Kelsey Mitchell helps Ohio State grow into big-time women’s program

Kelsey Mitchell knew she was having a good freshman season at Ohio State. The numbers didn't lie.

Mitchell, a 5-foot-8-inch guard from Cincinnati was averaging 24.9 points and had scored over 800 points. But it wasn't until late in the season did Mitchell realize that not only was she the Buckeyes' leading scorer, she led the entire nation in women's Division I.

"It was something I was totally not thinking about until late in the season," she said. "I was just concentrating on trying to get better every day."

She managed to do that and it resulted in her being the Big Ten's Co-Player of the Year, the conference's Freshman of the Year, a second-team All-American and a finalist for three postseason national awards.

Mitchell also did something else. She painted a huge target on her chest for opposing teams. She's no longer a secret and if Ohio State is going to continue to move up in the Big Ten, she'll have to find a way to stay a step ahead of her opponents who are hell-bent on shutting her down.

"I know everything is not always going to go well," Mitchell said. "But I rely on my teammates and together we can do great things."

Ohio State is in town to play in the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout and the two-day event which tips off today features several high-powered women's programs. In addition to the Buckeyes, who are ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press women's poll, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 16 California and No. 23 Syracuse are in the field.

"It's going to be a test for us," said OSU coach Kevin McGuff, whose 2-2 team has already been tested in losses to No. 2 South Carolina and No. 1 Connecticut to open the 2015-16 season and will play Liberty at 2:15 p.m. today in the South Point Arena. "But this will help get us ready for conference play and play some quality teams."

McGuff said teams were already trying to put the brakes on Mitchell's game last year so he and his star guard have worked on getting her stronger and quicker in order to be able to overcome whatever teams try to do to shut her down.

"She's so coachable," McGuff said of Mitchell, who is averaging 23.3 points in four games so far this season. "She doesn't freak out over the extra attention. She trusts her teammates and she's not trying to do everything by herself."

Mitchell said for Ohio State to have success, she can't try to go outside her game. Otherwise, it's going to be counterproductive.

"I'm a more patient player," she said. "I forced things at times last year. Now, I take what the defense gives me. We've got a lot of talent on our team. We have other people who can score besides me."

She was referring primarily to Ameryst Alston, who is shooting 47 percent from the floor and is averaging 19.5 points a game. From there, it drops off significantly to Shayla Cooper, who averages 9.5 points.

But this is a deep team and McGuff is playing nine players at least 15 minutes a game with a 10th (Lisa Bair) averaging 9.5 points off the bench.

Still, Mitchell is the go-to gal for the Buckeyes and she has accepted her celebrity while trying to remain true to herself. She had a fun honor during the summer when she threw out the first pitch before a Cincinnati Reds game at Great American Ballpark.

"I did O.K. but baseball's not really my thing," she said. "It's too slow for me."

Maybe if she continues on her path to stardom, she can one day earn one of the great honored traditions at Ohio State — dotting the "i" in "OHIO" when the marching band performs at halftime of a Buckeyes home football game.

"Now that would be really cool," she said. "I would love that."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj