Ohio will try to defeat the son of a legendary coach as first-year Lamar basketball coach Pat Knight leads the Cardinals into The Convo tonight.
Knight’s father, Bob Knight, suffered his first loss as Indiana’s head coach to Jim Snyder and his Ohio squad in 1971. Pat Knight said tonight’s contest is just another game, despite the location’s significance to his father.
Lamar comes to town with a 1-1 record and a roster with six seniors. Lamar fell 68-48 to No. 8 Louisville Sunday night. Senior Devon Lamb scored 10 points and logged eight rebounds in the battle of the Cardinals.
Ohio is coming off its first win in the opener against Tennessee-Martin. Walter Offutt scored 17 points with three steals in his Bobcat debut.
Coach John Groce knows that Lamar will be ready to play.
“I think they’ll be prepared,” Groce said. “They run great motion offense, and I know (Knight) is trying to teach his guys that in his first year.”
One of the aspects of the Cardinals’ game Groce is mindful about is their quickness.
“I think the biggest thing that stands out is how fast they are,” he said. “They’re extremely athletic, especially on the perimeter.”
Knight said his team has to do a better job getting the ball through the hoop after shooting 23.1 percent against Louisville.
“We were playing defense pretty well last game, but we’ve got to get shots. We’ve been shooting terrible the last two games,” Knight said.
Earlier in his career, Knight was an assistant at Akron and said that has helped him scout the Mid-American Conference.
“It gives me an edge from the standpoint that I know how good the MAC is,” Knight said. “I think it’s the most underrated conference in America.”
Groce said he wants his team to capitalize on the inside game, but he noted that Lamb is an excellent rebounder despite his moderate 6-foot-2 frame. Lamb snagged an average of 8.3 rebounds per contest last season.
Despite the season still being young, Groce said he knows his team well and who will see the most playing time.
“We’ve had 37 practices, a scrimmage, an exhibition game and a regular-season game,” he said. “I’ve got a pretty good feel with what I’m looking for in the rotation.”
mk277809@ohiou.edu
