The preseason recognition keeps rolling in for Ohio State junior guard John Mobley Jr. This time it's reached the national level.
The Buckeye sharpshooter was named to the Jerry West Preseason Watch List, an award given at the end of the season to the best shooting guard in College Basketball. There are 20 players who get named to the preseason watch list, making John Mobley Jr. one of the top shooting guards in the country based on expectations.
This spotlight adds to what the Ohio State junior guard has already received from the Big Ten this preseason. Last month, Mobley was also named to the All-Big Ten Preseason First Team.
Last season, Mobley earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after averaging 15.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. He also ranked among the Big Ten leaders in both three-point percentage and three-pointers made per game last season, connecting on 97 3-pointers. That mark was also good enough for the fourth-most in a single season in Ohio State history.
Entering this season, Mobley will be taking on a much bigger role as the leader of the Scarlet and Gray. Bruce Thornton is now playing in the NBA, making room for the Buckeye sniper to shine in his junior season. According to head coach Jake Diebler, Mobley has taken on the leadership role and run with it.
"He absolutely has taken on the leadership role, and he's done it really well," Diebler told me last Wednesday at the Schottenstein Center. "He's a hooper. He's in the gym all the time. He studies the game. I had him part of our leadership team last year in preparation for this season, but in that group last year he didn't have the strongest voice. He had a voice, but it wasn't the strongest voice. Now, seeing him with this group, it's actually a natural thing for him to be able to talk to teammates, to be able to push teammates."
"Because he works so hard, those guys see him in the gym; guys might be walking in for an 8:00 meeting, and he's walking up to the locker room from being in the gym already working out," Diebler added. "They know the time he spends, and that immediately gives you some cred. But he says the right things, he competes, and I think our guys have really gravitated towards his leadership, which for us is incredibly important."
The expectations are high for John Mobley Jr. heading into this College Basketball season, but it is great to see him receive this preseason recognition. If he makes the leap that is expected, it could be a big year not just for him, but for the Ohio State basketball team as well.
The Buckeyes get their 2026-27 season underway on Monday night in Salt Lake City, where they'll meet #25 BYU. Tip-off is currently slated for 9:00 pm ET.
The full list of 20 players named to the Preseason Watch List:
1. Caleb Holt, Arizona
2. Jeremiah Wilkinson, Arkansas
3. Collin Chandler, BYU
4. John Blackwell, Duke
5. Denzel Aberdeen, Florida
6. Quentin Coleman, Illinois
7. Killyan Toure, Iowa State
8. Seth Trimble, Louisville
9. Trey McKenney, Michigan
10. Matt Able, North Carolina
11. John Mobley Jr., Ohio State
12. Miles Byrd, Providence
13. Austin Goosby, Texas
14. P.J. Haggerty, Texas A&M
15. Trent Perry, UCLA
16. Braylon Mullins, UConn
17. Alijah Arenas, USC
18. Mason Falslev, Utah State
19. Tyler Perkins, Villanova
20. Finley Bizjack, West Virginia
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