COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann met with the media on Friday to preview the Buckeyes’ first Big Ten matchup against Penn State on Saturday. Holtmann talked about his team and their preparation going into the Big Ten, as well as the win this week at North Carolina.
Senior forward Andre Wesson and junior forward Kyle Young also answered questions from reporters and talked about the physicality of the UNC game and preparing for the Big Ten.
Here’s a summary of what was said.
Chris Holtmann
+ Quick turnaround and playing a really good Penn State team. They are playing as well as any team we have played all year. They are a Top 25 team. Really tough, well coached, two seniors who were top 50 players in the country, a great team toughness, real togetherness about them. They’ve really blown out everybody. Even the game they lost they were up 20+ points.
+ Lamar Stevens is tremendous. He flirted with the NBA but everybody in the league talks about the mis-match issue that he is and has been since his sophomore year. He is one of the hardest match-ups in the country.
+ Had they had some separation between the games it would have given them more time to embrace what happened at UNC. He did tell the players after the game that they earned it and he wanted them to enjoy it that night. As a coach, really what he is trying to do is quickly move everyone to what is coming in less than 72 hours and that is Penn State.
+ It was proven how good they were when they won the NIT.
+ He thought both of the charges against Kaleb Wesson were tough calls. He thought he tried to turn and make a play on the second one. Wesson handled it really really well. The reaction probably would have been different if it was a one or two possession game. He’s a difficult guy to officiate.
+ Kaleb’s leadership and voice is consistent. Anyone who has played in this game in the past knows how physical it is going to be. But it is going to be physical.
+ “League opponents know you better than anybody. It’s like playing your brother in the backyard.”
+ Ibrahima Diallo had strep throat and had a fever. He is feeling better.
+ They applied for a travel waiver for Justice Sueing. He wants the sit-out transfers to be familiar with road environments, how they operate, and then be connecting to their teammates.
+ They have some solid individual defenders who like to play defense. Kaleb Wesson’s mobility has helped. They struggle defensively at times when Kaleb is out in certain situations because they don’t have enough size behind him.
+ He’s interested to see how good they can be throughout this month when they play similar competition and talent level and see how consistent they can be.
Andre Wesson
+ UNC was a very good offensive rebounding team. Facing a physical team like that prepares them for the teams they will see in the Big Ten starting tomorrow.
+ He liked the challenge of going against a lottery pick. He wants to play his best against the best. “Being that competitor you always want that.”
+ Penn State should be undefeated. They are very physical. Every time he has played them it has gone down to the wire or they have beat them.
+ “Anytime you get a top 10 victory in the way that we did you feel good about yourself but we have goals and that’s just a stepping stone. The game Saturday is a stepping stone.”
Kyle Young
+ They expected the UNC game to be physical. They knew it was going to be a grind but they handled it well.
+ They have been trying to get a lot of fluids in their bodies because it is a quick turnaround. They have finals coming up so there’s also a lot on their minds.
+ They like to play in physical games. That gets them playing their best.
+ “It’s easy to get complacent when you have big wins but the coaching staff and the team understands we need to come to work every day because anything can happen. The team understands that and that’s what is special about this group.”
+ “It was a sea of baby blue so having red out there it was popping.”
+ The red jerseys at UNC allowed them to focus on themselves. It was their first road game and they went in knowing they only have each other.
You can watch the full videos below.
Chris Holtmann
Posted by The Ozone on Friday, December 6, 2019
Andre Wesson and Kyle Young
Posted by The Ozone on Friday, December 6, 2019
Young mentioning that they have finals on their minds as well as basketball makes me wonder how they do it all. The life a college student athlete is something I can’t relate to. It always impresses me when I think about it.