The best part about the preseason, in any sport, is the anticipation.
In the case of the Ohio State men’s basketball team, that anticipation is building toward the season opener Nov. 2 against No. 25 BYU in Salt Lake City. In a nationally televised game, Ohio State will play the first of its 32 regular-season games.
There are plenty of questions about this year’s team, which for the first time since the 2020-21 season will be without lineup stalwart Bruce Thornton running the point. With roles up for grabs and a new style to be forged, it’s time to see what the Buckeyes think about themselves before things officially get underway.
As is tradition,
The Dispatch has polled players in four categories: best shooter, best passer, best dunker and best dresser on the team. Players are allowed to split votes and vote for themselves. Totals might not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
Best Shooter - John Mobley Jr.
For the third straight year, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard has been voted the team's best shooter by his teammates. This time, there was no debate.
Mobley received every single vote as the team's top shooter. Last season, Mobley earned 81.8% of the voting. Before his freshman season, Mobley earned 83.3% of the voting.
In 63 games for the Buckeyes, Mobleyhas shot 39.9% from deep (174 for 436). That's already the seventh-most 3-pointers made in program history. Last season, Mobley went 97 for 236 (41.1%) from behind the arc.
Best Passer - Justin Pippen
There was more debate about this category, but ultimately the award went to Ohio State's heir apparent at the point guard spot. Pippen, a 6-4, 190-pound guard who transferred from California, received more than half of his team's votes as the best passer on the team.
In 32 games for the Golden Bears, Pippen averaged 14.2 points and dished out 4.6 assists per game, good enough for eighth-most in the ACC. He will slot into the lineup alongside Mobley.
Here's how the voting broke down:
- 1. Justin Pippen, 53.8%
- T-2., Andrija Jelavic and John Mobley Jr., 15.4% each
- T-4., Curtis Givens III and LJ Smith, 7.7% each
Best dunker - Amare Bynum
This one was just short of unanimous. Entering last year, Bynum was a unanimous pick for the team's best dunker, and the team's official game notes even identified him as such.
He went on to record more than twice as many dunks as anyone else on the roster as a freshman. He finished with 37.
In the exhibition win against Butler on Oct. 25, he threw down two powerful jams in a two-minute first-half sequence that helped turn the momentum in favor of the Buckeyes.
Still, the 6-8, 245-pound sophomore came up just short of sweeping the category for a second consecutive season.
Here's how the voting broke down.
- Amare Bynum, 96.2%
- Josh Ojianwuna, 3.8%
Best dresser - A three-way tie
Always the most hotly debated category, no player fully emerged as the clear-cut style leader for this year's Ohio State team. Of the six players to receive consideration in 2025, just one of them is back on the roster in 2026 and he did not receive a vote.
That would be junior center Ivan Njegovan, who finished in a four-way tie for second place behind Thornton. Coach Jake Diebler also got some consideration last season but received no votes this year. Ten different Buckeyes received votes this year.
Here's how the voting broke down.
- T-1, Curtis Givens III, John Mobley Jr., LJ Smith (15.4% each)
- T-4, Lee Aaliya, Amare Bynum, Myles Herro, Andrija Jelavic, Vuk Lazarevic, Braylen Nash, Justin Pippen (7.7% each)
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social, on Instagram at @cdadamjardyor on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who is Ohio State's best shooter? Dunker? Dresser? Buckeyes weigh in
