Scarlet Sunrise: Cotie McMahon hits game-winner in FIBA U19 Women's World Cup final
Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.
Cotie McMahon hits game-winner in FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup final
No one was stopping Cotie McMahon.
With the gold medal game of the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup tied at 66-66, McMahon — Ohio State’s star forward and this past season’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year — went at her defender.
McMahon attacked off the bounce, spun and kissed a contested shot off the glass with 21 seconds remaining to lift USA Basketball’s U19 Women’s National Team ahead of Spain’s, 68-66.
That make went down as the game-winner in a 69-66 victory Sunday, a win that gave Team USA its 10th such title, including its third straight.
It was also the second time Team USA has topped the host country in the championship game. Back in 2015, the Americans ousted Russia in Russia. This time around, McMahon and Team USA beat Spain in Spain — Madrid to be exact.
Team USA was 7-0 in the tournament this year. McMahon finished the gold medal game with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists.
She made the 12-member roster in May after being one of 23 players invited to participate in a three-day trial in Colorado Springs. The team was led by USA head coach Joni Taylor, who currently coaches Texas A&M, in addition to assistants DeLisha Milton-Jones (head coach at Old Dominion) and Teri Moren (head coach at Indiana).
This year’s FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup consisted of 16 teams. Team USA started out in Group B with Chinese Taipei, Germany and Mali.
McMahon’s game-winner in the gold medal contest is the latest feather in her cap.
The 6-foot McMahon was second in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and field goal percentage on an Ohio State squad that made the program’s first Elite Eight since 1993. She posted 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting at a 51% clip. The Centerville, Ohio, native notched a trio of double-doubles along the way. That included a 28-point, 12-rebound performance against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
McMahon eclipsed the 20-point mark 14 times. What’s more, she got the starting nod for all of Ohio State’s 36 games in 2022-23.
Among all NCAA Division I freshmen last season, she was third in field goals made, fourth in field goal percentage, fifth in points, sixth in free throws made and ninth in scoring.
Examining best wide receivers Buckeyes will face this season
The last two weeks, Lettermen Row has been breaking down the Ohio State safeties and cornerbacks. Both position groups make up a Buckeyes secondary that struggled down the stretch of 2022.
A second-year jump in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ system starts with improvement in the back end.
Ohio State, however, will be facing a handful of impressive receivers this season who will make achieving that improvement quite difficult.
We ranked the top-five wideouts the Buckeyes will go against this season. Check it out here.
Where does Ohio State go at linebacker for remainder of 2024 cycle?
Ohio State missed out on another linebacker target Sunday.
Four-star Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa committed to Notre Dame over Ohio State and USC.
Viliamu-Asa is the No. 8 linebacker in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Two days prior, four-star Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy prospect Edwin Spillman — the No. 27 linebacker this cycle, also according to the On3 Industry Ranking — pledged to Tennessee.
Luckily for Knowles and the Buckeyes, they already have a pair of four-star linebacker commits in their class. But it’s clear Knowles and assistant linebackers coach James Laurinaitis were looking to add to that tandem.
Lettermen Row is taking a look at who Ohio State could still pursue at the position. For a rundown of Ohio State linebacker recruiting options, go here.
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 40 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 125 days
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