After a prolific game in Penn State, Buckeye John Mobley has a learning experience in Illinois

Champaign, ill. – Life can come to you quickly in the first year in Big Ten.

Thursday evening, the coach of Ohio State, Jake Diebler, put his arm around the first year goalkeeper John Mobley Jr. and shot him for a joyful embrace while the Buckeyes seduced an 83-64 victory In the Penn State Hall. It was an out -of -peer outing for Mobley this year: He is the only first year student in the country to finish with at least 19 points, eight assists and five rebounds against an opponent of division I.

Four days later in a much noisier state agricultural center, Diebler shot the first year again and put his right arm around his shoulders and tried to break down what had just happened. With 12:29 to play and the Buckeyes clinging to an advance of 54-51, Diebler called for dead time and entitled to his first year guard to make the two previous possessions.

First of all, Mobley’s fast float in the painting has failed everything, arousing the required songs of “Airball!” From the Orange Krush student section to full throat. But after the defense of the state of Ohio stiffens, forcing a late and disputed Miss 3 points of Ben Humrichous, it was the guardian of Illinois Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn who cut himself off from the right corner, withdrew the ball from the edge and placed it for an undisputed Layup.

It was Mobley who had been responsible for Gibbs-Lawhorn boxing, a room in a prolific but ineffective and stimulating night for the first year of Ohio State. He finished with 18 points and was 4 out of 8 on a fork of 3 points, but overall, he was 6 for 21 of the prosecution in the defeat of 87-79 of Ohio State at n ° 18 Illinois Sunday afternoon.

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“Sometimes I told him, you can’t give up and let it affect the other side,” said Dieble to La Dépêche after the Illinois match. “I thought it might have done some property. He was really good defensively. Tonight, he was not as good as him and I was proud of the growth he showed on this side of the ball. »»

It was not the only time that Diebler spoke with Mobley in head, but it was a notable moment.

Before the match, Illinois coach Brad Underwood describes Mobley as “an elite defender” while previewing buckeyes. After the victory, Underwood said that the Illini wanted to try to force Mobley and his companion in the rear area, Bruce Thornton, to take shots with two uncomfortable points instead of 3S or Layups.

This approach worked: Thornton (3 for 11) and Mobley (2 for 13) were combined 5 for 23 (21.7%) from the interior of the 3 -point line. The first year now draws 40.3% on a fork of 3 points, but only 38.8% compared to two while making the adjustment of mid-season in a more important role in the absence during Meechie Johnson Jr., a fifth year transfer which started the first 10 games but has now missed the last 12 times on the team’s leave for unknown personal reasons.

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He had to learn on the fly, and it came with expected ups and downs.

“He is playing a major role right now and he just learns,” said Thornton. “He will improve and he will not make the same mistake twice. I have the greatest confidence in what it does. He will shoot, improve and present himself big against Maryland (Thursday). »»

Likewise, Diebler has expressed his conviction that Mobley will continue to have an impact on buckeyes with his versatile game while continuing to go through the typical first -year progression. While playing the most important fourth minutes on the list, Mobley is third on the team by scoring (12.9 points per game), second in assists (51) and has only five more reversals (28) That Johnson (23) in 10 games while playing a little more than half of the first year than the first year.

Although the selection of shots is not sometimes what Diebler wanted, and the efficiency was not there, the coach said that Mobley had managed the physicity of the Illinois “very good” and quoted it as A sign of “significant growth” for the first year guard.

“They hit you, push you, and they often have limited guys captures and he was able to put the ball in his hands,” he said. “Now, after that sometimes, he was a little accelerated. It will be an excellent learning experience for him. He missed that he could certainly have done, took things that he should probably have to fight for something better (on). »»

ajardy@dispatch.com

@Adamjardy

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This article originally appeared on the Dispatch of Columbus: The loss of the Illinois “great learning experience” for John Mobley Jr of Ohio State