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Ohio Basketball: In-depth look at sophomore guard Teyvion Kirk

By Bryan Mauro

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 23: (L-R) Walter Offutt #3, Ivo Baltic #23, D.J. Cooper #5 and Jon Smith #21 of the Ohio Bobcats huddle up against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Midwest Regional Semifinal at Edward Jones Dome on March 23, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. North Carolina won 73-65. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 23: (L-R) Walter Offutt #3, Ivo Baltic #23, D.J. Cooper #5 and Jon Smith #21 of the Ohio Bobcats huddle up against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Midwest Regional Semifinal at Edward Jones Dome on March 23, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. North Carolina won 73-65. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – MARCH 23: The mascot for the Ohio Bobcats performs against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional Semifinal at Edward Jones Dome on March 23, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – MARCH 23: The mascot for the Ohio Bobcats performs against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional Semifinal at Edward Jones Dome on March 23, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Expectations for Kirk in 2018-19

Coach Phillips and the Bobcats were not satisfied with their season last year. The 14 wins were the fewest at Ohio since Coach Phillips first year in Athens. Phillips was able to sandwich two decent years in between the bad seasons. The Bobcats should be better this year and his star sophomore is going to be a huge reason why.

It is hard for any player who finishes on a team that has a final record near .500 overall, which is where Ohio is more likely to finish, to make an all-conference team. For that to happen that player would need to put up some rather gaudy numbers, which is exactly what Kirk should be able to do. The Bobcats, as mentioned before are going to make sure Kirk has the ball in his hand as much as possible. If history teaches us anything, it is that Kirk can do a lot of damage with the ball in his hand.

One thing to keep an eye on for Ohio and the sophomore guard is the loss of his right-hand man Mike Laster. He was a Senior last year and these two players accounted for almost half of the scoring for the Bobcats. Without Laster, the sophomore is going to have a much bigger load to shoulder. If it appears to be a problem for him initially, coach Phillips may have to get creative to score. Judging by the makeup of Kirk and his reputation, losing Laster won’t be a problem. It will only make Kirk that much better.

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The guard is poised for a big year and if he continues to play like he did most of his freshman season, Ohio will reap the benefits. The MAC is going to need to be on alert as Kirk is well on his way to becoming a bona fide star in this league. He will be on the All-conference team by the time he leaves Athens.