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On the morning of Ohio State's first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament, junior Cotie McMahon sent a group text to teammates. The gist of the message: leave it all on the court.
"Nobody wants to go home first round, or second," McMahon said. "I just said let's make it out of here and let's just give it our all. We are capable of a lot, and I was just making sure that I instilled confidence in the team."
Ohio State, the No. 4 seed in the Birmingham 3 region, went on to defeat the No. 13 seed Montana State 71-51 in the opening round. McMahon tied with junior Chance Gray as the Buckeyes' second-leading scorer of the game with 15 points.
More: How Kevin McGuff's technical foul fueled Ohio State's first-round victory
Following the game, Gray said the message McMahon sent inspired the team, especially for the five players who were appearing in their first NCAA Tournament game.
McMahon's words highlighted how she has stepped up into a leadership role this season.
"We graduated one of the best leaders we've ever had in this program in (Jacy) Sheldon last year," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "And Cotie plays with such emotion and energy that people are going to naturally gravitate toward her, and kind of go with that flow. So, we were just working on her to create positive energy out there, and I think everybody really feeds off that."
Sheldon graduated after five years with the program last season, leaving a big role that McMahon was expected to help fill alongside other veterans such as Taylor Thierry.
While McMahon had already proven her ability to be a difference-maker on the court during her first two seasons with Ohio State, she was admittedly nervous about being viewed as one of the leaders ahead of the season.
As Ohio State enters the second round of the tournament, a matchup against the region's No. 5 seed Tennessee at 8 p.m. Sunday, it is clear McMahon's leadership role is solidified, with the freshmen looking to the junior in these postseason moments.
"Her role and her voice is very big on this team," freshman Ava Watson said. "Just her little words of encouragement, her pep talks in the locker room and the huddles, they mean so much, and I don't think she knows how much it does for the team and how much we all want to play hard for her, because we see the passion."
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@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Cotie McMahon has become leader for Ohio State in NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
"Nobody wants to go home first round, or second," McMahon said. "I just said let's make it out of here and let's just give it our all. We are capable of a lot, and I was just making sure that I instilled confidence in the team."
Ohio State, the No. 4 seed in the Birmingham 3 region, went on to defeat the No. 13 seed Montana State 71-51 in the opening round. McMahon tied with junior Chance Gray as the Buckeyes' second-leading scorer of the game with 15 points.
More: How Kevin McGuff's technical foul fueled Ohio State's first-round victory
Following the game, Gray said the message McMahon sent inspired the team, especially for the five players who were appearing in their first NCAA Tournament game.
McMahon's words highlighted how she has stepped up into a leadership role this season.
"We graduated one of the best leaders we've ever had in this program in (Jacy) Sheldon last year," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "And Cotie plays with such emotion and energy that people are going to naturally gravitate toward her, and kind of go with that flow. So, we were just working on her to create positive energy out there, and I think everybody really feeds off that."
Sheldon graduated after five years with the program last season, leaving a big role that McMahon was expected to help fill alongside other veterans such as Taylor Thierry.
While McMahon had already proven her ability to be a difference-maker on the court during her first two seasons with Ohio State, she was admittedly nervous about being viewed as one of the leaders ahead of the season.
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As Ohio State enters the second round of the tournament, a matchup against the region's No. 5 seed Tennessee at 8 p.m. Sunday, it is clear McMahon's leadership role is solidified, with the freshmen looking to the junior in these postseason moments.
"Her role and her voice is very big on this team," freshman Ava Watson said. "Just her little words of encouragement, her pep talks in the locker room and the huddles, they mean so much, and I don't think she knows how much it does for the team and how much we all want to play hard for her, because we see the passion."
[email protected]
@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Cotie McMahon has become leader for Ohio State in NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
