The Ohio State women's basketball program has run into some rough times over the last few years. Head coach Kevin McGuff has been at the crux of their problems. Last offseason, he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. He ended up serving a two-week suspension.
This past season, the Buckeyes finished with a loss at home in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be a rite of passage every year for the Ohio State Buckeyes. They can't seem to get past that point, and McGuff has been facing some pressure to break past that ceiling.
McGuff has been known as a solid recruiter in his tenure as head coach. He has landed several top prospects over the years. Now, he has landed another one. McGuff has landed a five-star center in the 2027 class extremely late in the recruiting cycle.
Ohio State women's basketball team lands Sydney Mobley
According to Rivals, the Buckeyes have landed Sydney Mobley, a five-star center from Sunbury. She is rated as the third-best center in the country and the best one in the state of Ohio. She will come in and start right away and help McGuff on his quest to win a title.
The Buckeyes had to lean on Jaloni Cambridge to create everything offensively at the guard position. Adding Mobley should give her a nice pick-and-roll partner. Mobley can stretch the floor a little bit, as well, although she still needs to improve her 3-point shooting.
Ohio State should be considered one of the favorites in the Big Ten during the regular season. One thing McGuff always does is have his team ready to go in the regular season. However, postseason struggles will continue to be the story, even during the middle of next season.
Kevin McGuff needs to breakthrough in the postseason
Losing on the road in the NCAA Tournament is one thing. Overcoming home-court advantage is tough, especially when postseason play arrives. Yet, Ohio State has done an exceedingly poor job of protecting its own home court, especially in the second round.
The Buckeyes are hoping to change that narrative with Mobley now in tow for next season. She will be a great piece to add late in the offseason. Hopefully, she is able to get up to speed on Ohio State's system in the short offseason that she has left. McGuff will make sure she's integrated quickly.
McGuff has been at Ohio State for a while now. He has had a couple of off-the-court problems with him and his staff. Add that to the lack of postseason success in recent years, and his seat might be getting a little warm. He needed to add an elite recruit like Mobley to the roster.
Expect Mobley and Cambridge to be the centerpieces of the offense. Of course, the Buckeyes will continue to run their patented press on defense, which always wreaks havoc on opponents. That always gives them some easy baskets. They just need to be better in the half-court.
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