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Discussion Topic: Buckeye Comments: Surprises, the Good, the Disappointing
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on February 17, 2011
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The Surprises:
1) Randy Languis: I didn't even know who he was when the season began but what would Ohio State have done at 141 without him? He beats the bums and stays competitive except when hopelessly overmatched. Bottom line is he's shown heart and mental toughness. I'd love to see him redshirt next season although I'd also love to see H. Stieber redshirt as well. If nothing else, he's going to push guys in the room and add depth in the lower middle weights. Or...he might just keep working, get better, and beat out one of the bigger name recruits.
2) Pete Capone: When the Bucks moved him up to 197 (was this determined by wrestle-off or executive decree?) it seemed as if the staff had given this kid the finger. But he's continued to win matches even with a pot belly. Currently 13-13, he endeared himself to me for the rest of this season when he took the mat against Minny, hit a monster lefty headlock, and got the fall. One guy pulling off an upset can swing a dual and that match could actually have been close if Nemec and Heflin had both won their matches (and with a healthy Paddock, tOSU could have won). When Capone's bag of tricks fails him, the result can be ugly but at least there's a spark to his efforts. Also, I like the fact he can beat a pretty decent competitor like Dickenson from MSU. He's stretched himself at times which has been a quality sorely lacking in this lineup.
The Good: Sponseller and Heflin. The Bucks allegedly got Colt for pocket change and he has been a quality competitor all four years. He's had an AA type career with one obvious flaw. I can't imagine anything that would make me happier than seeing him high on the podium in March. At some point, he's going to have to get out on bottom to win an important match. If I were the staff, my daily practice plans would include throwing every conceivable rider on top of him until he displayed the ability to escape from any type of top wrestler.
Heflin is what you expect in a solid Ohio State recruit. He had a good redshirt season and has performed well as a frosh in a weight that's usually dominated by upperclassmen. One point I'd like to make is that he arrived at Ohio State with all around skills (I'd say the same for Paddock) and Ohio State needs to do a better job of recruiting guys that aren't one dimensional. Hopefully, the presence of Garcia and Courts in the room will enhance his progress.
The Disappointing:
1) Injuries--Logan Stieber, Tony Jameson and Collin Palmer have all been lost while Paddock is also out for an undetermined period with what is likely a shoulder problem. Stieber was an obvious AA threat and one can only hope he will receive a medical redshirt. Palmer arrived at the program with personal life issues and never really got going. It's a shame as he was one heckuva talent coming out of St Eds. A healthy and motivated Jameson would certainly have helped the lineup also.
2) The Three Timers: Neither Nemec (in his fourth season) nor Magrum (in his third) have developed into the type of competitors one had hoped to see at this point in their careers. Magrum had a respectable redshirt frosh season but his sluggishness on bottom has really hurt his progress as has his lack of strong offense. In fairness, C.J. has wrestled a brutal schedule. He's had very few soft touches this year and that has added to his struggles. But, at some point, you have to beat someone you're not expected to and those wins are currently missing from Magrum's resume.
Nemec is an enigma. He has some good leg attacks (love his cannon shot double)and displays respectable mat skills at times but he seems to short circuit in the middle of matches. Against Minny, he easily took down his opponent, got into some trouble on the mat and then fell apart. Even when he was back on his feet, he gave up a takedown due to his own passivity and then got turned. He re-awakened later in the match, took down his opponent to his back, and lost by 1-2 points. Afterwards, I was left to wonder why he'd faded so badly after a strong start and then made a charge when it was too late? I remain convinced that Nemec has the talent to be one of the better competitors at 157. But right now he appears to lack confidence in his abilities—unless there’s another explanation for his troubles. Confidence problems can be overcome but it's not easy. I hope that at some point in his career, he puts it together. Happy endings sure beat the alternative (that’s not a massage parlor slogan).
3) Recruiting/Quitting/Talent Development: College wrestling is brutal. No one hits a home-run on every recruit and some guys are unable to handle the rigors of academics and athletics. But the amount of attrition at Ohio State has been far too high over the last several years. Going all the way back to guys like Ryan Patrovich, John Weakely and Will Livingston, Ohio State has brought guys in that either haven't contributed or have left. This year's lineup would have been decent without the injuries but they have exposed the lack of depth currently in the room. That lack of depth is directly attributable to the large number of recruits that have left or failed to develop. Tom Ryan has accepted responsibility for this shortcoming but the real question is whether or not he’s going to be able to correct this issue from here on out. He’s bringing in a sparking recruiting class and it needs to shine over the next several years. For this reason, Coach Ryan needs to think carefully about how to best get the most out of the young talent currently in the program. He did great work with the guys he inherited. Now he needs to shine with his own guys.
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Discussion Topic: Buckeye Comments: Surprises, the Good, the Disappointing
Ben Golden added to this discussion on February 17, 2011
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Discussion Topic: Buckeye Comments: Surprises, the Good, the Disappointing
J.P. Barner added to this discussion on February 17, 2011
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Recruiting: With the OTC and having Morrison on the staff, I have been surprised that Ryan has had no luck recruiting at the higher weights. Even though we have had remarkable attrition at the lower weights, they were all quality recruits, but why no heavies?
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Discussion Topic: Buckeye Comments: Surprises, the Good, the Disappointing
Mitch Clark added to this discussion on February 18, 2011
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Hank, thanks for the well-thought out post. Unfortunately, not being able to watch the Buckeyes wrestle, I have to rely on posts like yours (and the occasional phone calls from Tommy Rowlands) to keep me informed on the progress of their starters. Keep em coming!
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