Bubba Walther is in the readjustment process again.
After making the move to point guard last season after former player Antonio Chatman left the program, Walther is back in the shooting guard position to start the 2007-08 season, a switch that he was more than happy to make.
Shooting guard is my natural position
Walther said. I'll come and get the ball by accident because I'm still in the mindset of a point guard but it's definitely a lot better to do what I do best which is run the floor and shoot.
When Ohio closed its season last year with a loss to Miami in the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals, the team was down to a seven-man rotation that featured no true point guard.
This year, the Bobcats will feature nine new players, including junior college transfers Michael Allen and Bert Whittington IV, who are competing for the starting point guard position.
We are both fast-paced guys
Allen said.-
I can dump it off to Leon or out to Bubba for a three
Whittington said. It's nice for me because I don't have to score like I did at my junior college.
Coach Tim O'Shea said that the pair forms a contrasting combination that will allow him to play the duo on the floor at the same time.
The nice thing for me is that their skill sets really seem to complement each other
he said. They are both very quick and I could see situations where they play together.
Ohio also gains depth in the front court, which primarily consisted of Tillman, Williams and center Kenneth van Kempen last season. Murray State transfer forward Justin Orr and freshmen DeVaughn Washington and Zach Nagtzaam will help relieve the burden of the trio, which received limited rest during games.
We can go harder for longer stretches in the game
Tillman said. We had me
(van Kampen) and Leon with a bunch of guards
and we had to keep our energy up for the whole game.
The Bobcats will have plenty of chances to prove themselves on the national level during their non-conference schedule, with games against ESPN/USA Today preseason No. 4 Kansas and 2007 NCAA tournament teams Maryland, New Mexico State and Holy Cross.
It's exciting
and I'm ready
