COLUMBUS — Ohio State took down its final non-conference opponent in a 82-64 win against High Point University on Saturday.
Buckeye head coach Chris Holtmann, junior forward Andre Wesson, freshman guard Luther Muhammad, and High Point head coach Tubby Smith met with the media immediately following the game.
Here’s a summary of what was said.
Head coach Chris Holtmann
+ There aren’t many coaches that he respects more than Tubby Smith. A lot of their preparation was centered around how well-coached they are.
+ They have a lot to improve on but there were some good moments today. He was pleased with the growth he saw today.
+ Holtmann said he has to do better with not punching the scorer’s table.
+ Their attention to detail has to get better. They had defensive errors in scouting that can’t happen moving forward.
+ They had much better purpose in this game than in the Youngstown State game.
+ Teams are going to make runs on them, they need to respond. That’s where they have to improve.
+ Their focus, attention to detail, and concentration level have to get better.
+ Kaleb Wesson is going to be going against size equal to his moving forward. His conditioning has to improve, his ability to make 3s is an element they want to continue to add to his game but they don’t want to rely on that. Last year he recognized that he wasn’t in the best shape because of the physicality that he saw in the Big Ten.
+ The team recognizes that as much as they can, they want to play though Kaleb Wesson.
+ All of the freshman will have their moments in games. He believes all four of their freshman will continue to help them, but sometimes they do hit a wall and have to bounce back.
+ Luther Muhammad is their most conditioned player and that is atypical of freshman. He has shown a consistency from conditioning on in practice.
+ Andre Wesson is a physical player. They are just naturally physical players. That has affected their foul situations at times but he loves that about them.
Junior Forward Andre Wesson
+ Wesson said he feels good. He said he had a similar incident in high school, he was just mad it happened again.
+ They are focused on sustaining energy throughout a game.
+ His teammates have confidence in him but he has to be aggressive to be successful.
+ Their goal was to finish the non-conference part of the season 10-1. He said now it’s the fun part, playing in the Big Ten.
Freshman Guard Luther Muhammad
+ They need to stay locked in to not let teams have big runs on them. Sometimes in the games they lose intensity.
+ On his career high 15 points, Muhammad said he took the right shots and was staying focused in the game. He stayed true to himself.
+ He had confidence in himself and his teammates and coaches had confidence in him to have a dominant first-half performance.
High Point head coach Tubby Smith
+ They needed to be efficient to be in the game and they were for the most part in the first half. His team did not play to their potential in this game.
+ Turnovers and bad shots created momentum for Ohio State and they took advantage of it.
+ He thought his team did a poor job defensively in the second half.
+ Ohio State made open shots in the second half.
+ High Point tried to limit Kaleb Wesson’s touches.
+ C.J. Jackson is a good all-around player.
+ Smith said he was impressed with Ohio State’s 3-point shooting.
+ Said it was not good being back coaching against the Big Ten because of the same results and losing. But he said it’s good to be back at Ohio State, one of the nations premier basketball programs year in and year out.
+ Smith likes this squad and said that Coach Holtmann will have them ready come tournament time. He has a lot of respect for Holtmann.
You can also watch the interviews in their entirety below.
Chris Holtmann, Andre Wesson, and Luther Muhammad
High Point head coach Tubby Smith