As the clock hit triple-zero in The Convo and the O-Zone stormed the court on Saturday afternoon one thing was certain -Ohio men's basketball was back. Ohio, at least at home, is good enough to challenge all comers in the Mid-American Conference.
Despite all the talk around town that the football squad, with new coach Frank Solich, is now automatically assumed to be the up and comer in the Ohio sports universe, men's basketball has accomplished a whole lot more in recent years than its gridiron counterpart. With only five losing seasons in the past 20 years (in the same time frame, including the 2004 campaign, football has posted losing records in 17 of those 20 years), the program can claim a generally successful history. But the past few years haven't been so rewarding.
Fittingly enough, the opponent on Saturday -hated Miami University -was the same one that sent Ohio into its funk. A shocking loss to the RedHawks in the semifinals of the 2001 MAC tournament in Cleveland -on a three-pointer with seconds to go by former Bobcat Jason Grunkemeyer -contributed to the firing of coach Larry Hunter, an alumnus who spent 12 years coaching at Ohio and who won 58 percent of the games he coached. Director of Athletics Thomas Boeh brought in current coach Tim O'Shea from Boston College, and the first three years of his reign included shock (a 17-11 squad that was bounced from the MAC tournament at home by Central Michigan), disappointment (a team favored to win the MAC finished with a losing record) and downright ineptitude (last year's 10-20 team).
But it appears the coach and the program have turned the corner in a big way.
At 13-8, and 8-5 in the conference, the Bobcats have a good shot to at least host a first-round MAC tournament game at The Convo, where they have not lost this year. And, barring injury, this season might just be a precursor to things to come.
With flashy freshman guard Jeremy Fears (10 points per game) and solid freshman forward Leon Williams (roughly 11 points and 8 rebounds per game) leading the way, along with junior college transfer Mychal Green and do-everything sophomore forward Sonny Troutman, most of the main cogs of this team should be back next season.
But fans need not look to 2005-06 just yet. By playing lights out at home and showing signs of growing up on the road (a nail-biting win against a solid Buffalo team a few weeks ago is one example), the Bobcats have shaken off the disappointments of past seasons and are on the rise. For fans that have spent the past few years looking for a winner in one of the big-time sports here at Ohio, it appears the wait is over.
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