Head coach Kevin McGuff talks Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor, the transfer portal and the future of Ohio State hoops.
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00:00Awesome. First coach, obviously you're probably going to be out there then on Monday, I'm guessing?
00:05Yes. Yes.
00:08I know during the year the players get scouted and they have talks about, especially when they have years of eligibility left, they have talks about should I come back? Should I go out to the draft?
00:17What have you seen for especially Celeste and JC when it comes to some of the feedback they've gotten about where to improve to kind of help their draft stock and help get them to that point of being drafted and making a team?
00:31Yeah, I think with Celeste, obviously she's got a reputation as an incredible defender and well-deserved and well-earned.
00:40So people are really excited about what she can do at that end of the floor.
00:45And then I think as the season kind of evolved here, well, the feedback heading into the season was just a little more consistent offensive production.
00:56And I think as the season got into January, February, you started to see that from her.
01:01So I think she really helped herself and hopefully she has a great night on Monday.
01:06And with JC, it was a little bit more of she's been here for a while.
01:13They've really been able to kind of scout her in our system and how we play.
01:17And they love the pace that she plays with, the energy, the fact that she can play multiple positions, the fact that she can score off the dribble, getting to the rim or from the three point line.
01:29So, you know, and they really obviously like her character in both Celeste and JC.
01:34We've got great feedback that when they went through their interview process that people really enjoyed just talking to them and getting to know them.
01:42That's great. And within yourself, I know Carla Mara, she has experience in the WNBA.
01:47You have a very experienced staff that's been around your experience, too, with within NCAA.
01:53What's the kind of advice that you give these players outside of the scouting?
01:57What is their kind of advice you do to help them, again, get to that next level of making a team?
02:04Yeah, you know, like Carla has good contacts and I know several WNBA coaches.
02:08And we try to just get information from as many coaches as possible to give them feedback where they need to improve and help their draft stock, kind of like we talked about.
02:17And that's the biggest thing.
02:18And and then, you know, once we get through the through the season, this like this period, like, you know, we want to make sure like we're a good resource for them in terms of finding agents that fit them.
02:32And then also, you know, if they need to be in the gym working out that we can help them get prepared for training.
02:38And since you mentioned that, Taylor has been, Taylor Mikesell has been a big part of your practice this year.
02:44She's been with the team a lot getting ready and now she has her own contract with the Sparks to compete in training camp.
02:52Same kind of thing. How has that helped or how you all outside of, you know, keeping your team ready?
02:57How have you been able to also help Taylor Mikesell out in that regard?
03:00Yeah, she's she's been here. She's done a great job.
03:02I mean, she's worked with our trainer in terms of rehab type stuff.
03:05She's worked with our strength coach to make sure she's in the right, you know, conditioning, has the right condition heading into camp.
03:14And then she's been working with Carla a little bit on the court and just getting shots up and doing some stuff to prepare for camp.
03:20But, yeah, it's great. It's great to have her around.
03:22She's such a great kid and I'm really hopeful for her.
03:25She's healthy and she looks great out there. I've been watching her workout.
03:28She looks really good.
03:29Thank you. Sure.
03:32Hi, Coach. I'm kind of staring away from the general managers.
03:36I know you yourself talked about this at the point where you have to put on your general manager hat.
03:41And now it's time for like the hit, the transfer portal and stuff.
03:45So how are you just going to be attacking this offseason, especially with such there's a huge portal out there.
03:51And there's I know you guys have incoming freshmen, too, but just what how are you going about this offseason?
03:57Yeah, there's a lot of people in the portal for sure.
04:00And it's just like every five minutes, so many of my staffs walking in talking about a new player.
04:06So I'm having a hard time keeping up. But, you know, I want to I want to keep it really focused.
04:11I think you can get a little bit carried away with this type of stuff.
04:14And I think we've done a significantly better job in recent years of building good teams rather than just collecting talent.
04:20And so I think if we have some specific needs and if you look at this past season,
04:26you know, we lost games basically two ways.
04:29Either we didn't rebound the ball as effectively enough or we didn't score from the perimeter consistently.
04:36And so we want to kind of shore that up.
04:39And, you know, it's we were so good at times this year and it didn't end the way we want.
04:44But I think if we get maybe two people, maybe one guard,
04:49one post would be probably ideal out of the portal to to mix in with the talented people that we have coming in.
04:57We could have a really kind of a complete team that didn't have a lot of weaknesses outside of the fact
05:03we'll be relying on potentially a lot of young people.
05:06And you just never know how quickly that comes together.
05:09I did want to ask about that you we saw in the national championship game,
05:13how important a bench, how important having a deep branch and how impactful freshmen can be.
05:17So how important is it for you in making sure these new class freshmen get involved?
05:22And like you said, they're going to be new, but they get involved rather quickly.
05:26And when they come to campus, there you go.
05:30Yeah, no, I think it'll be really important.
05:32You know, we need to have a great summer.
05:33And, you know, like last summer, because we had a lot of returners,
05:37we did a lot of skill work and not as much team type stuff.
05:41And I think this year will be a little more team oriented and starting to put in the offense,
05:45starting to put in the defense just to be a little farther ahead because we have so many new people that have to learn it.
05:51And, yeah, I just think like the just how quickly we develop next year,
05:56I think we'll have the talent and I think we'll have the depth and I think we'll be kind of balanced in all areas of the game of basketball.
06:03But, you know, we'll play another difficult non-conference schedule.
06:07And so just how quickly the young kids can kind of gel with the older ones.
06:12We kind of come together as a team.
06:14We'll be, you know, really ultimately decide or determine like what next season looks like.
06:20And in a world where like the transfer portal is there and a lot more people transferring,
06:24what do you think it says for this?
06:26How does it help this program?
06:27You have Cody McMahon right after the loss jumping on Twitter saying, I'm a Buckeye for life.
06:32I'm staying here, putting it out there that she is in it with this program for the long haul.
06:38Yeah, you know, it's obviously important for a key player like that to be invested in the program as she is.
06:46And, you know, it's just a it's just a different environment that we all operate in.
06:50And, you know, like with the resources these kids can make in NIL and stuff like that, it's a factor.
06:57I don't want to ever speak for Cody.
06:59I do think she loves Ohio State and loves the faith and enjoys her place in this program and how she's been able to impact us.
07:07And so, you know, hopefully we can the community at large can take care of her as she should be taken care of.
07:14And we can kind of keep this going by continuing to have the right kids.
07:17Thank you.
07:20Jelani, thanks for joining us.
07:23Go ahead.
07:25Thanks for joining us, coach.
07:27I know. So just going out the transfer for a little bit more.
07:29Can you speak about or just having a lot of people graduate from the program is probably difficult.
07:35But can you speak about people like Ricky and Diana and Emma leaving as well?
07:42Yeah, you know, they think they all like aspire to have a little bit more of a role on the court and more minutes and so forth.
07:49And they're all good kids that had productive meetings with all of them.
07:53And so it wasn't any bad blood.
07:56And I feel like I have a good relationship with those three.
07:58And but I'm hopeful that they'll find the right spot where they can probably carve out just more meaningful roles for what they want.
08:07And they're good kids.
08:09And, you know, we have a lot of people coming in.
08:12And just the reality is, is I think in this day and age where you can transfer and be eligible right away,
08:17it's like those three or four kids who are right in that mix of they kind of play, but maybe they aspire to do more.
08:25It's going to keep them. It just is. And I think in any sport, football, basketball, it's just the reality of kind of where we are.
08:34Sure. Just just another question about JC and Celeste.
08:38How similar or different was it compared to when Taylor left last year or when you had Kelsey?
08:45How similar or different was it in the overall draft process that you've gone through?
08:50Yeah, very similar, especially last year, because as the WNBA evolves, they did a great job with the draft last year.
08:58And, you know, Taylor had a great experience and I had a really good experience heading to New York to kind of be with her and her family.
09:04And I think it'll be awesome for Celeste and JC to have the opportunity to be there.
09:13Kevin, just what does it do for your program?
09:16Obviously, you had Taylor drafted last year and now to have, you know, two players who have a chance to be drafted.
09:21Just what does that do for the program?
09:23Yeah, no, it's we certainly aspire to help the young women in our program reach their potential.
09:28And, you know, we're recruiting now at a level where we're getting kids that that want to have a chance to play in the WNBA.
09:35And, you know, I think we have a system of basketball that helps prepare them.
09:39I think we have a staff and a way of doing things to prepare with that or to develop within our system that makes them WNBA ready.
09:46And I think it's just important to me because I want to help them reach their potential.
09:50And that's a big kind of core principle in our program.
09:53And it's also nice to be able to go out and talk to recruits about, hey, you know, JC Sheldon came in and she didn't come in as a top 10 pick in the country.
10:01I mean, a top 10 rated recruit in the country.
10:04But just through her hard work and determination and development with our program, she's put herself in a position to potentially be a first round pick.
10:12You talk about you look for some transfers, but who are some of the players that are coming back on your own roster who you feel like can step up and play a bigger role this next season?
10:23Yeah, you know, I think, you know, getting Madison back to kind of closer to who she's capable of being would be really important.
10:31And I think all in all, she had a good year this past year coming off of two ACLs in a row, two seasons in a row.
10:39But I think she there's a higher, much higher, much higher ceiling for her and with her experience and just ability.
10:45She could be very impactful.
10:48Every year she has to take a step.
10:50And I think she needs to take another step heading into next year and potentially be a little more assertive on the offensive end.
10:55I think that would be extremely impactful.
10:57So I think those are two really, really big keys.
11:01And then obviously, Cody needs to take another step.
11:04You know, and she had such a spectacular freshman year and she didn't start this past year the way we wanted.
11:09But then coming out of Christmas, she played great.
11:14And so I think this is for her to really be ready to go in November.
11:17Obviously, you have a pretty large freshman class.
11:19Just what kind of immediate impact are you expecting from that group of freshmen?
11:25You know, I think I think you'll be able to look at our team on day one and say that's a talented group that's got a chance to be really special.
11:32But we all know in this day and age with so many programs adding upperclassmen, it's not the easiest thing in the world to rely on a freshman.
11:41I think you saw that with our men's team this past year a little bit where they were really young and playing against older teams like every night in the Big Ten.
11:48And so but I do believe in our talent.
11:50I think we'll have the talent for that group to grow into something special.
11:53It's just hard to say exactly when that's going to all kind of come together.
11:57Thank you.
11:58Got it.
11:59Hey, Kevin.
12:00Thanks again for the time.
12:02Sorry, Thomas.
12:03I jumped on you here.
12:04About JC, I mean, you mentioned when she came in, she wasn't this highly recruited a player as she's going to go in this draft.
12:14I mean, how special is that?
12:16Local kid has just worked her tail off, and now she is probably going to get to be in that room on this big night.
12:24Yeah, it's really special.
12:26And she's, you know, we could carve out another Zoom and talk for hours about the impact she's had in our program.
12:31She's been that special.
12:32She's just a great kid.
12:33She comes from an incredible family.
12:36And just her work ethic.
12:41And, I mean, she shows up every day, works incredibly hard.
12:47She's really focused.
12:48She's been very focused every year on getting better.
12:51And, you know, she came in and she was, I think, better than most people thought she'd be as a freshman just because of her competitive character and her skill.
13:00But every year she got better.
13:02And it's just not by accident.
13:04I mean, she works extremely hard.
13:06And then you talk about how she's impacted us off the court and in the community.
13:12And it's just really immeasurable.
13:15And so it's been an absolute joy to coach her.
13:18We're going to miss her.
13:19I'm going to miss coaching her.
13:20It's like she's made life easier for five years.
13:22And so, you know, I'm going to actually have to coach next year, I think, instead of just let Jaycee run the show.
13:29But she's been great.
13:30And it's just really hard to put into words how special she's been.
13:33It's no secret that the WNBA, I mean, getting drafted is such an honor.
13:39Making the team is a different level, a different challenge.
13:43What advice have you been able to give to these young ladies going through the process?
13:49And has Taylor been able to give any advice about what that first year and what that process is like, not just getting drafted but making a roster?
13:59Yeah, Taylor's been able to share, obviously, her experience with Celeste and Jaycee.
14:06And, yeah, the biggest thing is, obviously, the season, you know, that's past us.
14:11So whatever observations WNBA teams had at that point is past.
14:15So now it's about getting drafted and preparing yourself to go to camp and compete.
14:19And, you know, talking to WNBA coaches, it's the people who, one, your conditioning needs to be on point because, you know, you go through a long season.
14:28A lot of people like to take some time off.
14:30And it is smart to do that, even for Jaycee and Celeste.
14:32But you've got to get back in the gym and make sure your conditioning is where it needs to be.
14:37A lot of people don't make it because they don't defend.
14:40And people put a premium on the defense in the WNBA.
14:43I think Jaycee and Celeste both will be prepared to do that in camp.
14:46And then just, you know, kind of fit in.
14:49You know, you don't want to come in and overdo it and try to shoot it every time and tell them you can score.
14:53They want people that are going to fit the system and be good teammates and make the extra pass and those type of things.
14:59Awesome. Thanks, Kevin. Appreciate you.
15:01You got it. Of course.
15:08I did have one more thing I wanted to ask.
15:13You're going into a season next season where you're having former Pac-12 teams come in, especially with UCLA and USC.
15:20What are the pros and cons of that in regards to recruiting and just freshmen and transfers?
15:26Because, first, you're going to be playing in a league conference where it's going to have a lot of eyes.
15:30You have Juju Walken.
15:31But then you're also going to have that cross-country travel, which I know a lot is going to be very hard on these student-athletes.
15:37So just what are the pros and cons and how does it impact recruiting?
15:40Well, I mean, I think the pros, we're going to have the best conference in women's basketball, clearly.
15:45And also, you know, Ohio State, you can get involved with kids all over the country.
15:50But I think it makes it even more of a viable option now that you have four West Coast teams to play in the Big Ten.
15:57And then just the talent and the eyes with the talent that UCLA has and USC has.
16:04And Oregon's always capable of getting a great class here out of the portal because of the brand that they have.
16:09And Washington's done a good job.
16:11And so I think there's a lot of pros here.
16:18The cons, obviously, the travel, which is going to be more significant for the West Coast schools,
16:23because I think what they're going to try to do, we'll play out there like once a year and then USC-UCLA on one trip.
16:30And then Oregon-Washington will play at our place and then we'll flip flop the following year.
16:35But for USC and UCLA and Oregon-Washington, every other weekend they're going to have to be traveling.
16:39So I think it's going to be very significant for them and a little bit significant travel for us.
16:46But it's going to be interesting, too, because we're keeping our schedule at 18 games right now.
16:54And so it'll be a little different because we're only going to play one team twice.
16:59So I think some of these rivalries we've kind of developed over the years might not be the same because we're not playing people as many times.
17:11It's like we played Michigan twice this year, and that's obviously the school that's always a rivalry.
17:17But I would have to think Michigan and Michigan State are going to play twice, which means we'd only play them once, which will be different.
17:24We've had a good rivalry and great respect for Maryland, and that could be the game we play twice.
17:30We've had great games with Iowa and Indiana over the years, and that's only going to be once.
17:35And so that part's going to be a little different as well.
17:39Thank you.
17:40Sure.
17:42I wanted to ask about – you talk about changes with the roster, but also coaching staff.
17:47You've kept a very consistent coaching staff the last few years, and then Coach West gets the job over at Utah State.
17:53And you've talked about it before where it's kind of a testament to the program when you see coaches moving on to those other things.
17:59So first part, just thoughts on Coach West getting the head coaching role?
18:04Yeah, really happy for him.
18:06That's something he's aspired to do, and part of the reason he came to Ohio State is to work in a different program,
18:13and we've had people move on to head coaching positions.
18:16And so I'm really happy for him and ready to support in any way I can as just a mentor or a friend
18:23and help him get it off the ground because he's got a lot of work to do that hasn't been very good out there.
18:27So he's got his work cut out for him, but really happy for him.
18:33And also have you heard Coach Morrow?
18:35I know she's been the associate coach now for a couple seasons.
18:38Is she also kind of in the conversations out there?
18:42Is she also looking to get a head coaching role?
18:44I mean, I think at some point she probably would.
18:47She's been very judicious with her process and wants to make sure she gets the right fit.
18:53And I think when that comes around, she'll probably get involved,
18:56but just hasn't had that opportunity yet where it felt like it was the right one.
19:03And also earlier you talked about fixing the rebounding in the future and also the perimeter shooting.
19:09But outside of the transfer portal, with the recruiting that you have coming in,
19:13with the signees who have officially gone through everything in their group coming in next season,
19:19do you see someone like in Elsa, who did not a lot of film out there, at least in the public,
19:24is that someone you could see coming in and being able to pick up the slack rebounding right away?
19:28Like, well, what kind of player is she going to be?
19:31What kind of players do you see some of these freshmen coming in?
19:33Yeah, I think she can.
19:35She's a really good athlete and she's 6'5", and she's long.
19:39And so, you know, rebounding is obviously it can be discipline and blocking out,
19:45effort and going to get the ball, but sometimes it's personnel based too, you know.
19:49And so that's part of what's on my mind is to kind of just improve our personnel
19:54in terms of people who can rebound better.
19:58And I think she'll certainly be a big part of that.
20:02Do you think any part of it is strategically just your own that you have playing in the games?
20:09Whenever you're going full court, you're doing a lot of running.
20:12Do you think it also hurts rebounding?
20:14It can.
20:15Yeah, do you see that as maybe then making tweaks to it this year with the new people
20:20or is that going to change how your overall game plays?
20:23Well, we'll see.
20:24I mean, it'll look somewhat similar, but we'll make some tweaks.
20:27And really, that's why we'll do a little more team stuff in the summer,
20:31just to get a feel for – you know, because I have an idea now.
20:34Until you actually get them here and see them compete against the rest of the team,
20:37it's hard to know for sure.
20:39And so that's why I want to spend a little more time this summer figuring that out.
20:43Thank you.
20:44Sure.
20:46Kevin, I know that Ebony Walker was trying to get another year of eligibility.
20:50Have you guys gotten an answer yet on her status for next year?
20:53Yeah, we're still kind of working through that.
20:55As a matter of fact, I've got a couple meetings very soon about that
21:00just to make sure we know where we're at with that.
21:02But, no, we're not exactly sure yet.
21:04Thanks.
21:06You got it.
21:07Is Madison confirmed coming back?
21:09I know you mentioned her.
21:11And I know she said to me that she intends to come back.
21:14Is she confirmed coming back next season?
21:16Yeah, she is.
21:18As of right this second, yes, she'll be back.
21:20We all know.
21:212024, things change quickly.
21:22But, yes.
21:29Everybody good?
21:30Thanks, Coach.
21:32All right, thanks, everybody.
21:33Thanks, everybody.