Article published January 13, 2009
EARNING NEW LETTER
Buckeyes want Buford to be big on defense too
Ohio State freshman William Buford, Ohio's Mr. Basketball at Libbey, is already a regular in Ohio State's young lineup.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
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By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS - Ohio State aggressively recruited William Buford the slasher, William
Buford the explosive leaper and William Buford the scorer.
The Buckeyes are hoping their freshman from Toledo continues evolving into William Buford the defender.
Buford, the former Libbey star who was Ohio's Mr. Basketball last season, came to the Buckeyes with a distinct scoring pedigree. He averaged 23 points per game in his senior season with the Cowboys and scored 29 in the Division II state championship game last spring.
After merging into the Ohio State playing rotation early this season, Buford has been on a roll at the offensive end, reaching double-figures in six of the last seven games. He had 19 points to lead the Buckeyes in their recent win over Houston Baptist and had 17 to lead Ohio State in its previous game, a loss to Michigan State.
For the three-time City League player of the year, the scoring has come easier than meeting the defensive expectations of his teammates and Ohio State coach Thad Matta.
"I never really had to play it [defense] but I gotta play it now, if I want to play," Buford said yesterday as the Buckeyes prepared for tonight's Big Ten game with Indiana. "I just feel it's just a big part of my game now, to get better on defense."Sophomore Evan Turner, Ohio State's leading scorer at about 16 points per game, said the lack of defense on Buford's resume came up during a recent game, as it has in OSU practices.
"The other day, I told him he better start playing defense or we are going to lose," Turner said. "He has long arms and he's capable of doing what he wants, when he wants to."
Turner said Buford has been receptive to the direction he has received from his older teammates, and Matta.
"He's starting to learn it, after coming from the atmosphere he was in during high school, which I hear coach Matta jokes about all the time that he never really had to play defense," Turner said. "But right now he has to, and he's learning and he's doing it for the betterment of the team."
Buford has played in all 14 of Ohio State's games this season, starting six times. He laughs off the barbs directed his way about his defensive shortcomings and says he has had to adjust to a significantly different role with the Buckeyes than what he had in high school.
"I played it [defense] some times, but there was no one good enough to where I was really focusing myself on playing defense," Buford said. "I was just worried about scoring and trying to help my team win. But now, it's different."
Matta said Buford, who is shooting 42 percent from the field and leads the Buckeyes with almost 92 percent accuracy from the free throw line, has also become more patient on the offensive end.
"He's starting to make better decisions with shot selection," Matta said.
"One of the things we have emphasized in practice with him is to make sure we get the best shot possible. If he takes a shot with 18 seconds left on the shot clock, he needs to realize that we can probably find a better shot. Game by game he is showing improvement."
The Buckeyes, who in mid-December lost their most experienced player, junior forward David Lighty, with a broken bone in his foot, have leaned on their younger players, including Buford, sophomore Jon Diebler and Turner.
"I told Will we really need him, especially with David Lighty getting hurt," Turner said. "Over the summer, Will played good, and you could see the talent and see the potential. Will's an integral part right now, and we need him as much as we need anybody else."
Contact Matt Markey at:
mmarkey@theblade.com
or 419-724-6510.
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