Greg Oden is the freshman superstar who could lead Ohio State to the Final Four, but we shouldn't forget that when Oden was on the bench recuperating from a wrist injury early this season, Ohio State was still a pretty good team without him. So let's take a moment to appreciate Othello Hunter, the 6-foot-9 junior college transfer who manned the middle early in the year and has continued to play an important role even as Oden's emergence has reduced his minutes.
At Fox Sports, Peter Schrager lists Hunter as one of his eight role players to watch, and I couldn't agree more about his importance. Like Oden, Hunter is a very good offensive rebounder, a good shot blocker, and a good scorer who could probably stand to be a little more assertive on offense.
Hunter has one more year of eligibility after this season, and he's probably looking forward to seeing Oden go to the pros so he can be the Buckeyes' top big man. Ohio State will certainly miss Oden when he's gone, but with Hunter around, they won't miss him as much as you might think.
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