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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
Record4–6 (0–0 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
Kent State 0 – 0   – 8 – 2   .800
Akron 0 – 0   – 6 – 3   .667
Miami (OH) 0 – 0   – 6 – 3   .667
Toledo 0 – 0   – 6 – 4   .600
Central Michigan 0 – 0   – 5 – 4   .556
Buffalo 0 – 0   – 5 – 5   .500
Eastern Michigan 0 – 0   – 5 – 5   .500
Ball State 0 – 0   – 4 – 6   .400
Bowling Green 0 – 0   – 4 – 6   .400
Ohio 0 – 0   – 4 – 6   .400
Northern Illinois 0 – 0   – 3 – 7   .300
Western Michigan 0 – 0   – 3 – 7   .300
† 2025 MAC tournament winner
As of December 15, 2024

The 2024–25 Ohio University Bobcats men's basketball team represents Ohio University for the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bobcats are led by fifth-year head coach Jeff Boals, who is a 1995 graduate of Ohio University.[1][2] They 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]
Main article: 2023–24 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team

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 Transferred to Ohio Wesleyan
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]
College recruiting information
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 
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 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/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 
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 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Chase Boals*
PF 		New Albany, OH New Albany 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 240 lb (110 kg)  
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/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) 190 lb (86 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  
G 3 AJ Brown 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Orlando Christian Prep Orlando, FL  
G 4 Shereef Mitchell 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Sunrise Christian Academy
Creighton 		Omaha, NE  
F 5 Ayden Evans 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Elizabethtown Radcliff, KY  
G 6 Elijah Elliot 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 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) 220 lb (100 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) 175 lb (79 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) 253 lb (115 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) 240 lb (109 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: November 4, 2024

Support staff

[edit]
2024-25 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 		L 78–88  0–1
  17 – Hadaway   5 – Tied   4 – Clayton  Atlantic Union Bank Center (5,973)
Harrisonburg, VA
November 9, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UNC-Asheville W 82–76  1–1
  19 – Clayton   6 – Hadaway   5 – Tied  Convocation Center (5,438)
Athens, OH
November 12, 2024*
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Illinois State L 75–85  1–2
  20 – Brown   5 – Clayton   2 – Tied  CEFCU Arena (3923)
Normal, IL
November 15, 2024*
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Memphis L 70–94  1–3
  20 – Sheldon   7 – Paveletzke   5 – Paveletzke  FedExForum (11,270)
Memphis, TN
November 21, 2024*
12:00 p.m., ESPNU 		vs. Middle Tennessee
Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinals 		L 81–83 OT 1–4
  19 – Brown   11 – Clayton   11 – Paveletzke  HTC Center (704)
Conway, SC
November 22, 2024*
11:30 a.m., ESPNU 		vs. Portland
Myrtle Beach Invitational consolation 2nd round 		W 85–73  2–4
  34 – Clayton   12 – Clayton   10 – Paveletzke  HTC Center (708)
Conway, SC
November 24, 2024*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. Texas State
Myrtle Beach Invitational 5th place game 		L 65–74  2–5
  18 – Clayton   5 – Tied   3 – James  HTC Center (1,431)
Conway, SC
November 30, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Robert Morris W 84–68  3–5
  16 – Clayton   7 – Tied   4 – Sheldon  Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
December 7, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Morehead State W 88–76  4–5
  23 – Paveletzke   8 – Paveletzke   4 – Hadaway  Convocation Center (3,128)
Athens, OH
December 14, 2024*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Marshall L 70–79  4–6
  22 – Brown   8 – Searls   12 – Paveletzke  Cam Henderson Center (4,278)
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]

Statistics

[edit]

Team Statistics

[edit]
Through November 30, 2024
Record Ohio OPP
Scoring 620 641
Scoring Average 77.50 80.13
Field goals – Att 213–483 227–467
3-pt. Field goals – Att 69–205 64–140
Free throws – Att 125–165 123–177
Rebounds 262 296
Assists 110 113
Turnovers 89 112
Steals 59 54
Blocked Shots 28 24

Source[27]

Player statistics

[edit]
Minutes Scoring Total FGs 3-point FGs Free-Throws Rebounds
Player GP GS Tot Avg Pts Avg FG FGA Pct 3FG 3FA Pct FT FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg A PF TO Stl Blk
AJ Clayton 8 8 258 8.0 132 1.1 47 110 0.427 19 64 0.297 19 24 0.792 14 40 54 1.8 13 18 9 6 16
AJ Brown 8 8 215 8.0 93 1.4 30 65 0.462 12 33 0.364 21 24 0.875 5 17 22 0.6 6 18 11 10 1
Aidan Hadaway 8 8 234 8.0 88 0.9 32 68 0.471 8 26 0.308 16 25 0.640 10 26 36 1.3 11 25 7 11 7
Jackson Paveletzke 8 8 238 8.0 84 2.9 27 69 0.391 3 8 0.375 27 35 0.771 10 25 35 1.3 39 7 23 6 0
Elmore James 8 6 214 6.0 77 0.9 21 57 0.368 12 26 0.462 23 26 0.885 10 12 22 1.3 8 20 7 10 0
Vic Searls 8 0 143 0.0 54 1.8 22 40 0.550 2 7 0.286 8 11 0.727 6 25 31 0.8 7 22 14 4 2
Ajay Sheldon 8 0 166 0.0 53 1.0 18 40 0.450 12 31 0.387 5 8 0.625 0 11 11 0.0 11 15 8 8 2
Shereef Mitchell 3 2 76 2.0 28 1.7 12 19 0.632 1 5 0.200 3 6 0.500 2 8 10 0.7 9 9 5 4 0
Elijah Elliott 7 0 67 0.0 8 0.4 3 13 0.231 0 4 0.000 2 2 1.000 1 5 6 0.1 6 7 3 0 0
Ayden Evans 4 0 11 0.0 2 0.0 1 2 0.500 0 1 0.000 0 2 0.000 0 1 1 0.0 0 3 0 0 0
Ben Estis 1 0 2 0.0 1 0.0 0 0 0.000 0 0 0.000 1 2 0.500 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Ben Nicol 1 0 2 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.000 0 0 0.000 0 0 0.000 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0
Total 8 - 1625 - 620 77.5 213 483 0.441 69 205 0.337 125 165 0.758 76 186 262 32.8 110 145 89 59 28
Opponents 8 - 1625 - 641 80.1 227 467 0.486 64 140 0.457 123 177 0.695 82 214 296 37.0 113 143 112 54 24
Legend
  GP  Games played   GS  Games started  Avg  Average per game
  FG  Field-goals made  FGA  Field-goal attempts  Off  Offensive rebounds
 Def  Defensive rebounds   A  Assists   TO Turnovers
 Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals  High  Team high

Source[27]

Awards and honors

[edit]

Weekly Awards

[edit]
Weekly Award Honors
Honors Player Position Date Awarded Source
MAC player of the week AJ Clayton F November 24 [28]

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.
  27. ^ a b "2023-24 Ohio Bobcats Roster and Stats". Sports Reference.
  28. ^ "Clayton, Johnson Share Week 3 Men's Hoops Honors". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. November 24, 2024.
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