Kiyanna Black has been one of Ohio’s best scorers the past two seasons. The year, however, she has developed a more well-round game.
Kiyanna Black just wants to score the basketball, regardless of what offensive move she uses.
And so far in her career, she’s scored in abundance.
Black, a junior guard from Columbus, has been a focal piece of Ohio’s 5-0 start this season and leads the Bobcats in scoring with 17.8 points per game. She could become the 14th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark by the end of the season if she continues her offensive pace.
“I don’t really have a favorite move (on offense),” Black said, smiling. “I just like it when (the ball) goes in.”
Despite shooting the ball a team-high 69 times over the first five games, scoring is not always the first thing that comes to Black’s mind this season.
Sophomore guard Yamonie Jenkins said Black’s communication and resilience on defense have been just as important to the Bobcats’ success.
“She’s probably the person who keeps us together but also makes us laugh and keeps on our butts the whole time,” Jenkins said. “She really is the glue to our team.”
For being the glue that holds the Bobcats together, Black doesn’t stick to just one role.
The Bobcats leaned on her for scoring in Ohio’s home-opening win over Wofford. She scored 21 points on 50 percent shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. In Sunday’s win over Manhattan, however, she helped control Ohio’s quick pace by dividing the Jasper’s 2-3 defense with ball penetration and outlet passes to her teammates. Her eight points were the fifth-most for Ohio.
“(Kiyanna) literally will do whatever we ask her to do, and one thing we ask her to do quite often is to score the ball because she happens to be really good at it,” coach Bob Boldon said. “But you could ask her to just guard their best player, and she will do that. You can ask her to facilitate the offense and don’t look for so many shots, and she will do that.”
At times, Black can struggle to find her shot early on. During the first half of Ohio’s win over Detroit two weeks ago, she went just 2 of 9 from the field. After halftime, she helped Ohio extend a 21-0 run, made both her shot attempts and stole the ball twice.
Black has shot 45 percent from the field this season to help Ohio jump out to its best start since 2006. Although her shot selection has mostly been three pointers, Black’s stats have steadily improved in comparison to the past two seasons when her shooting percentage hovered around 32 percent. Over the offseason, the Bobcats focused on improving their shooting mechanics.
“Our point guards do a great job,” senior guard Mariah Byard said. “They have a tough job out there. They have to pressure the ball and push the ball up and down the court and push our up-tempo pace.”
Black is a part of a system that is relatively unselfish, as Boldon’s motion offense forces the Bobcats to push the ball and make extra passes.
In prior years, Black has been an integral part of teams that finished 6-23 and 9-21. Black said trust has helped the Bobcats grow from the previous two seasons, as Ohio has improved on every statistical category in its first five games.
“I think it’s my teammates,” Black said. “They give me open, good shots, and the offense we run gets me open a lot. I think our coaches are great.”
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