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#49 Ohio Bobcats
Mid American
Conference
2004-05: 21-11, 11-7,
2nd East
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
Leon Williams and
Jeremy Fears had tremendous freshmen campaigns for
Ohio, leading the way to the NCAA
Tournament. Williams averaged 11.9 points and 8.6 boards and
will be thinking double-double on the season this year. Fears
took over the point guard role and averaged 11.0 points and 3.7
assists. The turnovers were an issue, however with a year of
experience, Fears will improve in that category.
Who’s Out:
The Bobcats had nine players play in over 30 games last year.
Three of them are gone, including starter Terren Harbut. Harbut
started 29 of the 32 Bobcat games, averaging 8.4 points and 3.9
boards. Guard Diamond Gladney and center Clay McGowen saw action
in every game. Gladney, who earned five starts, averaged just
1.6 points. McGowen filled some quality minutes under the basket
averaging 1.8 points and 2.2 rebounds. Also heading out is James
Bridgewater. The wing only played in 13 games averaging 3.5
minutes.
Who’s In:
Johnnie Jackson, a transfer from
Boston College, will make the biggest impact this year. The 6-6
forward didn’t see many minutes at all behind Craig Smith at BC,
but could be starting for the Bobcats. Jerome Tillman and Ken
Ottrix will add some more depth to the frontcourt. Tillman plays
bigger than 6-6. He can jump out of the gym and has a decent
shot from mid-range. Ottrix, a 6-9 forward, can also step out
and hit the short jumper and should play a role for the Bobcats
off the bench. Antonio Chatman, a junior college transfer, will
step in and fill some minutes behind returning point guard
Jeremy Fears. The 6-1 sophomore will also provide more long
range shooting for the Bobcats.
Who to Watch:
The long range shooting was lacking
for the Bobcats last year, with Mychal Green being the lone
exception. As a senior, Green will be the backcourt leader and
will have to be able to knock down three’s consistently. Last
year he hit 37.3% from long range and a little improvement on
that number will go a long way. The 6-4 guard averaged a team
high 15.0 points last year. Green may not lead the way in
scoring again but he’ll be right up there.
Projected
Conference Rank:
Anything but 1st is
disappointing after returning four starters to an NCAA squad.
Head coach Tim O’Shea has all the pieces in Athens and there is
no reason that this team shouldn’t be better than last year.
Leon Williams and Jeremy Fears have more experience and Ohio
won’t get off to a slow start this season. Akron, Miami (OH) and
Ball State, to just name a few, are talented teams in the
conference, but at this point Ohio is the clear favorite to win
the MAC.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Jeremy Fears,
Sophomore, Guard, 11.0 points per game
Mychal Green, Senior,
Guard, 15.0 points per game
Sonny Troutman,
Junior, Forward, 12.6 points per game
Johnnie Jackson,
Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Leon Williams,
Sophomore, Forward, 11.9 points per game
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