After prolific game at Penn State, Buckeye John Mobley has learning experience at Illinois

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Life can come at you fast as a freshman in the Big Ten.

On Thursday night, Ohio State coach Jake Diebler put his arm around first-year guard John Mobley Jr. and pulled him in for a joyous embrace as the Buckeyes salted away an 83-64 win inside Penn State’s Rec Hall. It was an outing without peer for Mobley this year: He’s the only freshman in the nation to finish with at least 19 points, eight assists and five rebounds against a Division I opponent.

Four days later inside a much more raucous State Farm Center, Diebler again pulled the freshman near and put his right arm around his shoulders and tried to break down what had just happened. With 12:29 to play and the Buckeyes clinging to a 54-51 lead, Diebler called timeout and went right to his freshman guard to go over the previous two possessions.

First, Mobley’s quick running floater in the paint missed everything, eliciting the requisite chants of “Airball!” from the full-throated Orange Krush student section. But after the Ohio State defense stiffened, forcing a late, contested 3-point miss from Ben Humrichous, it was Illinois guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn who knifed in from the right corner, nabbed the ball off the rim and laid it in for an uncontested layup.

Feb 2, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler and player Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

It was Mobley who had been responsible for boxing out Gibbs-Lawhorn, one play in a prolific but inefficient and challenging night for the Ohio State freshman. He finished with 18 points and was 4 of 8 from 3-point range but overall was 6 for 21 from the floor in Ohio State’s 87-79 loss to No. 18 Illinois on Sunday afternoon.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/prolific-game-penn-state-buckeye-123736395.html

Author : The Columbus Dispatch

Publish date : 2025-02-03 12:37:00

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