Preston heaved a vicious over-the-head bounce pass directly to his hands. The ball thread between two defenders, one of which was hip-to-hip with Vander Plas, who caught the pass and finished the play with a layup.
For Preston, it was an easy play — he’s one of the only players in the nation who can consistently make it, too.
Those types of passes are why Preston, a sophomore guard, is fourth in the nation with 7.3 assists per game. He’s led Ohio in assists in all but one game this season, and he’s settled well into his new role as the commander of the Bobcats offense.
“I’m not going to say I’m surprised,” Preston said about his assists accolades. “This has been a dream and a goal of mine since I was little. It’s very humbling to be up there and actually doing it.”
Preston is, perhaps, the biggest reason why the Bobcats are a win away from matching their wins total a year ago despite a season that featured a new coach and a plethora of young players who didn’t have experience at the college level before the season.
Ohio is 6-9 in the Mid-American Conference under coach Jeff Boals. The Bobcats have won four of their last six games and are peaking at the perfect time with three regular season games left.
Preston has taken his game to the next level in that span. Boals has constantly remarked about how Preston, who was relatively quiet on the court last season as a freshman under former coach Saul Phillips, has become one of the loudest players in practice.
Preston puts his teammates in position. When someone botches a play or is out of a position, he’ll let them know. Before games, he's begun to approach Boals with suggestions about schemes based on what he sees from both Ohio and the opponent in warmups.
“I think it’s awesome that he does that,” Boals said. “It’s another piece of the accountability stepping up, and we give him a lot of credit for that.”
Preston’s suggestions have worked. Before wins against Miami and Western Michigan, he suggested to Boals that the Bobcats open the game by pressing on defense.
Why?
Ohio was feeling loose, active and fun in warmups. Players were bopping heads to the hip-hop music blaring from The Convo speakers and sharing laughs while swishing pregame shots.
The energy was there, and Preston wanted the Bobcats to keep it going.
Ohio won both games and limited both offenses to a rough first half. Against Miami, the Bobcats forced the RedHawks to open the game with a 0-for-24 shooting slump from the field. Preston also completed the second triple-double in program history against the Bobcats’ rival.
“I’ll ask J.P. what he wants to do,” Boals joked when asked whether Ohio would continue pressing to open games. “That seems to work out.”
Preston’s on-court performance has taken big strides, too. His jaw-dropping passes have become common now for the Bobcats, but he’s also become a better shooter.
Last season, Preston averaged a mere six points per game. Now, he’s the Bobcats’ leading scorer and averages 16.3 points per game.
His shooting confidence has sky-rocketed, and it showed Tuesday against Buffalo.
With three minutes left, Preston faced no pressure from the Bulls defense when he dribbled the ball through the “Ohio” logo at midcourt.
So, he pulled up with his feet still touching the green paint in the final “O” and took a shot. He walked back and watched as it swished through the net for three points, giving the Bobcats a dagger to the Bulls and solidifying Ohio’s biggest win of the conference season.
“He was just sliding off, so I shot it,” Preston said. “I shoot that shot a lot during practice.”
Preston is Ohio’s most complete player. His IQ and athleticism make him one of the conference’s best players, and he still has two years left with Ohio while Boals continues to build a roster capable of winning the MAC.
As long as Preston is on the floor, Ohio’s offense will be fluid. The Bobcats have seen this season how far they can go with their new leader, and the future looks bright.
“You can be three passes or three people away from Jason Preston, and he’s going to find you somehow,” Boals said. “We’re going to put him in a lot of situations to make a decision, and those guys have to be ready.”