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Transfer center Christoph Tilly viewed as integral part in new-look Ohio State offense
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- Transfer center Christoph Tilly viewed as integral part in new-look Ohio State offense
The biggest key to unlocking the hoped-for new offense at Ohio State might lie in its tallest starter.
For three years running, Bruce Thornton has led the men's basketball team in dishing out assists. Next to him in the backcourt, sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. is in line to take on more playmaking responsibilities to help free up Thornton to score.
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Towering over both is senior center Christoph Tilly, a 7-foot, 240-pound priority acquisition in the transfer portal by way of Santa Clara . While Thornton, Mobley and junior forward Devin Royal are the team's three top returning scorers, Tilly could be the linchpin for how the Buckeyes want to play in coach Jake Diebler's second season.
"He completely changes our offensive dynamic," Diebler said.
Ohio State's lone public exhibition game illustrated Diebler's point. In a 103-74 win against Ohio on Oct. 26 , Tilly finished with 10 points, five rebounds and a game-high seven assists without committing a turnover in 23 minutes. Those stats won't count toward Tilly's senior season totals, and they came against an outmatched mid-major opponent, but it begged the question: Was this what Diebler was talking about?
Should Ohio State fans expect Tilly to flirt with a triple-double on a nightly basis?
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"I mean, yeah, hopefully, but I think this is the way I read the game," Tilly said with a laugh. "If I see somebody open and that's a better shot than I can get, I'm going to pass them the ball. They know I can pass."
Ohio State's Christoph Tilly had 10 points, five rebounds and a game-high seven assists without committing a turnover in 23 minutes against Ohio.
Tilly's seven assists went to five different players. Five of the assists were on layups, three of which went to frontcourt-mate Brandon Noel, and two more were on 3-pointers.
"Learning how to play off these guys has been fun, especially the guy next to me," Noel said while seated to Tilly's left during the postgame press conference. "It's been fun to play with him in the paint."
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That's the kind of impact that had the Buckeyes pursuing Tilly in the transfer portal. Tilly said associate head coach Joel Justus was the first coach to contact him when he opted to leave Santa Clara after averaging 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while playing 22.6 minutes per game. All were career-high totals.
The expectation this year is that Tilly's minutes will surpass last year's, and his work this summer with strength and conditioning coach Quadrian Banks was designed for that. Tilly's least-favorite exercise? The echo bike, where you pedal with your arms and legs as it spins a fan.
"There's only one way to be ready for (more minutes) and that's to be in great shape," he said. "Physically and mentally, too, I have to be ready to play, worst case, 40 minutes."
Bigger, more physical tests lie ahead, especially once Big Ten play gets underway. Defensively, Tilly will have to answer the same question as his teammates: Can the Buckeyes show enough bite on that end to complement what they expect to be a prolific offense?
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"There's more physicality than he's used to seeing," Diebler said. "We know that and we're preparing for that, but it starts with his basketball IQ, and I think that is going to help be an anchor for us to be able to communicate actions early and be able to identify what's going on."
Thornton said Tilly's versatility and ability to bring the ball up have already made his job easier.
"If he gets the defensive rebound, don't be surprised if he's the one pushing the ball up," Thornton said. "Great passer. Also, able to make a wide-open 3 consistently. When you have that as your (center), that puts a lot of pressure on your defense."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State looking to Christoph Tilly as lynchpin for new offense
