COLUMBUS, Ohio — Every show needs a headliner. So far, Ohio State doesn't have one.

        “The biggest single thing is we had a team the last couple of years that people would point to and say, "Those guys are stars.' They had star quality,” Buckeyes coach Jim O'Brien said. “When you look at our team now, we don't have a star. We have a collection of guys who I think can comprise a pretty effective team.”

        Scoonie Penn is gone; Michael Redd is gone; George Reese is gone.

        Unless someone steps forward to become the supernova in the Ohio State constellation, the memories of the 1999 Final Four and last year's Big Ten co-championship also will begin to fade away.

        The Buckeyes are light years away from the 8-22 team of three years ago but probably won't look or act much like the Penn-and-Redd, Redd-and-Penn teams of the past two seasons.

        The lineup will be a mixture of varying degrees of talent and experience. Ken Johnson, who led the nation in blocked shots last season, again will be a 6-foot-11 presence in the middle. The featured guard will be Brian Brown, like Johnson a two-year starter, along with Brent Darby on the point. Boban Savovic will pick up minutes in the backcourt and at small forward.

        No one questions Johnson's fly-swatting approach at the defensive end. But Ohio State must get more out of him at the other end — he averaged just 7.8 points a game last season — if it is to stay competitive in a strong Big Ten.

        “I have proven myself at the defensive end of the court,” Johnson, a soft-spoken art major, said. “Now I have to go out and score.”

        The forwards are an eclectic group. True freshman Zach Williams has been a surprise of the preseason and probably will get lots of minutes. Doylan Robinson, Cobe Ocokoljic, Will Dudley and Kent State transfer Tim Martin also will be in the mix.

        Perhaps the most intriguing forward candidate is Providence transfer Sean Connolly, a 3-point sniper who could take a lot of the pressure off defenses sagging on Johnson or double-teaming Brown. Connolly, who started all 30 games, hit 64 3-pointers in his only year with the Friars.

        O'Brien believes that depth leads to fresh horses, which leads to an ability to run and press more than the past couple of Buckeyes teams did.

        “I know it's a beat expression, but "by committee' does apply,” O'Brien said.

        But without the 35 points a night that Redd and Penn almost always provided, the Buckeyes have to have a lot of people contributing.

        “Without Scoonie, Michael and George, a lot more shots are going to open up,” Brown said. “So now the other guys and I have to go out and put up good shots.”

        Most nights, Ohio State was assured of winning at least 2 1/2 battles a night — Redd and Penn would outplay their opponents, and Johnson would handle his role on defense. To win, all the Buckeyes needed was marginal input from everybody else.

        No longer.

        “This is a team that has to maximize every opportunity that we get,” O'Brien said. “We have to do a better job of making open 3s. When we get open shots, we've got to finish it off.

        “And without question, when we get to the free throw line, we cannot miss them.”

        In due time, the Buckeyes could be formidable. For now, they are formative.

        “We're still searching for an identity,” O'Brien said. “... Who is going to be that guy that we feel we can count on?”
       

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