For point guard Javarez “Bean” Willis, anxiety and butterflies don’t mix.
As Ohio approaches an exhibition game against Ashland on Saturday at The Convo, the redshirt junior, who transferred to the Bobcats from Texas Tech, can’t wait to return to the court after having to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
“I’m anxious, but I don’t have any butterflies,” Willis said. “It’s more that I have no fear. I’m ready to play. I feel sorry for the opponents. That’s where I’m at right now cause I’m hungry. It’s been a whole year since I played.”
The Bobcats will be playing host to an Ashland Division II NCAA squad, residing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which is made up of 16 teams from either Ohio or Michigan.
The Eagles were the epitome of average last season, finishing with a 13-12 record, including a .500 mark (11-11) in conference play.
They’ll spend the exhibition looking for another offensive weapon to lean on, as forward Evan Yates, who led the team with 16.8 points per game and nine rebounds per game, graduated and is now playing professionally in Spain.
The motivation for Ashland scheduling a game against an opponent like Ohio is that it provides the team with unique learning experience, coach Jim Christian said.
“(Ashland) doesn’t usually get a lot of Division I games,” Christian said. “So this is a great opportunity for their kids, playing in a great environment. … It’s a great chance for them to do the same things we want to do: experiment with some of the things we’re doing, man up some people and see what happens.”
And the Bobcats will do a good deal of experimenting with no lineup set in stone by Christian. He said that he’ll try to mix and match with his lineup combinations and try to get good minutes to as many players as is possible.
One of the players who Christian will be looking to utilize is 6’8” freshman guard/forward Khari Harley, who is anticipating his collegiate debut and is looking to adjust to the feel of playing at a higher level.
“I’m just trying to adjust to college basketball more, the speed and physicality of the game” Harley said. “(I’m) just trying to work on getting some more time on the court and being able to contribute to the team any way, whether it’s cheering on the bench or actually being on the court.”
@c_hoppens
ch203310@ohiou.edu
Up Next
Exhibition: Ashland at Ohio
Saturday, November 2nd at The Convo
Game starts at 2 p.m
