Leadership is a key component in sports. In a field where players with little experience mesh with those who have played for years, there are bound to be a few players who step up to the plate and take on a mentor role.
For the Bobcats, those players are junior guards Bailey Tabeling and Asiah Baxter. They both started as freshmen at Ohio, but now, in their junior years, have been able to showcase their talents on a bigger stage.
For Tabeling, Ohio was one of the few schools she got an offer from, with the other being Murray State. This somewhat narrowed the choice down, but she fell in love with the school when she visited.
“When I came to Ohio, it was just a really beautiful campus, and that was something that I enjoyed because I knew I was going to be walking around a lot,” Tabeling said. “Meeting the coaches and players really just helped me feel more at home.”
When it came time to choose a college to play basketball for, Baxter wanted to be able to focus on both athletics and academics, something many schools didn’t offer.
“When it came to choosing college, it was just the idea of who would really let me pursue my academics along with athletics, and coach Bob (Boldon) and the staff were really big on academics first, then athletics,” Baxter said. “I was a nursing major coming in, and many schools didn’t want that or tried to push me to be something different.”
With both players coming in as freshmen to the 2023-24 season, their playing time and roles on the team differed. Ohio made the Mid-American Conference tournament that year, with the upperclassmen leaders getting more playing time.
“My main role was just the shooting guard,” Tabeling said. “That's at least what I was planning going into it, but we had some injuries, and I had to take over the point guard position for a little bit … I really looked up to Kate Dennis and Peyton Guice. Guice, being a senior when I was a freshman, I went to her for any advice or questions.”
Baxter's path was a bit different than Tabeling's. While Tabeling got playing time at the guard position, averaging 8.7 points a game, Baxter didn’t see the court much. She played only 73 minutes for the entire season with an average of 6.1 minutes per game.
“As a freshman, I didn’t play much, so that role was really just trying to build up and be ready for the next season,” Baxter said. “I was very big on encouraging my teammates and being that energy person … I’m still doing that role to this day, but it’s definitely changed over the years.”
Baxter's time did come in her sophomore year, playing 20 minutes per game, along with having a stat increase across the board.
“I didn’t start off starting in sophomore year, but I did end up playing, which was really big for me,” Baxter said. “Just playing the role that I knew how to play, being aggressive, boxing out, getting rebounds, that's always been me … Sophomore year was kind of easy for me to catch on and keep doing what I needed to do.”
Despite both Tabeling and Baxter having their roles increased in their sophomore seasons, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The team was 6-23 overall with a 4-14 record in the MAC.
After a tournament bid in the previous season, Ohio had fallen to the second-worst team in the MAC. With the team being as bad as it was, there were concerns about players leaving, which Tabeling made it clear she was not.
“I found my people outside of basketball, and for me, I’m here to get my degree,” Tabeling said. “I’m already halfway done, and there's really no point in leaving. I trust coach (Boldon) so much, and I know exactly what he wants to do, so having that trust for him, it made the decision so much easier.”
Baxter also made it clear that she was staying put in Ohio.
“I sat down with coach (Boldon), and he was like, ‘You're not leaving, are you?’” Baxter said. “Just getting those minutes and actually starting was very big for me, so there’s no reason for me to leave.”
With both players in their junior years now and younger players entering the fray putting on the Bobcats jersey, Tabeling and Baxter are now in the leadership position of those they once looked up to.
“Freshman year, you never really want to say anything because you’re not exactly sure if what you’re going to say is wrong,” Tabeling said. “Sophomore year, you’re kind of like, 'OK, I think I can say this,' but in my junior year now, I just say it … I tell people all the time, you can’t take anything personally.”
College basketball is a rough sport and takes a lot of dedication and effort to succeed in. Balancing that along with academics is hard, but as leaders and upperclassmen, Tabeling and Baxter have both experienced the pains and pleasures of it. Giving advice to the freshmen on the team and helping them hone their craft is part of the leadership role.
