Kevin McGuff is in his 11th season as the coach for the Ohio State women’s basketball team.
McGuff noticed the uptick in interest in the sport in Central Ohio the last few seasons. That boomed last season with a memorable 100-92 victory against Caitlin Clark-led Iowa on Jan. 21, 2024 – but that was not the peak. The Buckeyes are one of the Big Ten schools building off the momentum of the increased interest in the sport in 2024-25.
“When I first got here, I could walk around here and nobody knew who I was,” McGuff told Sporting News. “Now, I have people asking me about the team and our recruits and stuff like that. It’s really cool to see our players get that type of recognition. It’s reflective of some of the success we’ve had, but also the growth of women’s basketball in general.
“I think the sport in general has had a tremendous amount of growth, but (Clark) certainly was at the center of that over the last four years,” he said. “We specifically really benefitted. We had some really great, competitive games that brought a lot of fans to the arena and a lot of eyes to the TV sets.”
Life after Clark in the Big Ten might be more exciting in the new 18-team conference. A total of seven Big Ten teams are ranked in the latest AP Women’s…
