Ohio defeated Rio Grande 93-58 in its exhibition game Saturday afternoon.
The Bobcats had five players score double figures and only turned the ball over 10 times. Teyvion Kirk led the scoring with 20 points, and big man Jason Carter had 18. Coach Saul Phillips liked what he saw from the Bobcats in their first public showing of the season.
“I thought it was pretty good,” Phillips said. “Particularly from an offensive perspective. We shot a good percentage. (We) moved the ball pretty well for a big part of the game. It’s a start.”
Going big
The large trio of Carter, Ben Vander Plas and Doug Taylor could be one Phillips has fun with this season.
Carter only played 42 minutes last season due to injury, and Vander Plas redshirted. Taylor was the lone big man for much of last season, but he looks completely different than he did a year ago. He thinned down to help him run the floor better. Phillips knows he can use Taylor is a few different ways.
“We’ve got some mobile bigs,” Phillips said. “The difference is that Ben and Jason have always been mobile. Doug made himself mobile.”
Now that the trio is fully healthy, all three players are ready to contribute in big ways. That began Saturday when they combined for 42 points and 15 rebounds. All three can be mixed and matched, like they were against Rio Grande, and that could lead to good things for the Bobcats.
“It allows us to have a nice three-man rotation,” Carter said. “You can spread the floor and allow people to get downhill.”
TK attack
A year ago, Kirk was just a freshman starting at point guard getting his feet wet with college basketball. Now, he’s becoming more aggressive at the rim, and he’s seeing the results. The first example was his game-high 20 points against the Red Storm.
Kirk says he’s improved on everything, but Phillips can pinpoint some things.
“Patience. Running a team,” Phillips said. “He was plenty good enough last year in every capacity, but he’s evolved in terms of understanding that, as a point guard, your primary job is to get us into what we need to get into.”
But with the addition of young players, the absence of the injured Jordan Dartis and James Gollon, and the presence of the three big men, the lane seems to be growing for Kirk, who can get to the rim with ease. A stat sheet that shows just one assist from a point guard might be off-putting, but Kirk takes what the defense gives him. He hit jump shots early, and then he transitioned into an attacker.
“It definitely felt good to knock those down,” Kirk said of the mid-range shots. “Once you work on something and you see the result first-hand, it’s an unbelievable feeling. You know it’s paying off and you’re getting comfortable. You’re expanding your game.”
