I can admit when I’ve made a mistake. In August of 2022, I wrote an article about how the Covelli Center would be a great home for Ohio State women’s basketball. The 2023-24 season showed that the Schottenstein Center provides a fantastic atmosphere for a basketball game. However, the big problem with the venue is that fans don’t show up nearly often enough.
On Jan. 21, 2024, Ohio State won what ended up being its most impressive victory of the season. Down 12 points, the Buckeyes rallied. After guard Celeste Taylor hit a shot to put Ohio State back into the game with seconds remaining, the Scarlet & Gray dominated in overtime to pick up a victory that ultimately led to winning an outright Big Ten Regular Season title.
In four seasons covering Ohio State, I’ve heard the yelling and complaining of opposing fans as the Buckeyes mounted comebacks in away arenas, saw the shock of UConn fans in the 2023 Sweet Sixteen, and stood within a few feet of players cutting down the nets after beating rivals from up north.
The win over Iowa was different. It was an experience that tops the list of games covered live. At the end of regulation, something happened that I hadn’t felt before at a game, and likely won’t be repeated. As I took a second to breathe, my arms were shaking. A feeling felt by peers next to me.
It wasn’t only because of an exciting game featuring the biggest name in the sport, a gift for someone writing about sports. No, it was mostly because of the sound that reverberated throughout the Schottenstein Center.
Ohio State’s win wasn’t its largest comeback in the arena. It wasn’t a game that featured the most exciting plays in the past four seasons. However, having a program record 18,860 people in attendance — 1,300 more than the previous mark — put the experience of that matchup into another stratosphere.
An arena that’s often ridiculed, mainly by St. John’s Arena loyalists (it’s not hosting games anymore, I’m sorry), was loud. It sounded more like the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Golden State Warriors in an NBA Finals game seven than a regular season Big Ten college basketball game. Why can’t that happen more often?
A logical argument is that not every game features superstar guard Caitlin Clark. I have a counterpoint:
Scarlet and gray heavily outnumbered Iowa’s black and gold in the crowd.
As much as Hawkeye fans cheered when Clark hit one of her token deep three-pointers, and the few Clark-curious Buckeye supporters, the game was the loudest when Ohio State made a fourth-quarter run.
Ohio State fans are out there. They’re the same people who pack nearly 100,000 people into Ohio Stadium. Their names are scrolled on degrees just like their football peers. Even the football players themselves come out to women’s basketball games, so why can’t the uninitiated?
Following that win, the Buckeyes did get a bump in attendance. After keeping the upper bowl closed for years, certain games gave fans the opportunity to pack the lower bowl and open up parts of the upper deck. The final two regular season home games each eclipsed 10,000 in attendance, with wins over the Maryland Terrapins and Michigan Wolverines.
The bump in attendance falls in line with the overall increase in excitement for women’s basketball. Across college and the pros, records in attendance, sell-outs, and television ratings are common. Each week, a new record seems to be broken.
It’s the perfect time to make the Schottenstein Center what it can be. It’s got the potential to be a fortress for Ohio State on the women’s side. While fan favorites like guards Jacy Sheldon and the aforementioned Taylor are gone, there’s more than enough to make up for it in new roster additions.
Head coach Kevin McGuff added the No. 2 overall recruit in the country, the highest-rated recruit landing at Ohio State in his tenure. Guard Jaloni Cambridge enters the team with high expectations. Something the incoming freshman embraces and easily clears with a highlight reel of moments leading to another National Championship as a senior with Montverde Academy.
Plus, Chance Gray, a dynamic shooting guard out of Cincinnati, went to the University of Oregon for two seasons before coming back to her home state. There’s also Ajae Petty, a double-double averaging forward who joins the Buckeyes after her best collegiate season with the Kentucky Wildcats.
Those are only the new players. Coach McGuff returns senior experience and dynamic playmakers. Guard Madison Greene played her first nearly full season in three years this past season, following two ACL tears keeping her out most of the 21-22 and 22-23 seasons. Greene stands alongside guard/forward Taylor Thierry whose ceiling might be higher than any in the conference with sheer athleticism and knowledge of the game.
Last, but not least in the slightest, is forward Cotie McMahon. Debuting as a freshman two seasons ago, McMahon showed her future as a staple of the conference. In that win over Iowa, the sophomore scored 33 points and added 12 rebounds, with two blocks. Putting McMahon alongside Cambridge creates a duo that Ohio State fans will need to see to believe.
This isn’t a knock to the loyal fans of Buckeyes women’s basketball. There’s a dedicated group, even some who travel to see the team consistently away from Columbus, who are loud, excited, and show support for Ohio State. However, now that the arena’s potential is realized, it’s time for more.