Treg Setty, a redshirt junior forward, had a rough start at Southern Illinois so he used his number to symbolize a change in his life and game.
Treg Setty was given No. 35 to wear for his high school basketball team.
He didn’t choose that number, which is ironic because his mother was also given that number during her high school basketball career.
He continued to play with that number during his freshman year at Southern Illinois, but after struggling there, Setty transferred to Ohio.
Upon starting his Bobcat career, he changed numbers to signify a deletion of the past and a different future.
His new number, zero, is derived from watching three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, who sported the same number.
“I’m kind of superstitious. I didn’t like the way I played at SIU, so I thought I needed a fresh start,” Setty said. “Gilbert Arenas used to be number zero and he said the reason he was zero was because he felt like nobody ever gave him credit or nobody thought he was anything but a zero.”
Setty, a redshirt junior forward from Maysville, Kentucky, said his freshman year at Southern Illinois just simply didn’t work out. He played in all 31 games that season but averaged just 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
“I was a young kid, kind of immature straight out of high school. I wasn’t really ready to take on the world,” Setty said. “It wasn’t the right place for me, to be honest with you.”
He had to sit out during the 2012-13 season because of NCAA transfer regulations after transferring to OU, which he found to be an attractive destination because of the campus and city. When he returned to competition last year, Setty wanted to approach the season different than he had in the past.
He said he hadn’t felt right since high school.
Although Ohio coach Saul Phillips will be the second bench boss that Setty will play for with the Bobcats, his teammate and roommate Stevie Taylor thinks Setty will benefit from the style change more than anyone.
Setty’s game will have the opportunity to evolve under Phillips because he won’t be put into a specific positional role that he might not be able to fulfill. He’s now able to let the game come to him and play with a different mindset, he said.
“He hasn’t played with a carefree mind in three years,” said Taylor, a senior guard. “He’s got good players behind him, he’s a got a coach that’s behind him — he hasn’t had that in his career.”
Setty’s voice during game play and “trash talk” has been known to get into the head of his opponents, and he has become a vocal leader to his teammates.
Setty said he’s able to easily shake off on-court hardships, making it difficult for opponents to get into his head.
“I’m a very passionate player, and whenever I’m out there playing I kinda let my emotions show,” Setty said. “I don’t really do it that much off the court, so on the court is kind of my release … if it gets in peoples’ heads, then great, because that’ll keep them from playing the way they can.”
Phillips, on the other hand, sees Setty’s passion as a “motor” and he doesn’t question the forward’s effort or desire to win. He said he has given Setty more playing time than he has experienced in the past and that he has been impressed by the way Setty has taken on every responsibility thrown his way.
“You don’t have to question whether he is in or out, the kid is all in,” Phillips said.
On the court, Setty tries to motivate his teammates and help dictate the competition, but he’s a comedic and down-to-earth guy while off the court.
Taylor and Setty are close friends away from the court, and Taylor said that his roommate is one of the most interesting people he knows.
“He’s a funny dude — this guy has a lot of different personalities, and he’s got a lot of character,” Taylor said. “That’s what makes Setty ‘Setty’ — I love him for that and I wouldn’t change it for that world.”
Setty is a character, but when it comes to developing as a player, he has learned a lot while playing for the Bobcats. When he transferred to Ohio, Setty didn’t know that he would be competing daily against current Bobcats big man Maurice Ndour, who has been his man in practice since the beginning of last season.
“Mo’s a great player, he’s going to be one of the best players to ever go through this school,” Taylor said. “To play against one of those players is only going to make him get better.”
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