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2024–25 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team

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2024–25 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record– (– MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Lamar Thornton (6th season)
  • Kyle Barlow (6th season)
  • Lee Martin (5th season)
Home arenaConvocation Center
Seasons
2024–25 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Akron 0 0   0 0  
Ball State 0 0   0 0  
Bowling Green 0 0   0 0  
Buffalo 0 0   0 0  
Central Michigan 0 0   0 0  
Eastern Michigan 0 0   0 0  
Kent State 0 0   0 0  
Miami (OH) 0 0   0 0  
Northern Illinois 0 0   0 0  
Ohio 0 0   0 0  
Toledo 0 0   0 0  
Western Michigan 0 0   0 0  
2025 MAC tournament winner

The 2024–25 Ohio University Bobcats men's basketball team will represent Ohio University for the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bobcats will be led by fifth-year head coach Jeff Boals, who is a 1995 graduate of Ohio University.[1][2] They will play their home games at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio, as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).[3][4]

Previous season

[edit]

The Bobcats finished the 2023–24 season 6–7 in non-conference play and started 1–3 in conference play. They rallied to win 12 of their final 14 conference games to finish the regular season 19–12 with a 13–5 in MAC play, to finish tied for 2nd place. They defeated Western Michigan in the first round of the MAC tournament and lost to Akron in the second round.[5][6][7]

Offseason

[edit]

For the second straight season the Bobcats avoided significant losses to the transfer portal as the only scholarship player to transfer was Ike Cornish who averaged 11 minutes per game the prior year. The team lost point guard Jaylin Hunter, who started all 33 games, guard Miles Brown, who started 17, and center Gabe Wiznitzer who averaged 14 minutes to graduation.[8]

Coaching Staff Changes

[edit]

Coaching Departures

[edit]
Coaching Departures
Name Alma Mater Previous position New position
Casey Crawford Ohio University Graduate Assistant Director of Basketball Operations (Stony Brook)[9]

Coaching Additions

[edit]
Coaching Additions
Name Alma Mater Previous position New position
Keith Williams University of Charleston Player (Charleston) Graduate Assistant[10]

Departures

[edit]
Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Miles Brown 2 G 6'1" 180 Grad. student Rochester, NY Graduated, exhausted eligibility
Gabe Wiznitzer 11 C 6'11" 240 Senior Walhalla, SC Graduated
Jaylin Hunter 12 G 6'0" 195 Senior Manchester, CT Graduated, exhausted eligibility
Quinn Corna* 15 G 6'3" 170 Sophomore Columbus, OH Entered transfer portal
IJ Ezuma 21 F 6'8" 240 RS Sophomore Raleigh, NC Transferred to South Plains College
Ike Cornish 24 G/F 6'6" 190 RS Sophomore Baltimore, MD Transferred to Nicholls State[11]

* Walk-on in 2023–24
[12][13][14]

Incoming transfers

[edit]
Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Jackson Paveletzke 13 PG 6'3" 175 Sophomore Kimberly, WI Transferred from Iowa State. Will have two years of eligibility remaining.[15]
Victor Searles 35 C 6'9" 240 Senior Hilliard, OH Transferred from Ashland. Will have one year of eligibility remaining.[16]

[12][14]

Recruiting class

[edit]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ayden Evans
PF
Radcliff, KY Elizabethtown 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jul 15, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 80
Jessie Burris
SG
Delaware, OH Rutherford B. Hayes 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 9, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 78
Elijah Elliot
SG
Wichita, KS Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Apr 30, 2024 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Kiir Kuany
PF
Huntington, WV Huntington Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jun 5, 2024 
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Alex Evans*
PF
Radcliff, KY Elizabethtown 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 9, 2024 
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Chase Boals*
PF
New Albany, OH New Albany 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 240 lb (110 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

*Walk-on

Source:[17][18][19][20][21][22]

Preseason

[edit]

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Ohio was picked to finish first in the MAC regular season and received 11 of the 12 votes for first place. Ohio received 8 votes to win the MAC Tournament.[23]

Preseason rankings

[edit]
MAC preseason poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Ohio 121 (11)
2 Akron 106 (1)
3 Kent State 99
4 Toledo 95
5 Bowling Green 73
6 Miami 72
7 Ball State 67
8 Central Michigan 55
9 Eastern Michigan 36
10 Western Michigan 33
11 Northern Illinois 24
12 Buffalo 11

MAC Tournament Champions:Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)

Source[23]

Preseason All-MAC

[edit]
Preseason All-MAC teams
Team Player Position Year
1st AJ Clayton F Sr.
2nd AJ Brown G R-So.
2nd Shereef Mitchell G Grad.

Source[23]

Roster

[edit]
2023–24 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Ajay Sheldon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Dublin Coffman Dublin, OH  
G 1 Elmore James 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Brush Cleveland, OH  
F 2 Alex Evans (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Elizabethtown Radcliff, KY  
G 3 AJ Brown 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Orlando Christian Prep Orlando, FL  
G 4 Shereef Mitchell 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) GS Sunrise Christian Academy
Creighton
Omaha, NE  
F 5 Ayden Evans 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Elizabethtown Radcliff, KY  
G 6 Elijah Elliot 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Oak Ridge Orlando, FL  
F 7 Ben Nicol 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 208 lb (94 kg) RS Fr George Washington Charleston, WV  
F 10 Aidan Hadaway 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Lafayette Lafayette, GA  
F 11 Kiir Kuany 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Huntington Prep Melbourne, Australia  
G 13 Jackson Paveletzke 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Kimberly
Iowa State
Kimberly, WI  
G 14 Ben Estis (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So Southlake Carroll Southlake, TX  
F 15 Chase Boals (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr New Albany New Albany, OH  
G 21 Jessie Burris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Delaware, OH  
F 23 AJ Clayton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Philo Roseville, OH  
F 35 Vic Searles 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) GS St. Charles
Ashland
Hilliard, OH  
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: June 10, 2024

Support staff

[edit]
2022-23 Ohio Bobcats support staff
  • Jake Ness – Director of Basketball Operations
  • Mike Cifliku – Video Coordinator
  • Keith Williams - Graduate Assistant
  • Meredith Camacho - Head Manager
  • Sara Legarsky – Senior Director of Athletics Communications
  • Tyler Congrove – Associate Athletic Trainer (Men's Basketball, Soccer, Men's Golf, Women's Golf)
  • Jessica Arquette – Ohio Athletics Sports Dietitian
  • Kaitlyn Michener – Nutritionist
  • Hannah Rastatter – Nutritionist

Source:[24]

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at James Madison
MAC–SBC Challenge
      Atlantic Union Bank Center 
Harrisonburg, VA
November 9, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
UNC-Asheville       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
November 12, 2024*
8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Illinois State       CEFCU Arena 
Normal, IL
November 15, 2024*
8:00 p.m., TBA
at Memphis       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
November 21, 2024*
12:00 p.m., TBA
vs. Middle Tennessee
Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinals
      HTC Center 
Conway, SC
November 22, 2024*
TBA, TBA
vs. South Florida/Portland
Myrtle Beach Invitational
      HTC Center 
Conway, SC
November 24, 2024*
TBA, TBA
vs. TBA
Myrtle Beach Invitational
      HTC Center 
Conway, SC
November 30, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Robert Morris       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
December 7, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Morehead State       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
December 14, 2024*
4:00 p.m., TBA
at Marshall       Cam Henderson Center 
Huntington, WV
December 18, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Austin Peay       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
December 30, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Muskingum       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
MAC regular season
January 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
at Central Michigan       McGuirk Arena 
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 7, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
at Buffalo       Alumni Arena 
Amherst, NY
January 11, 2025
1:00 p.m., TBA
Northern Illinois       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
January 14, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
Ball State       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
January 17, 2025
6:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Akron       James A. Rhodes Arena 
Akron, OH
January 21, 2025
6:30 p.m., TBA
at Eastern Michigan       George Gervin GameAbove Center 
Ypsilanti, MI
January 24, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
Kent State       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
January 28, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
Toledo       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
February 1, 2025
3:30 p.m., TBA
at Miami (OH)       Millett Hall 
Oxford, OH
February 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
Western Michigan       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
February 8, 2025*
2:00 p.m., TBA
TBA
MAC–SBC Challenge
      Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
February 11, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
at Bowling Green       Stroh Center 
Bowling Green, OH
February 15, 2025
1:00 p.m., TBA
at Kent State       MAC Center 
Kent, OH
February 18, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
Central Michigan       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
February 22, 2025
2:00 p.m., TBA
Akron       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
February 25, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
at Western Michigan       University Arena 
Kalamazoo, MI
March 1, 2025
1:00 p.m., TBA
Miami (OH)       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
March 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
Eastern Michigan       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
March 7, 2025
7:00 p.m., TBA
at Toledo       Savage Arena 
Toledo, OH
MAC tournament
March 13, 2024†
TBA, TBA
vs. TBA
Quarterfinals
      Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

If a top-eight finisher in MAC Source:[25][26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Jeff Boals". Ohio University Athletics. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Jeff Boals". Sports Reference. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Convocation Center". Ohio University. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  4. ^ "MAC Men's College Basketball Standings – 2023–24". ESPN. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Clark, Dave (March 9, 2024). "MAC basketball tournament bracket set; Miami RedHawks face Akron in first round". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  6. ^ "Ohio 82, Western Michigan 55". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "Akron 65, Ohio 62". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "2023-24 Ohio Bobcats Roster and Stats". Sports Reference.
  9. ^ "Casey Crawford Joins Men's Basketball Staff as Director of Operations". Stony Brook Athletics. May 22, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "Keith Williams". Ohio Bobcats. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster". Nicholls State Athletics. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster". Ohio Athletics. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  13. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster". Ohio Athletics. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "TRANSFER PORTAL". Verbal Commits. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  15. ^ Keegan, Robert III (April 17, 2024). "Men's Basketball: Ohio makes splash with addition of Jackson Paveletzke from Iowa State". The Post. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "Ohio Men's Basketball Adds Transfer Searls to Roster". Ohio Athletics. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "Ayden Evans". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "Jessie Burris". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  19. ^ Beach, Ashley (November 16, 2023). "Ohio Men's Basketball Adds Two During Early Signing Period". Ohio Athletics. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  20. ^ "Evans headed to Ohio University". The Elizabethtown News Enterprise. November 17, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  21. ^ DiRenna, Frank (November 9, 2023). "National Signing Day: Which class of 2024 central Ohio athletes are heading to next level?". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  22. ^ Adams, Logan (November 9, 2023). "Men's Basketball: Ohio lands huge commitment from three-star guard, Elijah Elliott". The Post. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c "MAC Announces 2024-25 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll & Teams". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. October 23, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  24. ^ "Men's Basketball Coaching Staff". ohiobobcats.com. Ohio University Athletics. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  25. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". Ohio University Athletics. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  26. ^ "Ohio Bobcats Schedule 2024-25". ESPN. Retrieved August 17, 2024.