Sometimes chemistry trumps talent. At least that’s what Ohio senior guard Nick Kellogg said when comparing this season’s team to last year’s.
After heightened expectations because of a 2012 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berth, the 2012-13 Bobcats failed to deliver a repeat performance, despite losing no members of the starting five that had top-seeded North Carolina on the ropes just one season before.
Kellogg said there’s an explanation for that.
“You can have all the talent and skill in the world,” he said. “But if you’re not a close-knit group, if you guys don’t have each other’s backs, you’re just not going to be as successful. We’ve learned that the hard way with having those guys last year.”
“We were very, very talented, but we had some disruptions in chemistry, and that’s why I think we weren’t as good as we could’ve been.”
This season’s Ohio squad is another story. Ohio coach Jim Christian claims that the 2013-14 Bobcats are one of the closest-knit groups he’s ever coached.
“Regardless of how things go, nobody points any fingers,” Christian said. “They just keep trying to play hard. If you do that, it goes a long way.”
Kellogg said that the reason why things are different than last year is because this senior class — composed of himself, Ricardo Johnson, Jon Smith, T.J. Hall and Travis Wilkins — understands how important chemistry is to the success of a team.
“It’s holding each other accountable, being able to say stuff to each other without taking it in a personal way,” Johnson said. “Everybody has the same agenda. We hold each other accountable, respect them, hold them to their standards and are together.”
The team jokes around on the court and hangs out off of it, whether it be going out to eat with each other, playing video games or simply going over to another player’s house to hang out.
“I think this is the closest team I’ve been on, aside from my high school team, as far as on and off the court stuff,” Kellogg said. “You’re doing the small stuff that keeps you together as a unit and brings you closer together. It’s definitely a better environment for all of us.”
Junior guard Stevie Taylor echoed his teammate’s sentiment, noting the stark contrast between the closeness of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 Bobcats.
“Last year, we had a lot of guys who wanted to do their own thing,” Taylor said. “With this year’s team, everyone has bought in. And everyone on this team likes each other, from one to 14. That does a lot for us.”
Taylor has said last year’s team would’ve given up if they were down 17 against Ohio State and that the Bobcats’ 65-62 road win against Morgan State on Wednesday would have been a loss the previous year.
The chemistry that Ohio has built off the court has shown in games by how it communicates, Taylor said.
“Learning how to talk to one another is a big thing,” Taylor said. “On this team, someone can get on someone without any retaliation. Last year, if someone got on someone, some things would be said back and forth and that would really mess up the chemistry.
“On this team, we can actually get on guys. At the end of the day, that helps us.”
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