cup Champion (As Assistant Coach)

Jessica Davenport (OSU 2003-2007) Indiana Fever - #2 Overall Draft Pick (2007 WNBA Draft), WNBA Champion (2012). 174 Games (31 Playoff Games)

Jantel Lavender (OSU 2007-2011) Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever - 5th Overall Draft Pick (2011), WNBA Champion (2016), WNBA All-Star (2015), WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year (2016), 2X Polish League Champion, Polish League MVP (2015), 2X Polish Cup Winner (2014, 2015), 2X Polish Cup MVP, Italian League Championship (2013), Turkish League Championship (2016), 2X Turkish Cup Winner, Euroleague Runner-Up.

Kelsey Mitchell (OSU 2014-2018) Indiana Fever - #2 Overall Draft Pick (2018), 3X WNBA All-Sar, WNBA Commissioner's Cup Champion (2025), Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award (2023), FIBA 3X3 AmeriCup Gold Medalist (2023)

4500 All Time WNBA Points, Franchise Leader (3-PT Field Goals), Franchise Leader (Points Per Game), 3X Player of the Week (5/31/22, 8/29/23, & 6/10/25) Games Played (Seven Seasons in top 2) 263 Total WNBA Games

Marcie Alberts (Cleveland Rockers)

Adrienne Johnson (Orlando Miracle, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm)

Larecha Jones (Houston Comets)

Jamie Lewis (Phoenix Mercury)

Tomeka Brown (Orlando Miracle)

Courtney Coleman (Connecticut Sun, Washington Mystics)

Caity Matter (Charlotte Stint, Connecticut Sun)

Debbie Merrill (Connecticut Sun)

LaToya Turner (Sacramento Monarchs)

Brandie Hoskins (Seattle Storm)

Marscilla Packer (Phoenix Mercury)

Samantha Prahalis (Phoenix Mercury)

Tayler Hill (Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings)

Ameryst Alston (Chicago Sky)

Shayla Cooper (Chiacgo Sky, Connecticut Sun)

Linnae Harper (Chicago Sky, Washington Mystics),

Stephanie Mavunga (Indiana Fever, Washington Mystics)

Taylor Mikesell (Indiana Fever, LA Sparks)

Celeste Taylor (Phoenix Mercury)

Jacy Sheldon (Dallas Wings)

Ajae Petty (Minnesota Lynx)

Taylor Thierry (Atlanta Dream)

Very cool 😎 https://t.co/1s7N8JgJlt
— Katie Smith - OLY (@katiesmith30) June 9, 2025

BuckeyeBallersTV - 2024 WNBA Super MIX

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Tue, 13 May 2025 02:04:00 +0000

(Eight Year Pro, former Buckeye Star Kelsey Mitchell)

BuckeyeBallersTV - Kelsey Mitchell 2024 #WNBA Super MIXX!

Best Handles In The World

Best One On One Scoring Guard In The World

Period!

BuckeyeBallersTV || Byron James - 15 Years In The Game! The MIXTAPE (2009-2024)

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 06:28:00 +0000

(Cover Photo for BuckeyeBallersTV - Byron James The MIXTAPE)

BuckeyeBallersTV Presents - Byron James Mullens - The Mixtape - 15 Years In The Game - A Pro Career Mix - A ‪@BuckeyeBallersTV2‬ collab with the BeatHead Collective A Salute & Shoutout to Byron Mullens, a Columbus, Ohio native who officially donned the Scarlet & Gray as an Ohio State Buckeye in 2008. An almost classic case study of the Evolution of Big Men..Mullens arrived as a highly touted 18 year old center prospect possessing elite athleticism (name a more athletic seven footer out of Ohio in the last 25 years) & a unique skillset that perhaps was a bit ahead of his time relative to where the game was trending contrasted with how bigs were traditionally implored to hoop.

He wasn't the next Ken Johnson, although a capable shot blocker, nor was he the next Terence Dials, Greg Oden or Kosta Koufos. He was the first Byron Mullens, in our opinion a blend of the aforementioned players..a young big with ability to step outside & shoot, mix it up in the post with athleticism/mobility that doesn't come around often. The misdiagnosis & understanding of Byron's game by fans & media alike coupled with his early departure to the NBA may have led to him arguably not being fully embraced & celebrated quite like a Mickey Ds All-American & local pro prospect should have been. (We saw the vision early, starting with his first Summer League Video we uploaded years ago - • Byron Mullens (OKC Thunder Summer League) - check the old channel at ‪@BuckeyeBallersTV‬ ) A mere sign of the times at the end of the day as one ought not blame fans who were & still are married to the idea of traditional bigs, nor can you ever fault a teenager for betting on himself & looking out for his family en route to the NBA. Fast forward to 2025, a now 35 year old father, Byron Mullens seems to be at the twilight of his 15+ year professional hoops career that included a six season stint in the NBA playing alongside & against the likes of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Michael Redd ect..Mullens would also compete in the G-League as well as multiple leagues outside of the States.

With that said, a big shoutout to @byronmullens5 -- A Job Well Done -- Enjoy #Buckeyes #Salute

(VIdeo) Brian Brown's NCAA/Ohio State Recruiting Story

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 13:41:00 +0000

(Brooklyn's Finest - #13 Brian Brown)

🏀One of our favorite aspects of modern day sports content online is the proliferation of podcasts featuring athletes of the past & present telling their stories. Yes, it can argued the current podcast market is a bit oversaturated, and traditional legacy oriented media still has its place. But we're here for it all, the former type of content that is. Because there's nothing more interesting than reading & hearing the candid opinions of athletes who competed in their respective sports.

In the last six to eight years several former Ohio State Basketball players have both appeared & created their own podcasts on various channels & platforms. We're going to be highlighting a select group of interview segments by pairing athlete perspectives with video for extra context on interesting stories

East Coast Flavor In Columbus - How did a talented teenage guard from Brooklyn, New York end up leaving his region for Ohio State during the height of late 90's Big East hysteria? Former Bishop Loughlin HS standout & Ohio State Buckeye Brian Brown (OSU 1998-2002) joined Glenn 'Pooh' Harding's NYC Basketball History Podcast to talk about his hoops career on October 6, 2022. The following video contains an interesting snippet of Brown recalling his college recruiting process. Mentions the influence of his HS & college teammate Will Dudley, the East Coast connections that facilitated his move to Columbus, and never before heard tidbit about a Big East Coach and another teammate Sean Connolly.

WNBA - Jacy Sheldon Traded To Connecticut Sun

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000

(WNBA Guards Dijonai Carrington & Jacy Sheldon)

(WNBA Roster News) Jacy Sheldon (OSU 2019-2024) Traded To Connecticut Sun || Per Rachel Galligan of Winsidr, the Dallas Wings are finalizing a deal that would send the 2025 No. 8 pick and Jacy Sheldon to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for DiJonai Carrington and the No. 12 Pick.

Jacy Sheldon, former 1st Team All B1G 10 Guard was selected 5th overall by the Dallas Wings in 2024 WNBA Draft. Started 26 of 40 games in her rookie campaign (Averaged 5.4 points, 2.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds). Season High 17 Points vs Atlanta Dream on July 5th, 2024.

Sheldon now joins Kelsey Mitchell in a resurgent Eastern Conference featuring the reigning WNBA Champion New York Liberty.

(Video Snippet from the well produced 'Fireside Chat' interview segment with Jacy Sheldon & Dallas Wings Player Ambassador/Hall Of Famer Nancy Lieberman)

Full Video Link

🇺🇸 (WNBA Roster News) Jacy Sheldon (OSU 2019-2024) Traded To Connecticut Sun || Former 1st Team All B1G 10 Guard was selected 5th Overall by the Dallas Wings in 2024 WNBA Draft. Started 26 of 40 games in her rookie campaign (Averaged 5.4 points, 2.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds)… https://t.co/J3TBie3kPD pic.twitter.com/CWfeEONxOp
— Buckeye Ballers (@BuckeyeBallers) February 2, 2025

News (WNBA) Indiana Fever Re-Sign All-Star Guard Kelsey Mitchell!

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 02:07:00 +0000

(WNBA All-Star Kelsey Mitchell)

(News-WNBA) Indiana Fever's top brass were clear about retaining All-Star Free Agent Kelsey Mitchell as THE top priority in their off-season roster management. The Indianapolis based club announced the re-signing of Mitchell today via an official team release on various social media platforms.

"Kelsey has been a foundation of our franchise for many years, and we are thrilled to see her return to the Fever," said President of Basketball and Business Operations Kelly Krauskoph, who drafted Mitchell in 2018. "We value Kelsey's commitment to our organization, and we're excited to see her build off a phenomenal 2024, her best season yet. She is one of the best guards in this league and is a cornerstone to building a championship roster."

Mitchell recorded individual single-season highs in 2024, averaging 19.2 points per game, shooting 46.8% from the field. Additionally, the former Ohio State Buckeye shot 40.2% from behind the three-point arc and tallied 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, respectively.

Our Take - This is huge for the Indiana Fever for obvious basketball reasons. But we're especially happy for Kelsey. The Cincinnati native was the number #2 overall WNBA draft pick following a legendary career in Columbus. Season seasons playing with Indiana. Her most recent one in 2024 was a special campaign on the court including an All-Star selection & first career playoff birth, but also an emotional roller coaster off the court as well.

She's been doing her thing in Indy for awhile now. And while it was great to see a a lot of new fans get introduced to Kelsey's game within all the Caitlin Clark hoopla, it was also good for Mitchell to be able to get away from all the WNBA off-season noise, figuratively speaking, for a time by hooping in China in winter/late 2024 & collecting that bag (she just arrived back to the States in prep for the 2025 WNBA season)

As Indy residents, it's great that we'll continue to see Kelz play in person. The best players staying with one team through the duration of their careers is a great thing. Yet, at the same time wouldn't have minded her getting more exposure in a bigger market. She's a star player who deserves the hype, flowers & celebration. Either way, the blessing of having player leverage is of more importance. At age 29 at the top of your game, that's ultimately where one wants to be.

Here's to another special upcoming WNBA season, her 8th with the Indiana Fever..Congrats!! #Buckeyes #GoBucks #Always

Video - Podcast Interview With Stephanie Mavunga

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 12:47:00 +0000

(Image - Mersin, Turkey - April 2024 - Stephanie Mavunga)

Elite - Buckeye Pro Stephanie Mavunga (OSU 2016-2018) has consistently played on the highest levels of Women's Professional Basketball. She was the 14th overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever where she played from 2018 to 2020. Steph has also played for Chicago Sky (2020) & the Washington Mystics (2022) in the 'W'.

The Zimbabwean born native of Brownsburg & Indianapolis, IN also has extensive experience overseas, having played in France, Russia, Turkey, Poland as well as high level competitions such as the Eurocup & Euroleague. She has particularly been a mainstay in Poland where she played three stints with club Polkowice (one of Jantel Lavender's former overseas teams). Stephanie's experience in Poland has led to her acquiring dual-citizenship with that country & representing Poland in national team basketball as a Polish-American. In Spring 2024, Mavunga made a big move from Poland to Turkey to play for Euroleague contending club Mersin.

Podcast - In October 2023 the Gem Sessions Podcast uploaded a lengthy interview with Stephanie Mavunga. Steph talks about HS ball in Indiana, get collegiate career as well as her time in the WNBA & Overseas experience, amongst other topics.

Ohio State Star Guard Jacy Sheldon Headlines 2024 Rookie Class

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 04:32:00 +0000

(Image - 2024 Pro Rookie Class - Dale Bonner - Celeste Taylor - Jamison Battle - Jacy Sheldon)

2024 Rookie Class - It's that time of the year again where a new group of departing Ohio State Seniors enter the next stage of their lives and basketball careers. With this in mind and in light of the upcoming WNBA draft..we wanted to take a brief look at four prospects that make up the core of the 2024 Buckeye Pro Rookie Class. This year's group features a projected top ten WNBA draft pick who has been a star mainstay in Columbus for four years. Two transfers, an offensive scoring machine & an elite defender, both of whom made big impressions in just one season at Ohio State. And a combo guard who provided one of the most memorable moments of the 2023-2024 NCAA season.

Dale Bonner

What we like - His versatility - We describe Dale Bonner as a combo guard because not only can he play off the ball and be a capable scoring threat, but he has also displayed a lead guard floor game & mentality where his focus was on running offense, making sound decisions and setting his teammates up over hunting for his own shots.

The primary role for Dale Bonner at Baylor & Ohio State was that of a reserve point guard. In this role Dale was brought in to be a solid ball handler & tactfully run the offense while a starter like Bruce Thornton was out of the game. Yet, perhaps an underrated aspect of Bonner's game is that he doesn't shy away from taking & making big shots in important moments. Some of his best moments in the S&G were his shotmaking against good competition such as Alabama, Virginia Tech in the NIT, and in East Lansing against Michigan State.

Pro Outlook - We have to think Bonner & his representation will look to get in front of scouts in the form of team workouts, possibly the NBA combine & a summer league team. We're not sure if his college numbers will warrant the latter two, but for now his initial pro prospects seem to be a lower to mid-tier overseas league where he can possibly start & have more freedom to go show his overall game in an expanded role. We think Bonner can be one of those players where after a few years of solid play in the pros, we look back and think here's a guy who was possibly capable of much more than what he produced at D1 Baylor & Ohio State.

Celeste Taylor

What We Like - In today's basketball era of online hoop mixtapes & hyped up scoring outputs, it's almost rare to see players who especially relish in competing on the defensive end at a high level. But that is exactly the type of mindset that Celeste Taylor possesses. The New York native's reputation as an elite defensive player is well earned, having won back to back Defensive Player Of The Year awards in two different conferences. At 5'11, Taylor is able to check the opposing team's best scoring guard/wing and can even hold her own guarding select forwards in post actions. And make no mistake..while defense certainly Celeste's calling card, she's also a capable player on offense with the ability to score on all three levels. In her lone season in Columbus, Taylor tallied 18 double figure scoring games with two 20 point outputs. An All B1G Ten 2nd Team Selection, Taylor is simply a stat sheet stuffer who can score, assist, rebound, and turn opposing players over with her guarding prowess.

Pro Outlook - Celeste Taylor projects as a late first/early second round selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft. We believe she's well equipped to make & stay on an WNBA roster as well as a high level European club. Taylor immediately fits as a starting two/three who is tasked to guard the opposing team's best scorer or a role as a high energy 'sixth man' off the bench. She will be able to help a pro team with on the ball & help side defense, on the boards with her rebounding ability, and in the passing lanes with steals leading to transition scoring opportunities. On offense, Celeste is an unselfish player, sometimes to her own detriment as we think she'll want to exceed the little credit she's been given as an offensive playmaker & scorer by media heads. She'll need to up her long range percentage and prove to be a consistent scoring threat as a classic '3&D' type of player, but all things considered, we think her overall floor game will allow her to have a solid to great pro career.

Jamison Battle

What We Like - Jamison Battle is one of the more intriguing prospects to come out of Ohio State Men's Basketball in the last two/three years as a plug & play type of player with a seasoned game. The 22 year old Minnesota native has a deep offensive bag with a special ability as a catch & shoot and off the bounce long range shooter. At 6'7, Battle can score at all three levels by using an array of moves off the dribble for stop & pop pull up & fadeaway jumpers at the mid range as well as possessing adequate athleticism to get all the way to the rim. Moreover, he was Ohio State's second leading scorer and featured three point shooter with a team high 91 made threes on the year at a 43.3% clip. The All-B1G 10 Honorable Mention selection had 10 games of 20 or more points in the 2023-2024 season with a season high of 32 points against Nebraska on Februray 29, 2024. And when Jamison gets to the free throw line, he's reliable with a 92.6% percentage from his Senior season.

Pro Outlook - Without looking at any mock drafts, we'd like to think Jamison Battle's NBA projection ranges from an undrafted free-agent to a late second round pick. His NCAA stats will garner opportunities to play in front scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational, possibly the official NBA combine & most definitely on an NBA Summer League roster. There's really not much separation among the tons of players classified as 'fringe' NBA guys. In this case it's all about getting opportunities and finding the right fit to make a roster and inevitably stick in the league. We believe Battle's offensive skill level can potentially land him in the G-League, mid to upper level overseas play and/or even on an NBA roster. Jamison will need to continue to show that he's a willing defender who can withstand the physicality of the pro game.

Jacy Sheldon

What We Like - Following the paths of Tayler Hill, Samantha Prahalis, and Kelsey Mitchell..Dublin, Ohio's own Jacy Sheldon continues the line of All-American Ohio State Women's Basketball Guards. For five seasons, Sheldon was an on & off the court leader for the Buckeyes and one of the premier players in the B1G Ten conference and entire country at large. The lightning quick lead guard has proven to be super effective on both ends of the court. Defensively, the length & wingspan of her 5'10 frame allows her to play much bigger than she is. Jacy is a constant pest defending the ball and is especially great at getting hands in the passing lanes with a dynamite ability to convert steals to quick transition points. In half-court offense, Sheldon can play on or off the ball with a dynamic first step off the dribble to get to certain spots for her jumper or all the way to the rim. Without the ball she shot 51.4% on open catch & shoot threes.

The First Team All Conference selection has been a efficient long range asset overall throughout her college career. In her final season with the Buckeyes she had a 43.4% three point shooting percentage. Similar to Celeste Taylor, Jacy Sheldon possesses a high level of competitive spirit that allows her to be an impact player on offense & defense because she's always in attack mode.

Jacy's time in Columbus wasn't without significant adversity as she suffered a serious leg injury in the 2022-2023 season. At the time there were some doubts about her returning to pre-injury form, but Sheldon answered those questions in emphatic fashion by returning to help lead Ohio State to an Elite Eight finish in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Pro Outlook - Jacy Sheldon is a consensus top ten projected pick in the upcoming WNBA draft. Mock drafts have her as high as the number #5 pick down to number #8 at the lowest. We obviously have much confidence in Sheldon making a WNBA roster and competing for a starting guard spot right away as a rookie. If she chooses to play overseas she should qualify for a high level European club. Jacy will need to adapt to the very physical play she will run into in the 'W' & overseas. Her frame is comparable to former Buckeye Samantha Prahalis, another high WNBA draft pick..and physical play was something Sammy struggled with a bit in the pro game. But aside from that, we believe Sheldon's game is going to translate rather well to the next level of play!

Top Performances Of 2023-2024 Regular Season: Cedric Russell

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 11:03:00 +0000

(North Macedonia - Americans Cedric Russell & Eyassu Worku of club MZT Skopje)

BuckeyeBallersTV: Top Performances of 2023-2024 -

(Video series featuring some of the best individual games from Buckeye Pros in the regular season & playoffs)

Cedric Russell (Ohio State - 2021-2022)

Years Pro - Two

Current Club - Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia)

Hand Down, Man Down - Former Louisiana & Ohio State Guard Cedric Russell is currently in the latter stage of his second professional season. The native of New Orleans has already experienced the rigors of overseas basketball, having hooped in destinations such as Serbia, North Macedonia & Saudi Arabia.

Russell played his rookie season in with club Tamis in Serbia before returning to the Balkans with MZT Skopje for the 2023-2024 season. He would then join Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia a little after the start of the calendar year (February) after mutually parting ways of Skopje.

Known for his long range shooting & overall scoring ability. The young pro seems to be getting well acclimated to the style of play overseas with some notable scoring nights already on his resume. After all, basketball is basketball, and a bucket getter is going to do just that. Cedric's early pro career high is from his rookie season..a 30 point game with Tamis on December 28, 2022. He came close to that scoring output a year later on November 3rd, 2003 with 25 points for MZT Skopje. Ceddy went 9 of 13 from the field, hitting 3-three point shots & grabbing 6 boards in Skopje's win over Ohrid AV. Cedric Russell also had six double digit scoring games in Adriatic League contests (ABA) as well.

Top Performances - MZT Skopje 98 at Ohrid AV 73 - 11/3/2023

- Cedric Russell - 25 points, 6 rebounds

Video - Check out the videos below of Cedric's 25 point game as well as his game winning three in vs Sencur in the ABA on January 30, 2024!

Alexa Hart Overcame Early Career Adversity To Find Success & Stability in Professional Basketball

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:45:00 +0000

(Image - Alexa Hart - Ohio State Buckeye - 2014-2018)

Years Pro - Six

Position - Forward/Center

Current Club - Recoletas Zamarat

League - LF Challenge (Spain)

Alexa! Tell Us About Your Pro Career - Life has a way of presenting unique curveballs to each and every individual. This is to say that no matter how disciplined one is in planning and preparing for things like careers, businesses, projects etc., unforeseen circumstances may occur that can potentially halt or derail dreams & aspirations. How one navigates through life challenges is the most important factor in ultimately achieving certain goals or not.

This was the case for veteran Pro Buckeye Alexa Hart (Ohio State 2014-2018) as the Columbus, OH native would encounter some adversity early on in her professional career. During the pandemic in Spring 2020, Alexa Hart appeared on former OSU teammate Kelsey Mitchell's podcast as the featured guest. The topic of discussion was 'Mental Health In Sports' & Hart was courageous enough to detail some of the inner struggles she went through in the transition from Ohio State to professional basketball.

The mental transition from Alexa Hart, Ohio State Buckeye to Alexa Hart, professional basketball player actually began in Columbus. As many may remember, Hart came to the Buckeyes as a four star high school prospect in the highly rated 2014 freshmen class with fellow prep star & friend Kelsey Mitchell. Alexa immediately made a name for herself as a formidable post player on an Ohio State team in need of a legit low post presence.

Hart was a model of durability in her first two seasons with the Buckeyes. She played in all 69 games, starting 66 of those contests in that two year span. As a freshman hart averaged 12 points, 9 rebounds & broke Jessica Davenports single season block record with 129 blocks.

Hart's role would significantly change in her junior season (2016-2017) where she was used more as a backup big after some new additions to the starting lineup. The reduction of minutes not only affected her statistical output, but also took a toll on her mentally as she attempted to adapt to coming off the bench for the first time in her career. As fans who primarily only think about the team & program functioning as a whole..rarely do we really wonder about how a role change can affect a player's mental & overall individual development. In this situation, Alexa went from being a prominent post contributor to averaging just 16 minutes of playing time a game.

Life In The Pros - In the podcast interview with Kelsey Mitchell, Alexa Hart more or less implied that the lack of minutes & freedom to expand her individual game in her upperclassmen years at Ohio State may have had a detrimental effect on her pro prospects on the next level. Hart went on to talk about the disappointment of going undrafted in the 2018 WNBA Draft and "not being there mentally" as a training camp invite with the Atlanta Dream.

With things not working out in the States, Alexa began her rookie pro campaign overseas with Israeli club Bnot Hertzeliya. In what seemed like a solid situation is Israel, Hart started in five of thirteen games played with average of 9ppg, 6 rpg and 2 blocks per game. Yet, more adversity would come her way when she was inexplicably waived mid-season.

The Bounce Back - The Situation in Israel provided a fork in the road moment, so to speak, in Alexa Hart's career. After going undrafted in the WNBA Draft, getting cut from the Atlanta Dream's training game roster, and also being let go by her first overseas pro club, she could have easily looked at those consecutive setbacks, packed up all of her basketball gear and attempted to try another career path. But to her credit, Alexa persisted & persevered with the mindset that better days would arrive if she just stuck with it.

The final part of Alexa Hart's podcast interview with Kelsey Mitchell mentions how Hart found a renewed basketball energy in the summer of 2019 by playing in rec leagues & a semi-pro organization prior to her second year of pro basketball overseas. The 6'3 post traveled to Germany for the 2019-2020 season where she found success playing for Freiburg with a scoring average of 15.2 ppg & 8.1 rpg in 22 played games. She was the DBBL player of the week four times and was named to the all league second team.

Alexa Hart really hasn't looked back since her 2019-2020 run in Germany. She has earned opportunities with clubs in France, Spain, Australia & has started for all of those teams. Hart currently plays for Zamarat, the number one ranked team in Spain's 3rd division. With the league leading regular season record of 22-7, Hart (second leading scorer) & Zamarat are looking to capture the league championship in late April, early May post-season action.

Videos - Check out the podcast interview with Buckeyes Alexa Hart & Kelsey Mitchell along with some videos from her 4th & 5th pro seasons in France & Australia

BuckeyeBallersTV - Rookie Justice Sueing's European Debut In The Basketball Champions League

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 04:31:00 +0000

(Screencap: Justice Sueing & Antwerp in a late game timeout against Cholet in the Basketball Champions League Qualifying Tournament in Turkey - 9.27.2023)

Rookie Watch - BuckeyeBallersTV: Justice Sueing's Rookie Debut in the Basketball Champions League Qualifying Tournament.

Basketball Champions League Qualifiers - Cholet (France) 76 - Antwerp 72

(Justice Sueing: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)

Ohio State Buckeye Pro Justice Sueing is currently in the final leg of his Rookie Season. Sueing has experienced his first campaign of professional ball in Europe with the Antwerp Giants of the Belgian League. Antwerp is the same club that Houston Rocket Jea'Sean Tate played with in his rookie season before playing in Australia & ultimately making his way back to the States for an NBA opportunity. In Europe, Basketball is set up much like Soccer where several select teams may find themselves concurrently competing in multiple competitions throughout the season. These competitions include the domestic league regular season, the National Cup Tournament along with intracontinental leagues like the famed Euroleague where elite teams from various countries play against each other to crown a continental champion.

Prior to starting the 2023/2024 Belgian Regular Season, Justice Sueing & Antwerp had business in Turkey as one of 24 clubs competing in the Basketball Champions League Qualifying Tournament. Three eight team tournaments taking place from September 24th to October 1st would book entry to the Basketball Champions League Regular Season.

This is another unique aspect of overseas basketball where an American Rookie like Justice Sueing is immediately thrusted into a very important European Competition game after just playing a few friendlies with his new club. The overall feel & team chemistry just isn't there for a team in the initial games of a season. So it's always interesting to see which teams & players step up to win games in a do or die, neutral court setting.

On September 27, 2023 - Antwerp matched up with French Club Cholet in round one of the Qualifiers in Antalya, Turkey. Antwerp featured American Rookie imports Rasir Bolton (Gonzaga), Justice Sueing (Ohio State) along with Belgians Jean-Marc Mwema & Yoeri Schoepen. Cholet brought some talented guys to this contest in Americans Gerry Blakes (Arizona State), TJ Campbell (Portland) with native French Neal Sako, Gerald Ayayi, & international NBA prospect Tidjane Sulaun.

This looked like an evenly matched contest for stretches of the game. But Cholet ultimately had the x-factor & answer in Tidgane Saluan, a skilled 6'9 Forward who turned in a dominating 25 point performance, scoring inside & out against Antwerp's defense. After trailing for much of the game with their largest deficit being 12 points, Antwerp had their best quarter of the game in the 3rd period to regain the lead going into the 4th (58-54). Cholet would take the lead again at the 8:14 mark and would not surrender it again en route to a narrow 76-72 victory over Antwerp. Cholet would go on to win the tournament to participate in the Basketball Champions League Regular Season.

Justice Sueing acquitted himself well in his European Rookie Debut. The proud native of Hawaii was Antwerp's second leading scorer with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists & 1 steal. Sueing was able to display some of his repertoire with a pair of tough dribble drive finishes where he demonstrated good strength & body control. He proved to be a capable long range shooter as well by connected on three 3-point shots. (Check out Justice Sueing's highlights vs Cholet below!)

Classic Performances - Brent Darby's Final High School Game at Michigan's Class B State Finals (32 Points, 6 Threes)

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 17:28:00 +0000

(Screencap - Brent Darby vs Cheboygan at Michigan's Class B State Finals - 3/27/1999)

River Rouge's Finest - 25 Years ago, Late Buckeye great Brent Darby closed out his famed High School career at River Rouge with a classic 32 point (18 points via six threes!) performance in the Breslin Center at Michigan's Class B State Finals. Darby's efforts helped lead the Panthers to back to back State Championships. Below are highlights from Darby's final game at the 1999 State Finals. We also included the full game from Darby's first State Final win in 1998 against Marshall HS!

Video #1 - Brent Darby Highlights vs Cheboygan

Video #2 - River Rouge vs Marshall - 1998 Class B State Finals (Full Game!)

Pro Buckeyes In Asia Part Four - Catching Up With Sam Thompson !

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:16:00 +0000

(Online Image - December 2023 - Mongolian Club Darkhan United Officially Announced Signing Of Buckeye Pro Sam Thompson for the 2023/2024 Season)

(Pro Buckeyes In Asia 2024 - From L To R - Amir Williams - Malaysia - Evan Ravenel - Japan - Jared Sullinger - China - Sam Thompson - Mongolia)

Our fourth & last installment of the Buckeyes In Asia series lands us in Genghis Khan's former stomping grounds to catch up with veteran Sam Thompson!

Sam Thompson (Age 33) -- Ohio State Buckeye (2011-2015) -- Years Pro: 9 -- Current Club - Darkhan United (Mongolia) -- Experience: NBA G-League (USA), Hungary, Italy, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, New Zealand

Catching Up With Sam: Simply put, Sam Thompson was/is one of the most entertaining highflyers to ever don the Scarlet & Gray uniform of The Ohio State Basketball. There has obviously been several guys with hops to come through Columbus, but the moment Thompson came in and started throwing down dunks as a Freshman, we all knew we were witnessing something quite different. We knew Sam was HIM, as the kids like to say today. It's easy to add the superlatives about Sam finishing at the rim as he really was a walking highlight reel. But aside from his god given leaping ability, we knew his basketball acumen as a savvy 6'7 shooting guard/wing would allow him to flourish in whatever basketball environment his skills would lead him to. At age 33, Thompson is now a seasoned professional with extensive experience playing in the NBA G-League as well as overseas stops around the world in Europe, Asia, Central America & Oceania.

G-League Mainstay - We always rated Sam Thompson in & around the same class & caliber of players like Othello Hunter, Ron Lewis, David Lighty, Jon Diebler ect..who all possessed good ability & potential to play in the NBA. But as most know, the exclusive nature of the most elite basketball entity in the world requires players on the league fringe/bubble to find that right opportunity & situation at the right exact time to capture a coveted roster spot & ultimately become perennial NBA player.

In Sam's case, it was not for a lack of trying, because we have to check the overall records, but Thompson might have perhaps the most NBA G-League experience of any professional Buckeye ever with 193 career G-League games under his belt spanning four different teams from 2015 to 2023 (with overseas play in between these seasons as well). Sam started in 86 of those 193 games with an average of 25.2 minutes, 8.2 points & 4 rebounds per game. The Chicago native's stick-to-itiveness in returning to play in front of NBA personnel in the States via the G-League may have came from getting a small taste of league action to begin his pro journey as a Rookie. Following his career at Ohio State, Sam would sign a training camp contract with the Charlotte Hornets as an undrafted free agent. He appeared in five games with the Hornets (Left - Getty Images - Sam Thompson as a Charlotte Hornet vs LA Clippers) in the 2015 NBA Pre-season, logging a total of 37 minutes, 6 points, 2 steals & one rebound on an NBA court. But Charlotte ultimately did not have a roster spot for Thompson, thus kicking off the first of several stints in the G-League. (we still wish we would have download those few games where Thompson scored in a Hornets uniform!) Sam's G-League Stats/Club History.

We admittedly did not get to watch many of Sam's G-League games. But his total of games started, average of minutes & overall numbers indicate a core rotational player who was integral in helping his teams win with the individual capability of busting out as a game leader in points. And this is the type of role one would envision for a player with Sam's skillset on a court with NBA level competition..a core role player..perhaps a sixth man or guy who can provide energy off the bench as a two way player.

Frequent Flyer Miles: The Charlotte Hornets franchise must have remained intrigued with Sam Thompson's ability as he would round out the 2010's decade with stints in Hungary (2016/2017), Lebanon (2017) followed by back to back seasons with the Charlotte affiliate Greensboro Swarm of the G-League (2017-2019). But the 2020's is when Sam started to exercise his passport more frequently with stops in Italy (2020-2021 - 30 games), New Zealand (2021-2022 - 14 games), Lithuania (2022-2023 - 8 games) before returning to the states to finish out the 2023 season with the G-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Current Affairs: Sam Thompson began his 2023 pro campaign in the Dominican Republic with club Marineros of Puerto Plata. But it's fairly common for players/agencies to switch overseas teams throughout the season. And after four games of play in the DR, Thompson signed with Mongolian club Darkhan United (in December 2023) where he played to the end of the regular season in January 2024. This is not Sam's first experience on the Asian continent as he previously in the ASEAN Basketball League in 2020 in between G-League stints. As detailed in our last piece on Amir Williams. The ABL is an annual short regional tournament featuring Far East Asian countries that plays from November to March. Sam played with the Saigon Heat and was an All-ASEAN League Honorable Mention. When thinking about professional ball overseas, Mongolia might be one of the last countries that comes to mind. But as we've noted, the sport of basketball is experiencing exponentially growth all across the Asian continent. Some familiar American names currently hooping in the Mongolian league include Diamond Stone (Maryland), Kalin Lucas (Michigan State), Durrell Summers (Michigan State), Keith Benson (Oakland), Jericole Hellems (NC State), and of course our Sam Thompson (Ohio State). Thompson's club finished the regular season with an 8-16 record, failing to make the league playoffs. Sam played in 12 games with Darkhan, averaging 18 points & 5 rebounds a game. ST had four 20 plus point scoring games including a season high 30 point performance on January 23, 2024!

(Videos)

- 25 point game in New Zealand (Clips)

- 36 point game in the ABL (Clips)

- 27 point game in the ABL (Clips)

- Podcast Interview on Drive The Lane

Video - George Reese Shares Thoughts On State Of OSU Hoops Ahead of His 1999 Final Four Team's Honoring at Ohio State/Purdue Game

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 07:42:00 +0000

(Classic Image: Coach Jim O'Brien with 5 of his famed Ohio State players from the 1999 Final Four Team - L to R - Michael Redd, George Reese, Scoonie Penn, Ken Johnson & Brian Brown)

Honoring Excellence: There's an interesting dichotomy that will take place in the Schott on February 18th, 2024 where Ohio State Basketball will remember, honor & celebrate the 25th Year Anniversary of Jim O'Brien's legendary Final Four squad from the 1998/1999 Season, while at the same trying to find some reinvigoration for the current program, fresh off of parting ways with former Head Coach Chris Holtman as they take on a top five Purdue team.

Several players from that Ohio State team are slated to be in attendance for the ceremony including the famed backcourt of James 'Scoonie' Penn, Michael Redd and Forward George Reese who recently appeared on the OVE Podcast with Sam & Torg to give his candid thoughts & opinions on the state of OSU Hoops among other subjects like NIL, his time playing for the Buckeyes, ect.. Check it out!

Flashback: 15 Years Ago - Daequan Cook Becomes NBA Three Point Champion

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 06:01:00 +0000

(Phoenix, Arizona - Former Buckeye Daequan Cook Becomes NBA Three-Point Champion - 2.14.2009)

Dayton's Own: With the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend underway, we wanted to take a flashback look at a former Buckeye winning one of the more prestigious awards in Professional Basketball. It's hard to believe, but this year's event marks the 15th year Anniversary of Dayton Dunbar & Ohio State product Daequan Cook upsetting the field to become the 2009 NBA Three Point Champion!

Some may recall that Daequan Cook (Image: Interview with basketball legend Cheryl Miller at All-Star Weekend) was still a young pup back in 2009. At the young age of 21 years old, Cook was just a few years into his professional career with the Miami Heat. The smooth young shooting guard was operating with a bit of a chip on his shoulder at the time due to doubters in the basketball community questioning the early entry to the NBA along with his overall ability/potential in general.

Cook's individual play & results within his role during Ohio State's final four run in the 2006-2007 season failed to match pre-season expectations and did not seem to warrant leaving college ball to test pro waters. Yet, Daequan would join his fellow 'Thad 5' teammates Greg Oden & Mike Conley Jr. in making the jump to the NBA. He surprised some by becoming the 21st overall selection in the first round of the NBA draft by the Miami Heat. As an adept mid & long range shooter while not being anything close to a finished product, Cook comfortably made the Heat where he logged minutes in 59 games, starting in 19 with an average of 8.8 points & 3 rebounds as a rookie.

Shooting On The Big Stage: Playing alongside superstar Dwayne Wade, Daequan Cook provided an increase in contributions in year two with the Heat with an 11ppg average ahead of the 2009 All-Star Weekend. Some in the basketball community felt Cook was perhaps too young or lacked the name recognition to be a participant in the Footlocker Three-Point Contest, one of the more coveted individual competitions/awards in the NBA. But DC had been used to overcoming doubters ~~(haters)~~ by this point in his career.

Cook's shooting numbers throughout the season would allow him to be one of the 2009 Three Point contestants along with returning two time Champion Jason Kapono, Mike Bibby, Rashard Lewis, Roger Mason & Danny Granger. The Dayton, Ohio native put everyone on notice right away by winning the first round overall with 18 points. The second round featured Kapono who finished with 14 points, Cook & Lewis who both had a 15 point result, thus eliminating the defending champ. An extra round was played between Daequan Cook & Rashard Lewis due to the second round tie score. And the final shootout is where Cook really shined as he easily blew out Lewis' mere 7 points by exceeding his first round score with a 19 point tally, officially ending Jason Kapano's two year streak & leaving no doubt as the new NBA Three Point Champion..the first & only Ohio State Buckeye to accomplish that feat.

Just a month later on March 4th, Cook would have a new 27 point career high performance where he went 6 of 8 from three point range against the Phoenix Suns.

(Videos - Extended Highlights of Daequan Cook's 3 Point Shootout & 27 point performance)

Pro Buckeyes In Asia - Part Three - Amir Williams Wins 3rd Career Domestic League Championship With Title In Malaysia !

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 20:15:00 +0000

(Malaysia - Buckeye Veteran Amir Williams Celebrates League Championship With His NX Matrix Teammates - Late January 2024)

(Pro Buckeyes In Asia 2024 - From L To R - Amir Williams - Malaysia - Evan Ravenel - Japan - Jared Sullinger - China - Sam Thompson - Mongolia)

Our Series covering Professional Buckeyes playing on the Asian continent takes us to Malaysia where another Buckeye big has continued to enjoy consecutive seasons of individual & team success in recent years. This post is more of an overview of Amir Williams's pro career in general. Let's catch up!

Well Traveled & Well Played - We always marvel at how the game of Basketball can take players around the world leading to life changing experiences, opportunities & connections. The game of Basketball is perhaps the second most popular sport in the world behind Futbol (soccer). The sheer number of players & level of competition in North America is extremely fierce..then when factoring in the world at large, it's insane to think about just how many guys are competing to reach the upper echelon of the sport.

As we all know, only a very small percentage of Basketball players will ever come close to competing in the NBA, the G-League (previously known as the D-League) or high level Overseas play. But for players with the capacity & perseverance to make professional basketball a viable career, many opportunities are abound.

The fact remains that making it to D1 level College Ball, getting paid to play as a professional for consecutive years while experience longevity, individual & team success is a great accomplishment. Success is exactly what former Ohio State Center Amir Williams has been experiencing in recent years as a pro ball player. The Detroit County Day product is now a seasoned ten year veteran of professional basketball having played in four different continents in North America, Europe, Asia & Oceania.

Amir Williams' resume of clubs reads like an undercover government agent or mercenary. There's stops in Mexico, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Switzerland, Hungary & Malaysia.

His pro career out of Ohio State began in the NBA G-League (#6th Overall Pick in the G-League Draft) with the Rio Grande Vipers (2015/2016) & the Iowa Wolves (2016/2017).

Rio Grande had a pretty loaded G-League roster at the time featuring would be legit NBA guys in Montrezl Harrell & Lithuanian Donatas Motiejunas in the front court. It was a bit of a tall order for Amir to come in as a rookie and establish himself as a feature big on a playoff G-League squad vying for the league title. Not unlike his play in Columbus, it would take Williams some time to get comfortable with the new level of play and earn more than a limited role.

Furthermore, while his stats remained unremarkable in his second year with Iowa, that is where you could see him getting more comfortable against G-League competition as he didn't have to play a certain role in pressure filled situations like his time with Rio Grande. Bigs like Amir Williams, who might be on the raw side in early development stages just need to play, play & play some more. In our view extensive game minutes/reps where players have the freedom to play, make mistakes & learn from adversity without worrying about getting benched can be instrumental in one's development. (check out the following clips below of one of his big games with Iowa - 18 & 18!)

Passport Time - As we examined how Amir's career trajectory has played out..it looks like he was able to benefit from playing in different countries, seeing different styles of play & learning how to best maximize his skills for a club in the pro game. He was able to post double double averages in his 3rd (New Zealand) & fourth (Switzerland) seasons before really coming into his own at start of the 2020's decade as a veteran in his late 20s/early 30s.

When we view clips of Williams in recent years, we see a much improved player who is in the best shape of his life physically. His frame is much more toned without the extra weight and he looks like a more fluid athlete. Basketball wise he has expanded his game all the way to shooting three point shots and he's actually comfortable in handling the ball and taking defenders to the rack. Make no mistake, the formative years of college is a long time away from a player's professional prime..players get a lot of better and this is not the same Amir Williams we saw at Ohio State.

Amir's four/five year stretch starting from 2019 to the current 2023/2024 season has been impressive with a steady 17.5 & 12 average of points & rebounds spanning seasons in the UK, Canada, Switzerland, & Malaysia. He had a great 2019-2020 run with the Worcester Wolves of the British Basketball League that featured a career highlight in winning the BBL Cup Tournament Title. Williams led Worcester with 23 points & 13 rebounds in the Cup Finals (pictured left after the game).

His stint in the United Kingdom was potentially shaping up to be the best individual & team season of his career, but their playoff post-season (along with all sports around the world) got canceled due to the global pandemic.

Amir's return to basketball after Covid came in January 2021 when he joined Swiss club BBC Nyon ( a team that went 1-12 prior to his arrival). to help them win some games to close out the 2020/2021 season.

AW's travels would then take him to the London Lightning of Canada's NBL where he played from 2021 through 2023. The Lightning are one of the strongest teams in Canada's top domestic league, and it must have been a breathe of fresh air for Williams after enduring a losing season in Switzerland the year before. Amir & the Lightning won back to back Canadian League Championships in 2022 & 2023. Williams had some monster games in his NBL stints including a 40 point, 18 rebound game on 5/12/2022 & a near triple double stat-line of 16 points, 11 rebounds & 8 blocks on 3/24/2022 among others.

(Videos - Clips from AW's 2019/2020 Season in the UK - A message from Amir to fans after the season gets canceled, a clip from Swiss news as they profile Williams' arrival to BBC Nyon in Switzerland, highlights from one of his career 40 point game in Canada)

Enter The Matrix - Amir Williams stayed quite busy in 2023. The timeline is a bit confusing, but in the same calendar year as his final stint in Canada, Williams also landed in East Asia to play in the 2023 ABL Invitationals with Malaysian squad NS Matrix. The ABL Invitational is a tournament organized by the ASEAN Basketball League, a cross-regional league featuring teams from Far East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong ect.

Both Amir & his new Malaysian club were apparently satisfied with the pairing as Williams would re-join NS Matrix for their 2023-2024 Domestic League Season. Malaysia's Domestic MBL is a just a six team league with a regular season that ran from November 2023 to January 2024. Williams, now at age 33, played in 17 games total with an average of 16 points & 8 rebounds. His impressive run with NS Matrix culminated with the 2024 MBL Championship..Amir's 3rd consecutive Domestic League Title!..Detroit's own was named MVP of Game One of the Finals from a dominating 29 point, 17 rebound, 3 Blocks performance. In series clinching Game Two of the Finals, Williams was a straight up menace on the boards with 17 rebounds to with 9 points.

What's more, the accolades did not end with the Game One Finals MVP as Amir would additionally be named to the All Malaysian League First Team along with the Center of The Year award! It will be interesting to see if Amir Williams opts to continue his career in Asia like fellow Buckeyes Jared Sullinger & Evan Ravenel. Switching to a different basketball market almost every other season has largely proven to be successful for Williams, but as we have noted..several Asian Domestic League clubs seem to invite friendly situations & environments to Buckeye bigs.

Amir Williams is currently playing some of the best ball in his career. In our opinion he can definitely play in the highest caliber leagues in Asia right now. We would like him & his agency pursue a step up in competition & level of play to see where he potentially stacks up against the best of Japan or China. We're rooting for ya A-Dub!

(Article - Eurobasket - Embracing The Game - The Growth Of Popularity of Basketball In Malaysia )

(Videos - Check out the numerous videos of Amir Williams in action in Asia in the ABL Invitationals & MBL Finals with NS Matrix!)

Pro Buckeyes In Asia 2024 - Part Two - Evan Ravenel

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:55:00 +0000

(Buckeye Pro Evan Ravenel pictured with his Playoffs MVP Award- Japan 2016)

(Pro Buckeyes In Asia 2024 - From L To R - Amir Williams - Malaysia - Evan Ravenel - Japan - Jared Sullinger - China - Sam Thompson - Mongolia)

Around The World With E. Rav - Evan Ravenel is one of several players from Ohio State's high-achieving 2012 (Final Four) & 2013 (Elite Eight) teams still actively playing Professional Basketball, now as seasoned, grizzled veterans of the game they love.

Ravenel, a native of Tampa, Florida, has enjoyed & persisted through a 10 year Overseas Professional career where his talents have allowed him to hoop on three different continents (Europe, Asia, South America). Some of Evan's more visible moments in his career include, but not limited to participating in the 2013-2014 FIBA Eurochallenge competition in his rookie season with Bulgarian club Rilski Sportist, winning the 2015/2016 League Championship & Playoffs MVP in Japan's BJ League, playing against the Sacramento Kings in a 2016 pre-season game with Isreali club Maccabi Haifa, winning the 2019 TBT Championship with Carmen's Crew, participating in the 2020 FIBA Basketball Champions League of Americas with Argentine club Quimsa.

Evan 2.0 - Astute watchers of Evan's game in college could probably see his style of play as one that would lend itself to longevity & staying power on the next level. He often shined in a limited role as a formidable rebounder, defender, offensive post with a solid shooting form/touch for a stout big. Yet, Buckeye fans who haven't been keen on keeping up with former players in the pros definitely noticed a different version of Evan Ravenel in recent TBT competitions.

We would see an upgraded overall game from 'Rav-2.0' that has developed & blossomed into a well rounded multi-dimensional offensive threat. His ability to score in the post, face up and drive along with mid & long range shooting as a big makes him a matchup nightmare for defenders.

Like many of his Carmen's Crew teammates, you could tell Evan had seen & played a lot of basketball, matured physically & mentally through the years and is comfortable doing just about anything on the court. And that has been one of the more satisfying aspects of following former players like Evan Ravenel in the pros; being able to witness their development in real time as they get opportunities to display their full repertoire in significantly bigger, more expanded roles.

Working through ten professional seasons overseas where one needs to ingratiate themselves into various foreign environments, basketball markets, accommodations or lack thereof, playing styles ect..while living away from home the majority of a calendar year requires a great deal of patience, durability, availability, perseverance, positivity, inner discipline, aptitude among other traits & characteristics. To that end, Evan might describe the current version of himself as 'Evan 5.0'..because a player does not experience this type of longevity in pro basketball without many ups/downs, trials, tribulations, lessons learned & multiple transformations.

Ravenel's pro career timeline has primarily been a tale of two continents with most of his seasons played in Europe & Asia with a stint in South America sprinkled in. He immediately got a taste of competitive Eastern European basketball out of college by playing with aforementioned Rilski Sportist. His rookie season prepared him well for his second stint in the Balkans with Polish club Starogard Gdanski. In what would become his best stastical season in European play..Rav made excellent contributions in Poland with an impressive 19ppg & 9 boards a game average.

Land Of The Rising Sun - Evan Ravenel experienced perhaps his most memorable overseas run as a third year pro playing in The BJ League in Japan with the Ryukyu Golden Kings of Okinawa. This was the final season of what was then known as the BJ League. If you have some time, it's an interesting read to learn about the basketball business market in Japan & how a FIBA suspension led to two competing organizations merging to form the current top league in Japan, The B League.

Ravenel become apart of basketball history in Japan by helping lead the Golden Kings to a league championship & becoming the Finals MVP in the Bj-League's final season. His stat line in the series clinching contest was a game high 22 points (10 of 14 from the field) & 12 rebounds. And he may not have known it at the time, but that Championship Run with Ryukyu may have propelled him into an American mainstay in Japanese Basketball.

In a 2022 Podcast Interview, Evan explained that a difficult situation in Israel following the title season in Japan especially made him realize that moving into another basketball market can sometimes make for a challenging transition. Players have to prove themselves all over again to people who may be unfamiliar of what they're capable of, roles may different ect.

As mentioned in our piece on Jared Sullinger, unlike in years past, overseas ball players do not have to solely rely on European Basketball to find solid career situations. The level of play & competition in Asia continues to improve and the style of game is more open in general (than Europe) with certain players having more agency & autonomy to display their versatility

Evan Ravenel w/ Altiri Chiba 2022/2023 Japan

After Israel, Rav played in a handful of games in Belgium before returning to Japan to finish out the 2016-2017 season. And aside from one more year in Bulgaria with Rilski (2017-2018) Japan has been like a second home for Evan having played on four different Japanese clubs since 2017 including consecutive seasons with Altiri Chiba. In speaking about his time in Japan & why he feels it is an optimal basketball market for him, Ravenel remarked about how welcoming & supportive the Japanese people have been. The positive environment coupled with his past exploits/reputation on the court has afforded him the liberty & good will to put his overall game on full display.

Evan Ravenel's current (and 5th different Japanese team) club is the Kagawa Five Arrows of the B League 3rd Division. His team is currently ranked #2 in their league standings with a nice 27-7 record. In his latest game on 2/11/2024 - E. Rav scored 18 points in his team's 30 point victory.

Follow Evan directly on Twitter (X)

Article - Japan Times - Golden Kings Bring Curtain Down On Bj-League With Fourth Title

Okinawa Wanderer - Golden Kings Capture Final Championship of BJ league

Podcast - Sports Talk With PlayerAgent3: Evan Ravenel - March 3rd 2021

All of the Above Podcast - James White - Ron Hamp w/ Evan Ravenel - Jan 8 2021

Pro Buckeyes in Asia 2024 - Part One - Jared Sullinger

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 09:37:00 +0000

(Korea - A svelte looking Jared Sullinger in the KBL - Spring 2021)

(Pro Buckeyes In Asia 2024 - From L To R - Amir Williams - Malaysia - Evan Ravenel - Japan - Jared Sullinger - China - Sam Thompson - Mongolia)

State of the Union - After what was just about a 10 year hiatus!..Buckeye Ballers Blogspot is back with the continued goal of providing as many updates, articles, videos ect..of former Ohio State Hoopers currently competing in the professional ranks around the world, coaching on various levels, in sports media and life after basketball in general. Details about this platform's rebranding including how we plan on moving forward will be outlined in near future posts.

In addition to following Buckeyes during their current pro seasons, we also intend on revisiting notable & important stories from the past eight to ten years that we didn't get to cover, but are certainly worth documenting like retirements, championship victories, drafts nights, pro debuts ect..

We would like to extend a sincere thanks & gratitude to any & all readers who have enjoyed reading our stories through the years.

How Firm Thy Friendship - It's always interesting to think about some of the unique circumstances & dynamics around being a diehard hoops head in the middle of a sports universe where football is the king that rules with an iron-fist. Simply put, Ohio State is home to a rich basketball history & tradition that doesn't have to take a backseat to most schools in the sport. Yet, because this institution also happens to have the number one football brand in the country, hoops fans are resigned to the fact that our first love in sports (#BallIsLife) can sometimes be an afterthought in Columbus.

So what dynamics are exactly at play in a sports environment where football is heads & shoulders on top? Well, the cynicism in us believes there are way too many 'fair-weather' supporters. The stark difference in fan engagement & support when OSU Hoops plays well versus the opposite is sometimes embarrassingly noticeable. Real hoops heads do not require a top squad to have mere interest. And even when the Buckeyes are playing well, we'd argue there still isn't the amount of hype & fanfare one would expect from a school with Ohio State's resources, alumni base & brand power.

(Image: Former Buckeye Terence Dials officially became a member of Ohio State's Basketball Staff in 2019 by assuming the position of Director of Professional Development. Dial's predecessor in this role was none other than another OSU great in Scoonie Penn)

And this brings us to the over-arching theme of this post because, in light of Ohio State's recent, but in all actuality a gradual downturn in basketball, we are currently witnessing some of the worst aspects of fickle, fair-weather fandom. It looks like another hardwood coaching staff is nearing the end of an era in Columbus. With that in mind, isn't in amazing how many casual fans (translation - football fans who decide to pay attention when the hoops team is either competing well or very poorly) have suddenly morphed into diehard hoops heads again? Well that's neither here or there..we're obviously not thrilled with the state of the Basketball program along with the constant pilling on by fans & pundits alike..but amidst the uptick of attention surrounding OSU Basketball.."chaos is a ladder" for some...That is to say we believe this was as good of a time as any to resume coverage for fans yearning for some positive Buckeye related news, and for those simply wondering where some of their favorite OSU hoopers are currently playing.

(Our spotlight of Buckeyes playing overseas resumes with profiles of four veterans currently hooping on the Asian Continent.)

The Sport of Basketball has enjoyed immense growth worldwide in the last twenty plus years. This ever-growing popularity has not been any more evident than in Asian markets where countries like China & The Philippines have become unlikely basketball hotbeds.

Development of basketball infrastructure across regions in Africa, Asia, South America, Europe, ect not only benefits the sport in those native markets, but it also provides more opportunities for the tremendous amount of North American ballplayers looking to continue their basketball careers at the professional level.

While domestic leagues in Europe are still thought of as the class of overseas basketball, the rest of the world continues to catch up to North America & Europe with Asia perhaps making the strongest push to be a destination where North American imports can make a name for themselves exclusively playing in certain countries against legit competition. Former Ohio State Buckeyes who have had stints in Asia include Othello Hunter, JJ Sullinger, Terence Dials, Byron Mullens ect..

The pinnacle of Basketball in Asia is China's Chinese Basketball Assocation aka The CBA. China's top league gained initial global fame in the late 2000s/early 2010s as a popular new basketball market for NBA Stars like Tracy McGrady & Stehpon Marbury to continue playing at a high level while exposing/expanding their personal brands to the lucrative Chinese basketball economy. But in a relatively short period of time, the CBA has developed & evolved from a mildly-serious outfit competition wise into arguably a Top 10 Domestic league in the world featuring some of the best North American Imports in overseas basketball.

(Image - Jared Sullinger meets with media during TBT prep - Summer 2022)

One of the top imports & players overall in Asia is Columbus, Ohio's own Jared Sullinger. North American fans have likely grown accustomed to seeing the former Buckeye star help lead Ohio State Alumni & Columbus area based Summer League squad Carmen's Crew as their head coach at the annual TBT Basketball Tournament. But when Sully isn't cutting his teeth as a coach on the sidelines for Carmen's Crew (we're going to have a whole separate post specifically detailing Jared & his Ohio State peers annual participation in the TBT), he's been nothing short of the familiar walking double-double machine that his fans are used to seeing in overseas league play.

Following a six year stint in the NBA, Jared Sullinger has found great stability playing ball in Asia, most notably with Shenzhen, a CBA club located in the Guangdong Pronvince in China. Shenzhen has been a second home for Sullinger in four out of his five playing stints in Asia. His lone season outside of China took place in Spring 2021 with Korean club Anyang of the (you guessed it) Korean Basketball League. Sully's participation in Korea was as a result of the worldwide Pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions in China. In what would prove to be a memorable run, Jared joined Anyang in February of 2021 and helped lead his new club to the first Domestic League Championship of his professional career. Sully was awarded with the KBL Finals MVP for his efforts in the Championship round!

(Videos - Clips from Sully's MVP Round in the KBL Finals, a podcast interview, some top plays of his 2021 regular season in Korea, clips from a 40 point game in China)

Sullinger returned to the familiar confines of the CBA in Winter 2021 by re-signing with home club Shenzhen, where he continues to play to this day. The completion of the 2023/2024 season will mark a three year consecutive run with Shenzhen (2021 to 2024) & five years overall with the club. As of mid February 2024, Sully is currently averaging 21 ppg along with 11 rebounds per game which is the sixth best average on the boards in the league. He notched a season high of 42 points & 16 rebounds on December 3rd against Guangzhou!

Currently sitting as the 6th best team record wise in the CBA League Standings, Shenzhen is on pace to make the 12 team post-season playoff competition that will begin in April 2024. It's significantly much easier to follow players on these Asian basketball clubs today than some ten years ago. Fans can stay up to date on Sully & Shenzhen on English webpages such as ProBallers.com (Jared Sullinger) & Eurobasket (Jared Sullinger - China) . You can also follow Jared Sullinger directly on Twitter (X), CTGN Sports Scene Page and of course keep it locked to Buckeye Ballerss for updates on Sully's latter season run in China!

(Videos: More Highlights from the CBA - Clips from Jared Sullinger's career high 55 point game in his debut season in China - 11/3/2017 -- Plus a 28 point game performance late in the 2023 regular season)

Article - Forbes (Mark Deeks - 7/31/2023 - The Late-Career Resurgence of Jared Sullinger

Article - Celtics Blog (Noa Dalzell - 12/22/2023 - Now A Basketball Star In China, former Celtic Jared Sullinger Still Bleeds Green

TBT 2017 - Ohio State Alumni Preparing First Game At The Basketball Tournament!!

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 15:51:00 +0000

(Image - Team Scarlet & Gray at TBT practice || July 13, 2017 - Columbus, Ohio)

The Basketball Tournament - Here we go! It's finally here, an Ohio State Alumni team about to compete in a pro level off-season tournament with $2 Million on the line. We've been hoping for an OSU TBT entry ever since we saw the Notre Dame centric team win the competition back in 2014. And even several years before that..from covering these guys in the pros, we've always had fun putting together fantasy style Ohio State hoops all-star teams, so to see this become a reality is almost surreal.

Scarlet & Gray Dream Team - As noted above, we've always wondered how a team primarily made up of Ohio State players would do on the pro club level. We've seen Buckeye tandems, even trios in the pros before with Indiana Pacers Kellog, Waiters & Williams in the 80's, Je'Kel Foster, David Lighty (pictured left) & Deshaun Thomas with Nanterre in France, and more recently Aaron Craft & David Lighty in Italy & Boston Celtics. Jared Sullinger/Evan Turner. But TBT presents the Basketball Tournament presents the dream scenario of almost an entire team of former Buckeyes!

The core nucleus of this team is the main group from Thad Matta's 2010-2011 super team. We have our guys David Lighty, Aaron Craft, Jared Sullinger, Jon Diebler, William Buford, Dallas Lauderdale, and Evan Ravenel (pictured left) who was on that team as well as a transfer from Boston College. Columbus Eastmoor & Northern Illinois product Leon Rodgers is one of the non-Ohio State players on the squad. We've seen Evan Turner around the guys as a staff member, and leading the group as head coach from the sidelines? James 'Scoonie' Penn! It doesn't get any better than this for hardcore OSU hoops heads!

Midwest Regional - Number #2 Seed Scarlet & Gray is slated to play #15 The Region, a team of players from Illinois & Indiana, on July 15 in Peoria, Illinois on ESPN3.

Rookie Flashback Video: Jon Diebler (2012 Greece)

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 01:50:00 +0000

(Image - #9 Jon Diebler - Greece - 2012)

Jon Diebler - Rookie Flashback
Country - Greece
Club - Panionios
Games - 34
Playoffs -10 Total - Reached Semis
11ppg
Season High - 22 points
Led Greek League in 3 pointers

Video - Web - Highlights of former Buckeye Jon Diebler in his first professional season in Greece. Fresh from college, Diebler stepped right in on a very balanced Panionios club and proved himself in high level European play by leading the Greek lead in three pointers made and helping his squad reach the playoffs.

NBA - Charlotte Hornets Add Dallas Lauderdale to Fall Training Camp Roster !

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 02:45:00 +0000

(Image - Dallas Lauderdale in his #50 Idaho Stampede Jersey)

NBA Opportunity - Great news came out of Charlotte, North Carolina in late September 2014 when the Hornets club announced the addition of Buckeye big man Dallas Lauderdale to their fall training camp roster in preparation for the 2014/2015 NBA Season.

This camp will be Lauderdale second official pre-season training with an NBA team after playing as a member of the Portland Trailblazers in the fall of 2012.With Portland, Dallas participated in brief action in two NBA Pre-Seasong games before missing the final roster prior to the 2012/2013 regular season. Lauderdale stayed connected to the Trailblazers organization by joining their NBA D-League affiliate team, the Idaho Stampede (late Oct. 2012), but an in injury later that fall would keep him sidelined for the reminder of that calendar basketball season.

Dallas Lauderdale officially returned to the court with the Blazers at the 2013 Las Vegas NBA Summer League competition, and then he re-joined the Idaho Stampede for NBDL 2013/2014 season. Lauderdale is now entering his fourth year of professional basketball since graduating from The Ohio State University.

U.S. NBA Prep - After playing his rookie season in Poland, Lauderdale has opted to continue his path to the NBA in the States by accepting multiple training camp invites, team workouts, summer league invitations, and participating in a full NBA Developmental League Season. In the 2013/2014 NBDL season, he started 38 out 39 games played for the Idaho Stampede with averages of 8 ppg, 9 rpg, and 3 blocks per game.

Much has been written about the plus and minues of playing in the NBA Development League versus an overseas opportunity. One benefit of going the domestic route is being able to perform directly in front of NBA management. That stateside visibility has resulted in another NBA training camp opportunity for the former Buckeye.

The Hornets - Pro Basketball Talk on NBA Pro Sports has a good breakdown of the current Charlotte Hornets roster situation (link). The roster stands has 17 players, and according to the report big Dallas may have a legitimate opportunity to battle for a potential roster spot.Charlotte signed Lauderdale to a non guaranteed contract using the team min.

Good luck to Dallas Lauderdale in his quest to make it in the National Basketball Association!

- Clip - Dallas Lauderdale Alley Oop at the 2014 D-League Showcase -

Career history
2011–2012	Turów Zgorzelec
2013–2014	Idaho Stampede
2014–present	Charlotte Horne

NBA - Evan Turner's Top Plays of 2013/2014 Season

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 01:56:00 +0000

(Image - Evan Turner & the Sixers celebrate following Turner's Game Winning Buckeye against the Celtics - Boston, Massachusetts - 1.29.2014)

Turner's Top Plays - Time is certainly flying, it does not seem like that long ago that Evan Turner was breaking the hearts of Michigan fans with an improbable buzzer beater in the Big Ten Tournament of his Junior year in NCAA Basketball. But the former Ohio State Buckeye has already completed four professional basketball seasons in the National Basketball Association.

The 2013/2014 Season was the most eventful pro stint for Turner. He played 54 games with Philadelphia (averaging 17ppg) before a February trade that sent him to the Indiana Pacers, a playoff contender that would later be embroiled in controversy & disappointment in the last part of the regular season and playoffs.

Lost in all the trade talk in Philly and the discussion of how Turner would fit in with the Pacers is that Evan had some big time moments last season..most notably in the clutch in his final season in a 76ers Jersey with two game winner games (vs Brooklyn & Boston) and a memorable opening night dunk against a contending Lebron James. We included those 3 plays in our favorite top 5 Turner plays for the 2013/2014 season..along with a 360 Dunk in Los Angeles and a clutch spin move and lay up on Mario Chalmers to help the Pacers defeat the Miami Heat in a heated regular season contest.

#5. - 12.29.2013 - Los Angeles, California - In a video titled 'controversial dunk' - Turner performs a 360 dunk in the waning seconds of a victory versus the Lakers. Perhaps not the most classy thing to do..Evan seems contrite afterwards..but basketball ethics/etiquette or not, how about the sick dunk! LOL

#4. - 10.30.2013 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Opening night the NBA Season versus the defending Champion Miami Heat. It is early in the game and Turner finds himself with the ball in transition with League MVP Lebron James defending. Lebron went up with one hand, and Evan went up with two hands around the ball...the result? An epic career poster dunk for Evan Turner. We admit, it didn't seem like Bron was in full block mode on this play, but he did make a swipe/block attempt at the ball and Turner did beat his defense for the dunk so James is definitely in this poster. Evan can say he dunked on Lebron. (No, not a beastly dunk on where there is contact like a Carter on Mourning, but this play still qualifies)

#3. - 3.26.2014 - Indianapolis, Indiana - Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers..a late regular season game with a playoff type of atmosphere and play. This was one intense, chippy, and physical game. With starting SG Lance Stephenson ejected, Turner came up with two critical buckets in the 4th quarter, one coming at the 1:35 mark with the Pacers down 80-79. Turner received a perimeter pass from George Hill, he then put Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers in the spin cycle with a brilliant right to left spin move en-route to the easy layup. This game showed that Turner could play big for the Pacers when it counted..but for whatever reason it seemed as if he just did not fit in with Indiana as well as he could have (He could have been a much bigger help if he had spent more than two months with Indy..but the Pacers had a multitude of problems heading into the Playoffs)

#2. - 1.29.2014 - Boston, Massachusetts - Game winner #1 - Last possession of the game, Evan Turner crosses over Jerryd Bayless and pulls up over fellow Buckeye Jared Sullinger for the game winning shot!

#1. - 12.20.2013 - Philadelphia, Pennslyvania - Brooklyn 120 Philly 119 in Overtime. Turner gets the ball with 3.9 seconds remaining. He uses a Spencer Hawes dribble hand off slash ball screen to lose man defender Shaun Livingston..a quick hesitation allows him to dash past center Brook Lopez, and the play and game finally ends with Turner shooting the game winning shot over Paul Pierce who attempts to draw a charge by sliding over

FIBA - Jantel Lavender Helps lead USA Over China in World Cup Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Sun, 21 Sep 2014 05:58:00 +0000

(Getty Images - 9.20.2014 - Team USA Post Jantel Lavender rises for a shot attempt against China in preparation for the 2014 FIBA World Cup - Paris, France)

Top Form - Buckeye Jantel Lavender is currently continuing her outstanding year of basketball as a member of the United States' Senior Women's Basketball team in preparation for the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Turkey. Lavender helped lead Team USA to a victory in their 3rd preparation game with 14 points ( a perfect 7 for 7 shooting from the field) against China on 9.20.14. USA won by a comfortable score of 99-75 after a close game (72-66) versus Australia on 9/19.

Hoops All Year - There has been no such thing as a basketball off-season for the 25 year old Cleveland native. Jantel Lavender began the year 2014 playing overseas with Euroleague team Wisla Can Pack of Poland. In April, Lavender won her first career professional League Championship (Poland) with Wisla in the Polish League (she also participated in the 2014 Euroleague Women Playoffs with Wisla).

Upon returning to the States (May), Jantel immediately re-joined the Los Angeles Sparks for preseason of the 2014 WNBA Season (with the Sparks, Lavender ironically played China in a pre-season game on May 10). Playing Center for L.A., Lavender started 27 of 34 games played in her 4th WNBA Season with averages of 12 ppg & 6 rebounds a game..her best statistical season as a pro. After completing the WNBA season (fell in the quarterfinals of the playoffs) in September, Jantel joined USA for training camp in prep for the FIBA tournament.

Making The Worlds - Jantel Lavender is currently in an interesting & tough competition to make the 12 player Team USA Roster for the 2014 World Cup. Training Camp opened in the United States with a 24 player pool on September 14. The roster is now down to 15 players as the team competes in an exhibition tournament in France that runs until September 23.

Lavender (pictured left: post practice with Candace Dupree) has a good shot to make the World Cup final roster due to performance & circumstance. Jantel has reportedly performed well in training camp, in a televised intra-squad scrimmage, and in the recent preparation game with China...some believe she has earned a spot on the team. Another key aspect shaping the roster is the absence of elite post players. (article) Candace Parker (Forward), Sylvia Fowles (Center) are slated to not participate in the World Cup, and Center Britney Griner is questionable. If Griner is not able to play for USA, Lavender's inclusion would seem to be a no-brainer so to speak, as she would make for a good back up center to Tina Charles who will most likely start. However, Jantel's chances to make the roster could diminish should Griner eventually join the team overseas.

Good luck to Jantel Lavender..and why not Lavender? She is currently in the prime of her career and playing some of her best basketball. She won 3 Gold Medals by representing USA in various youth competitions (U19, U17, WUG) and has twice trained with the Senior Women's team as a member of the Select Team (2010,2013). She is ready to officially dawn the red, white , and blue at the 2014 FIBA World Cup!

Jantel Lavender - USA Profile

Video - Othello Hunter (2012 Azovmash Clips + Recap)

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 03:29:00 +0000

(Image - #21 Othello Hunter, #7 Oleksiy Pecherov & Azovmash post game - Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine - April 2012)

Hunter's World Tour - Former Buckeye Forward Othello Hunter participated in two different national basketball leagues in the 2011/2012 season. Following a successful All-Star stint with Dinamo Sassari in the famed Italian Serie A (2010, 2011), Hunter joined Alan Anderson to form a potent import duo for Shandong in the Chinese Basketball Association. He would complete the regular season with Shandong in February 2012, totaling 31 games at 18ppg & 8rpg (missed the playoffs in China). In the latter part of February, Ukrainian Club BC Azovmash announced the signing of Othello Hunter to finish out the regular season & 2012 playoffs. BC Azovmash actually included Hunter's Italy Dunk Mix from BuckeyeBallersTV in their website's official news release! Click on this link !

Enter Azovmash - Club BC Azovmash is based in the city of Mariupol in Ukraine. They are a yearly contender in the Ukrainian Super League and also compete in the VTB United League. Othello played with some notable & familiar names on Azovmash like Guard Daniel Ewing (Duke), Swingman Matt Walsh (Florida), & Ukrainian star Oleksiy Pecherov.

Azovmash finished the regular season with a 26-13 record to earn a #3 seed for the playoffs. Othello Hunter played in a total of 21 games in the Ukrainian Superleague (9 regular season games & 12 playoff games). In those games he averaged 12 points & 7 rebs in 24 minutes per game..his season high in Ukraine was a 24 point performance in the regular season finale on April 12, 2012. Azovmash advanced all the way to the league finals, but they eventually defeated in the last series.

Related Fact - Fellow Buckeye Scoonie Penn competed in Ukraine during the 2008/2009 season with BC Kiyv.

Video - Othello Hunter Azovmash Clips - (2012 - 4th Pro Season)

2013 Recap - (Israel) Brittany Johnson & Elitzur Ramla Shocked Macabbi Ashdod in Game 5 to Become League Champions!

noreply@blogger.com (RonWick) — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 04:31:00 +0000

(Former Ohio State Buckeye Brittany Johnson - 2nd from the right - and club Elitzur Ramla celebrate their game 5 win and finals championship - 4.25.2013 - Ashdod, Israel)

2012/2013 Isreali Women Finals - (Brittany Johnson became one of three former Ohio State Buckeyes to win a League Championship in the 2012/2013 season when Elitzur Ramla shocked favorite Maccabi Ashdod in the final series of the Israeli League Playoffs)

4.8.2013 - Elitzur Ramla 75 at vs Maccabi Ashdod 72 (Finals Game One)
- Brittany Johnson: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 13 mins

4.11.2013 - Elitzur Ramla 62 vs Maccabi Ashdod 76 (Finals Game Two)
- Brittany Johnson: 12 points, 4 three point makes, 13 mins

4.25.2013 - Elitzur Ramla 78 at Maccabi Ashdod 70 (Finales Game Five - Ramla Wins Championship!)
- Brittany Johnson: 4 points, 3 steals, 1 assist in 14 minutes

Path To A Title - Brittany Johnson joined Israeli League contender Elitzur Ramla in January 2013 after spending the first half of her second professional stint in Greece. This mid season transfer marked a significant change in Johnson's early pro career.

As you may recall, Brittany Johnson starred on club Panionios in her 2011/2012 rookie season as one of Greece's top overall players. (Averaged 21 points a game, thirteen 20 points or more games). She would ride the momentum from her overseas run with Panionios by earning a camp invite from the WNBA's Atlanta Dream, playing in one WNBA pre-season game.

Johnson returned to Greece for 2012/2013 with a club called Terpsithea (Avg: 17 points & 32 mins in 9 games). After two months in Greece and the subsequent club switch, Brittany's basketball role changed from being a primary scorer to more of a support/reserve situation for a league contender with other established talents like Allison Hightower and Tamara James. Ramla was the most complete team that Johnson had played with in that point of her young career.

Ramla vs Ashdod - Elitzur Ramla finished the regular season with a 13-6 record (Johnson played in 9 of those games). After dispatching Ramat Hasheron in the semi-finals of the playoffs, Ramla met up with league favorite Maccabi Ashdod..a squad that entered the post-season with perfect 19-0 record. Ashdod featured young WNBA star Danielle Adams & veterans Charde Houston, Ashley Shields.

The results of game one sent shock-waves throughout Israel as Ramla ended Ashdod's undefeated streak with an almost improbable 75-72 Game 1 upset. Nothing sets the tone in a finals series like handing a team its first loss of the season on their own home court. And despite falling 2 games to 1 in the series, Ramla refused to be put away by forcing a fifth and final game after a crucial 71-60 game 4 victory...Allison Hightower (pictured left: Hightower and Brittany Johnson cutting the nets) carried the squad with 26 big points.

Championship: Elitzr Ramla's finals series started with a statement win on the road, and it would ultimately end on the same note. Ramla displayed a championship level of fortitude and resistance all series long. They proved to be more than formidable in game one, and every time Ashdod came with a victory or great in game run, Ramla responded with the necessary answers.

The title was there for the taking, and Elitzur Ramla reeled it in with the collective help of five players scoring in double figures. Tamara James (17pts) & Allison Hightower (16pts) led the way in helping Ramala capture the 2013/2014 Israeli League Championship - Game 5 - Final 78-70 . Brittany Johnson played in all 5 games of her first playoff finals..she scored a series high 12 points in game 2 and contributed 4 points, 1 assist and 3 big steals in game 5.