Without hesitation, Ohio coach Jim Christian recalls the biggest shot of his playing career.
It was on the road against Massachusetts six games into Boston University’s 1984-85 season when he downed a contested shot to give the Terriers a chance to take their second win of the season in overtime. They moved on to win by one in three overtime periods.
“There were no threes back then, but I hit one underneath out of bounds (with) five seconds to go, hit one from the corner to send it into overtime,” he said.
“How do you not forget that?”
As it turns out, many of the Bobcats (19-6, 10-1 Mid-American Conference) can recall similar moments from their careers — the most recent addition being sophomore guard Stevie Taylor’s game-winning three-pointer against Kent State on Saturday.
Taylor’s triple, which he later labeled as the most prolific of his career, dug Ohio from a two-point deficit with 13 seconds remaining in overtime and set the stage for junior guard Nick Kellogg to ice the win with a layup 11 seconds later.
He too has a favorite basketball memory that comes to mind quickly.
Less than four seconds were on the clock when Kellogg, then a senior at Saint Francis DeSales (Columbus), received an inbound pass, turned and let a three-pointer fly to signal a buzzer-beating victory against Whitmer High School (Toledo).
He said putting home such a crucial shot requires courage in the sense that the shooter is entrusted with a game hanging in the balance.
“You’re taught to shoot the same way all the time regardless of circumstance,” he said. “It was just one of those deals where I got it in my hands, launched and it went in.”
Ohio senior forward Ivo Baltic, who said Taylor’s Saturday stunner was the most exciting shot of his time with the Bobcats, recounted a scene similar to Kellogg’s as the best of his basketball career.
Baltic, who hails from Kansas City, cheered for Missouri throughout his youth and had a chance to compete in a camp there the summer before his senior year at Park Hill South High School.
So when he hit a three-pointer at the buzzer during a camp game to beat the No.1 team in the state, he wanted to make sure the Tigers’ coaching staff noticed.
“Right when I released it, I turned around and (motioned toward) the Missouri coaches who were up there watching. Right when I released it I turned around and just had my hands up.”
One Ohio player, junior guard Travis Wilkins, was not as lucky.
While playing for Snow College (Utah) last season, Taylor capped a 15-point second-half comeback by draining a three-pointer to go up one with 2.4 seconds remaining.
His gutsy long ball was for naught because of an opponent’s stroke of luck.
“What sucked was the next possession they threw a full-court pass and tipped it in,” he said. “I thought it was a big shot, but it turned into not such of a big shot.”
Ohio leads the MAC in three-point shooting, and it converts 8.3 three-pointers per game.
The Bobcats’ 570 long-range attempts are second to only Central Michigan in the MAC, and their 36.5 percent mark from beyond the arc paces the conference.
An equal amount of three-pointers have been attempted against Ohio’s Wednesday opponent, Eastern Michigan, of which only 167 have fallen through the twine — the stingiest margin in the MAC.
Christian said the Bobcats’ confidence from beyond the arc will be pertinent against the Eagles (12-13, 5-6 MAC), which he called “one of the best zone teams in the country.”
“Confidence is a great thing,” Christian said. “You always want to encourage it. If somebody has it, nobody can ever take it away.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
