If the assist is basketball's most noble play, Jennifer Bushby must be a saint.
She's a potent scorer on offense, posting more than 11 points per game, but she also spreads the ball around.
Bushby's tallied nine assists, tying her career-high, against Miami on Wednesday.
She dished to Chandra Myers in the paint for Ohio's first points of the game, as her team never trailed on its way to a 66-53 win.
Considering Bushby also scored 13 points against the RedHawks, it's becoming clear that Ohio's offense runs through its point guard.
That's a role the junior is becoming more and more comfortable with, according to coach Semeka Randall.
She has the ability to score
said Randall, whose team hosts Northern Illinois tomorrow. You definitely don't want to take that away from her
You ask her to go out there and play the game.
The Gahanna native is starting for the first time and her numbers reflect that. She's serving up 4.9 assists per game third in the Mid-American Conference and 61st in the nation.
But Bushby deflects any attention from her personal achievements
focusing instead on improving Ohio's 7-10 record.
I think we're on the right track now, she said after the Miami win. That
personal stuff's nice, but I just want to win.
Bushby came to Ohio as a shooting guard and has developed into a point guard out of necessity. The scorer in her is still there
but Bushby said Randall has challenged her to sharpen her ability to create for other players.
I do look for my shot, she said
but the mentality of a point guard is I have to get the ball to people who are open.
Put the ball in their hands
especially when people are hot.
Lauren Hmiel has been hot in Ohio's last three games, averaging 19 points. She's now tied for sixth in the MAC with 15 points per game.
Bushby and Hmiel are looking to have a big game against a Huskie defense that allows almost 70 points per game.
Ohio's focus, though, will be on defense as always.
The Bobcats are second in the conference, surrendering just 60.8 points per game. The players are becoming more comfortable with their renewed focus on defense and rebounding, the first-year coach said.
Every day is an improvement with this team
Randall said. You've got to carry your own weight
and they're learning.
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