Hart producing by ‘going with the flow’
When redshirt junior forward Makayla Waterman exited game a Dec. 17 at Cincinnati because of a left ankle sprain, Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff had a few things on his mind.
McGuff and his staff had to consider how much time she might miss — Waterman practiced “a little” Wednesday and is “close” to returning on the eve of Ohio State’s game Thursday against Minnesota — and who might take on her minutes and responsibilities in an already small rotation.
For senior forward Alexa Hart, who has averaged 19.3 minutes over the last three games in Waterman’s absence, the best strategy has been thinking less while on the court. The product Sunday in No. 10 Ohio State’s 85-70 win over Indiana was what McGuff called some “really good moments” in Hart’s 16 minutes.
Hart had seven points and four rebounds, her highest total in both categories since a win Nov. 23 over Memphis.
“I’m just trying to go out there and play as hard as I can, be able to help my teammates and them help me be able to get better myself. So with (Waterman) going down, I just have to pick up where she started,” Hart said. “I just kind of stopped thinking about what to do (Sunday); just going with the flow and keep moving.”
Hart, an Africentric graduate, started 32 or more games and averaged more than 28 minutes in each of her first two seasons at Ohio State, but has primarily come off the bench over the last two seasons.
“Whatever coach needs me to do, I’ll just do it,” she said. “If me coming off the bench helps our team, I’ll do it.”
The role is at times more difficult in the sense that she has less time on the court to get and stay hot.
“I think sometimes for me, it’s just like I don’t want to mess up. I try to play perfect but you can’t play perfect,” she said. “I just think, ‘Should I score the ball
or should I pass it, what should I do?’ That’s kind of how my mindset is, like, ‘What should I do at the moment?’ ”
She appeared more free with the ball Sunday, attempting a season-high three three-pointers and tying a season high with eight total shots. They’re instincts McGuff has seen before and hopes to see more of during what promises to be a moredifficult Big Ten season than in years past.
“She knows how to play. She’s a really good player,” McGuff said. “I do think she gets thinking too much, so I just want her to play hard and impact the game like she’s capable of because she’s a really good player.”