Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: Ohio Big Manz - 7 Footers
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OUbobcat9092
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Posted: 3/1/2025 5:21 PM
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the lack of having a "BigManz" on the roster.

Do you know how many 7-footers Ohio has had on the roster in the last 50 years?

2
.
.
.
Only 2

Marin Bota, 7-0, 2002-04
Jason Terry, 7-3, 1993-96
Last Edited: 3/1/2025 5:23:12 PM by OUbobcat9092
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/1/2025 5:42 PM
OUbobcat9092 wrote:expand_more
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the lack of having a "BigManz" on the roster.

Do you know how many 7-footers Ohio has had on the roster in the last 50 years?

2
.
.
.
Only 2

Marin Bota, 7-0, 2002-04
Jason Terry, 7-3, 1993-96
The big man discussion has nothing to do with finding a seven footer. It’s all about finding a Dwight Wilson caliber player who can start and give 25 to 30 quality minutes in the paint every game.
GraffZ06
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Posted: 3/1/2025 5:48 PM
At least Marin Bota had NBA skills.
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 3/1/2025 5:53 PM
GraffZ06 wrote:expand_more
At least Marin Bota had NBA skills.
BOOM 💥
greencat
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Posted: 3/3/2025 4:36 AM
OUbobcat9092 wrote:expand_more
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the lack of having a "BigManz" on the roster.

Do you know how many 7-footers Ohio has had on the roster in the last 50 years?

2
.
.
.
Only 2

Marin Bota, 7-0, 2002-04
Jason Terry, 7-3, 1993-96
Terry's kid playing at a small NAIA college proved that being 7-feet-tall is not everything. Caleb Terry played in 27 games this season and started 5...he averaged 3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks.
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/3/2025 7:35 AM
greencat wrote:expand_more
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the lack of having a "BigManz" on the roster.

Do you know how many 7-footers Ohio has had on the roster in the last 50 years?

2
.
.
.
Only 2

Marin Bota, 7-0, 2002-04
Jason Terry, 7-3, 1993-96
Terry's kid playing at a small NAIA college proved that being 7-feet-tall is not everything. Caleb Terry played in 27 games this season and started 5...he averaged 3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks.
I will also submit Rick Hoffman.
OUbobcat9092
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Posted: 3/3/2025 2:21 PM
FearLeon wrote:expand_more
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the lack of having a "BigManz" on the roster.

Do you know how many 7-footers Ohio has had on the roster in the last 50 years?

2
.
.
.
Only 2

Marin Bota, 7-0, 2002-04
Jason Terry, 7-3, 1993-96
Terry's kid playing at a small NAIA college proved that being 7-feet-tall is not everything. Caleb Terry played in 27 games this season and started 5...he averaged 3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks.
I will also submit Rick Hoffman.
Looking through all our old rosters, they had Rick Hoffman listed at 6-11, same with John Beauford
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/3/2025 8:31 PM
OUbobcat9092 wrote:expand_more
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the lack of having a "BigManz" on the roster.

Do you know how many 7-footers Ohio has had on the roster in the last 50 years?

2
.
.
.
Only 2

Marin Bota, 7-0, 2002-04
Jason Terry, 7-3, 1993-96
Terry's kid playing at a small NAIA college proved that being 7-feet-tall is not everything. Caleb Terry played in 27 games this season and started 5...he averaged 3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks.
I will also submit Rick Hoffman.
Looking through all our old rosters, they had Rick Hoffman listed at 6-11, same with John Beauford
Correct...but he sure did look every bit of 7 feet.
Cats5
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Posted: 3/3/2025 11:15 PM
https://x.com/lewisobiorah_23/status/1896540937456861576?...

👀would be a good late add. Only 7’1 lol but he’s the definition of raw. I’d say the ceiling would be a Sylvester Ogbonda. Which I would be happy with
oupaw
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Posted: 3/4/2025 6:12 AM
Knew Asa Jewett on the 99-00 team was close. He also was listed as 6’11’.
M.D.W.S.T
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Posted: 3/4/2025 9:07 AM
I truly wonder what it would take to get Gabe Dynes from Youngstown? I suspect if he moves on from YSU, he'd have a whole bunch of suitors, but 7'3", skilled. 2nd in the country in blocks. 6 points, 6 boards. Think he could take a bigger step here being surrounded by someone like Hadaway and our stable of guards.
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 3/4/2025 11:59 AM
OUbobcat9092 wrote:expand_more
Looking through all our old rosters, they had Rick Hoffman listed at 6-11 . . .
I had BTC- and SBH-level inside information at that time that Larry Hunter instructed the SID to adjust many players' officially listed heights shorter and in some cases taller than their actual heights. Not sure specifically about Hoffman, but apparently this was something Larry did on an ongoing basis.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 3/4/2025 12:42 PM
FearLeon wrote:expand_more
=

The big man discussion has nothing to do with finding a seven footer. It’s all about finding a Dwight Wilson caliber player who can start and give 25 to 30 quality minutes in the paint every game.
Dwight Wilson was All MAC. That's a high bar; the reality is that Wilson is literally the only starting caliber 5 Boals has recruited in his entire tenure here.

To me the big man discussion is as simple as that. While another Dwight Wilson would be great, just a starting caliber MAC 5 would be a great start.
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/4/2025 1:24 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
=

The big man discussion has nothing to do with finding a seven footer. It’s all about finding a Dwight Wilson caliber player who can start and give 25 to 30 quality minutes in the paint every game.
Dwight Wilson was All MAC. That's a high bar; the reality is that Wilson is literally the only starting caliber 5 Boals has recruited in his entire tenure here.

To me the big man discussion is as simple as that. While another Dwight Wilson would be great, just a starting caliber MAC 5 would be a great start.
Correct.....while Dwight Wilson caliber would be amazing....we would all be be happy if he can just find a big who can give 10 points and 7 boards a game and play 25-30 minutes in the paint. I know big men don't grow on trees, but Boals has to finally land one after scuffling the last two seasons with that starting position.
GraffZ06
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Posted: 3/4/2025 2:11 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
=

The big man discussion has nothing to do with finding a seven footer. It’s all about finding a Dwight Wilson caliber player who can start and give 25 to 30 quality minutes in the paint every game.
Dwight Wilson was All MAC. That's a high bar; the reality is that Wilson is literally the only starting caliber 5 Boals has recruited in his entire tenure here.

To me the big man discussion is as simple as that. While another Dwight Wilson would be great, just a starting caliber MAC 5 would be a great start.
No starting caliber centers?

No love for Sylvester Ogbonda?

Then he got DW3, all MAC.

Then he went with AJC, who none of like as a stretch 5, but is what Jeff wanted - and is def starting caliber you just disagree with the style/decision to play him at 5 instead of 4.

And he's recruited Evans with the intent that he BECOMES a starting caliber 5 (super talented and highly recruited but will need time to develop) which is what you're going to get as a mid major trying for HS bigs. You have to wait for them to develop. Some will. Some won't, but you're rolling the dice that the payoff in the end is bigger than what you can afford through the portal.

So again, it's not that he hasn't recruited starting caliber 5s. You just disagree with the strategy. That's fine.
FJC31
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Posted: 3/4/2025 2:34 PM
GraffZ06 wrote:expand_more
=

The big man discussion has nothing to do with finding a seven footer. It’s all about finding a Dwight Wilson caliber player who can start and give 25 to 30 quality minutes in the paint every game.
Dwight Wilson was All MAC. That's a high bar; the reality is that Wilson is literally the only starting caliber 5 Boals has recruited in his entire tenure here.

To me the big man discussion is as simple as that. While another Dwight Wilson would be great, just a starting caliber MAC 5 would be a great start.
No starting caliber centers?

No love for Sylvester Ogbonda?

Then he got DW3, all MAC.

Then he went with AJC, who none of like as a stretch 5, but is what Jeff wanted - and is def starting caliber you just disagree with the style/decision to play him at 5 instead of 4.

And he's recruited Evans with the intent that he BECOMES a starting caliber 5 (super talented and highly recruited but will need time to develop) which is what you're going to get as a mid major trying for HS bigs. You have to wait for them to develop. Some will. Some won't, but you're rolling the dice that the payoff in the end is bigger than what you can afford through the portal.

So again, it's not that he hasn't recruited starting caliber 5s. You just disagree with the strategy. That's fine.
My guy, AJC is not a 5. He never has been -- we can all strop pretending now that he's in his final two weeks with the program. The decision to play him at the 5 has been a disaster for this roster as a whole and the results show that.

Up until Evans and now this Lewis Obiorah kid (likely a project), you just have to look at our recruiting pages to see we haven't been recruiting 5's.

Evans can't even crack the rotation with Hadaway out, so referring to him as a starting caliber 5 is a bit premature.

So in reality, Boals has recruited two starting calibar 5's in six seasons. I get that you love Boals, but you're dying on the wrong hill.
Last Edited: 3/4/2025 2:39:30 PM by FJC31
shabamon
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Posted: 3/4/2025 2:38 PM
I don't remember if NIL was legal yet, but at the time we recruited Dwight, you still had to sit out a year if you weren't a grad transfer. I think it was just before the Illinois MTE that he was declared immediately eligible. I don't know if today we can realistically land a 250 pound nightly double double threat coming out of the Sun Belt conference. Not in a landscape where Rick Pitino is saying they are not recruiting high schools (and it's true, they have no c/o 2025 commits). I've said it before but you're seeing 6-10 guys averaging 7/5 in the America East transferring immediately to the Big East.

I'd like to see us out offering more high school centers. Or expand international recruiting like with this seven footer from the UK. They are out there. We offer high school point guards and combo forwards all the time. Remember when we lost out on that big man to JMU who followed his coach to Vandy? We should have had five other types like him as backups in that class.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 3/4/2025 2:39 PM
GraffZ06 wrote:expand_more
No starting caliber centers?

No love for Sylvester Ogbonda?

Then he got DW3, all MAC.
You're right, I missed the year of Ogbonda. I referenced DW3 and how good he is.

GraffZ06 wrote:expand_more
Then he went with AJC, who none of like as a stretch 5, but is what Jeff wanted - and is def starting caliber you just disagree with the style/decision to play him at 5 instead of 4.

And he's recruited Evans with the intent that he BECOMES a starting caliber 5 (super talented and highly recruited but will need time to develop) which is what you're going to get as a mid major trying for HS bigs. You have to wait for them to develop. Some will. Some won't, but you're rolling the dice that the payoff in the end is bigger than what you can afford through the portal.

So again, it's not that he hasn't recruited starting caliber 5s. You just disagree with the strategy. That's fine.
Truthfully dude, I don't even understand where we're even in disagreement here. You're explaining the approach. I'm commenting on the results of the approach. The result is that we haven't had an actual starting 5 -- save for Clayton playing out of position -- for multiple seasons, and based on the current roster we have to hope that Evans becomes that guy with time. Is that good?

There's barely a gap between what you're saying ("none of us like Clayton as a stretch 5", Evans isn't a starting caliber big but may develop into one eventually) and what I'm saying. It's super unclear to me why you seem to think there is. If Boals had recruited starting caliber 5s, we'd have one on our roster. We don't.
Last Edited: 3/4/2025 3:07:23 PM by Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
GoCats105
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Posted: 3/4/2025 3:20 PM
FWIW and this isn't the be-all, end-all but Ohio's recruiting page on Verbal Commits has only one Center listed with an offer. The rest are PFs.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 3/4/2025 3:31 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
FWIW and this isn't the be-all, end-all but Ohio's recruiting page on Verbal Commits has only one Center listed with an offer. The rest are PFs.
Yep, 35 open offers. 1 center, 5 PFs. 29 wings.

But apparently the strategy is to recruit high school bigs.
FJC31
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Posted: 3/4/2025 3:51 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
FWIW and this isn't the be-all, end-all but Ohio's recruiting page on Verbal Commits has only one Center listed with an offer. The rest are PFs.
Yep, 35 open offers. 1 center, 5 PFs. 29 wings.

But apparently the strategy is to recruit high school bigs.
That is actually bonkers. I knew it was apparent we were recruiting wings heavy, but that is a grossly lopsided strategy.
greencat
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Posted: 3/4/2025 4:05 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
FWIW and this isn't the be-all, end-all but Ohio's recruiting page on Verbal Commits has only one Center listed with an offer. The rest are PFs.
It would send shock waves through the basketball world if we got Solongo and the Sanderson kid. It's the longest of longshots.

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/gan-erdene-solongo-enswo...
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