Ohio guard Jordan Dartis' energy and positive attitude has altered the Bobcats this season.
Ohio coach Saul Phillips called freshman Jordan Dartis a “breath of fresh air."
Teammate Doug Taylor called Dartis his best friend.
Some bystanders may call the Newark, Ohio, native one of the best looking athletes in Athens.
Regardless of what you call Dartis, one thing is for sure: He is an integral part of the future of Ohio’s program.
“He’s got a really positive energy to him,” Phillips said of Dartis. “He’s easy to be around, easy to play with and easy to coach. He just adds to the situation, whatever situation that may be. That’s true on the court, that’s true off the court, it’s true in the locker room and I’m sure it’s true in the classrooms.”
Dartis, known for his charisma and positive outlook by his peers and coaches, has dazzled and shot his way into the Bobcats’ starting lineup this year, despite coming into the season relatively unknown by those loyal to the green and white.
Going into the 2015-16 season, who knew how transfers Kenny Kaminski and Jaaron Simmons would gel with candid forward Antonio Campbell? What type of attitude and play would Dartis and four other freshmen bring?
But like the tattoo on his chest that reads “Fear none," Dartis’ play on the court has taken Ohio from the Mid-American cellar just a year ago, to a competitor mixed with veterans and youth.
“Jordy has a very calm collectiveness about him. When the going gets tough, he’s usually pretty solid,” Kaminski said after Dartis sat out of Ohio’s loss to Kent State because of a concussion.
Under Phillips, Dartis has averaged 10 points per game on 43 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Dartis said his shooting is one of his strongest traits as a player.
"I think that I can shoot the 3 ball pretty well. I shot it pretty well in high school,” Dartis said after scoring 17 points in Ohio’s 75-67 win against Tennessee State.
“When I finally saw one go in today, I started playing with more confidence and more just kept going in for me," he said.
Confident is the perfect adjective to describe Dartis.
His dribbling and smooth shooting stroke have helped the Bobcats improve on their 10-win season from a year ago, all with a grin and firm handshake.
“How are you doin’, boss?” he grinned to me when I first interviewed him. “It’s nice to meet you, man.”
Dartis’ love for basketball stems from his older brother, Jalen, who also played on the same high school varsity team as him at Newark High School. The younger Dartis, a 6-foot-3 guard, provided a shift in culture for Newark coach Jeff Quackenbush.
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“Jordy is a great player on the court, but he’s an even better person off of it,” Quackenbush said. “He understands the importance and the value of leadership on-and-off the court.”
Dartis led Newark in all time scoring (1,567 points) during his four years under Quackenbush while garnering three Capital Conference titles. He also earned a three-star rating from ESPN coming out of high school.
And like his prestigious high school career, Dartis’ luck has rubbed off on Ohio, too.
The Bobcats are 7-3 when he started this season and average 50 percent shooting from the field when he plays. Without him: 1-1 and 48 percent shooting.
“Jordan is the type of guy that he never gets down on himself, so if guys go to talk to him about stuff, he’s always positive,” Kaminski said.
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