Cotie McMahon passes basketballs to a teammate who is competing in a 3-pointer contest at the Buckeyes on the Blacktop event that was held in the Schottenstein Center.
Credit: Lily Hynes | Assistant Photo Editor
As the final buzzer sounded on Jan. 19, the Ohio State women’s basketball team found itself sitting at a perfect 19-0 record.
Its 84-54 victory against Northwestern that Thursday evening built onto the best start in program history. While Buckeye fans soaked in their team’s success on the court, there was a strong force brewing behind the scenes keeping the team intact: chemistry.
“I think it starts with the people that we bring into the program,” head coach Kevin McGuff said. “We make sure we’re bringing in high quality, high character people and the more we do that, the better chance we’re going to have the chemistry that we want.”
For Ohio State, chemistry builds the foundation of a culture and a family that goes beyond the basketball court, graduate guard Jacy Sheldon said. Cohesion has helped the Buckeyes make great leaps in recent years, proving to the rest of the country they can compete with the best.
Last season, the Buckeyes knocked off No. 2 UConn 73-61 in the Sweet 16 before suffering a 10-point loss to No. 1 seed Virginia Tech. Their deep NCAA tournament appearance was surprising for many as the program had not made the Elite Eight in 30 years.
However, Sheldon said she was not shocked by last year’s success.
Sheldon said the team’s chemistry was built behind the scenes, starting from the Buckeyes’ practice at the Schottenstein Center, she said.
“For some reason, we don’t leave after practice,” Sheldon said. “We’ll sit in the locker room and talk or before practice we’ll sit in the locker room and talk. I think it’s just a comfort thing being around each other, which is a good problem to have.”
With all four years under her belt as a Buckeye, Sheldon is not the only player who’s noticed the chemistry and team identity.
Duke graduate transfer and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Celeste Taylor said she’s also taken note of the great relationships between players and staff while adjusting to the Ohio State brand.
“You can see the cohesiveness between the coaches and the players and the rest of the staff,” Taylor said. “Everybody is welcoming people with open arms, and they’ve done a really good job with welcoming us newbies, helping us adjust and fit into the culture and the style.”
That cohesiveness will be a factor for this year’s team as five new faces joined the Buckeyes in the offseason, including three transfers and two freshmen. However, the team will still have a lot of experience as 10 players returned from last year’s squad.
Sheldon said building trust on the floor first stems from developing those relationships off the court. For the Buckeyes, the easiest way to do this is by having fun with one another.
“Before practice, music is always playing. Everybody is always dancing, and I think that music is definitely a good way to bring up the energy and keep the positivity in the gym,” Taylor said.
Music and dancing aren’t the only activities the Buckeyes do to keep close. They also watch football games, go bowling and go out to eat as well as bake with their coaches.
McGuff emphasized the importance of team building as an essential piece to the development and success of a sports program.
“I think it’s everything,” McGuff said. “Chemistry and culture, it’s what I think dictates the ceiling that you have for your program because if you don’t have it, it’s going to limit you.”
