COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Stadium is often referred to as the “house that Chic Harley built.” The Columbus native was a three-time All-American from 1916-19, and helped popularize Ohio State football, creating the need for a new, larger stadium.
Fast forward roughly 80 years to the Schottenstein Center, which owes its existence to the Ohio State teams that won back-to-back Big Ten championships in 1991 and 1992. Led by All-American Jim Jackson, those Buckeyes outgrew St. John Arena’s capacity of 13,276, and the program opened its new home in the fall of 1998.
The foundation of those transcendent OSU teams, though, can be traced back to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament. During those two seasons (1990-91 and 1991-92), the Buckeyes had 12 scholarship players from the state of Ohio, and seven of them took their high schools to the OHSAA “Final Four.” Additionally, four of them left the tournament as state champions.
In 1989, Jackson cut down the nets with Macomber High School, out of Toledo, defeating Cleveland St. Joseph, 75-72, in the Division I Championship. One of the top players in the entire country, Jackson scored a game-high 25 in the final, on the heels of a 29-point performance in the state semifinal win over Cincinnati Woodward.
One year earlier, Lawrence Funderburke was a state champ, leading Columbus Wehrle to a 71-54 triumph over Kalida in the Division IV title game, in which Funderburke scored 25 points. Kalida defeated Fort Loramie and future Buckeye Tom Brandewie, who had 21 points in the outing, in its semifinal win.
Speaking of Brandewie, his 17 points propelled Fort Loramie to the Class A championship at the University of Dayton Arena in 1987, defeating Buckeye Trail, 45-44. Brandewie had 20 in the semifinal win over Wynford. In the other semifinal, Wayne Trace fell to Wynford, 50-49. The late Steve Hall, headed to OSU, netted 8 points in that contest.
In Class AAA that year, three future Buckeyes converged on Dayton.
Dunbar, with Mark Baker, took home the title, defeating Canton McKinley and seven-footer Bill Robinson, 70-65. Baker had four points in the final, Robinson 13. “Big Bill” added six in the semifinal victory over Toledo Whitmer, while Dunbar won a wild, 94-80 contest with Cleveland St. Joseph in the other state semi. Baker had 23 in that one, while his future Buckeye teammate, Treg Lee, pumped in 32 for the Vikings.
That St. Joe’s team was loaded with future stars, including Michigan recruit, and future NBA player, Eric Riley. John Beauford was headed to Ohio University, while Elvis Grbac and Desmond Howard thought they would try their hands at football for Michigan. Speaking of pigskins, future OSU defensive end Jason Simmons appeared in the Class AA tournament with Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.
That experience on the big stage served those players well at the next level. In addition to the regular season Big Ten championships (there was no conference tournament back then), the 1991 Buckeyes reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament, while the 1992 team lost in overtime to rival Michigan in the regional final, falling one game short of the Final Four.
Those OSU teams, coached by Randy Ayers, energized a program that hadn’t won a Big Ten title since 1971. They were fun teams to watch, playing with heart and joy, very similar to the current Buckeye bunch.
Since 1991, Ohio State basketball has:
- 9 regular season conference crowns (1991, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012)
- 5 Big Ten tournament titles (2002, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013)
- 18 NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021)
- 8 Sweet Sixteens (1991, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
- 5 Elite Eights (1992, 1999, 2007, 2012, 2013)
- 3 Final Fours (1999, 2007, 2012)
- 1 National Championship Game appearance (2007)
Italics indicate later vacated due to NCAA violations.
Kyle Jackson, a senior on this year’s Ohio State team was a Division I state champion with Massillon Jackson in 2017. Kalen Etlzer, who will be a freshman for the Buckeyes next year, won a Division IV title as a sophomore with Convoy Crestview in 2019. Meanwhile, his future classmate, Akron SVSM’s Malaki Branham was in that same state tournament two years ago, and is seeking a Division II state title as he wraps up his senior season.
