Player Spotlight: Ohio State women’s basketball forward Dorka Juhász

As the Ohio State (7-4) women’s basketball team opens Big Ten play on Saturday when it hosts Purdue, sophomore forward Dorka Juhász leads the young Buckeye team with 13.4 points per game. However, her contributions to this year’s squad cannot be stated just in terms of points. She is averaging 8.2 rebounds per game and coming off of her first Big Ten Player of the Week honor, where she recorded her career high in points (27), rebounds (16), assists (3) and blocks (3).

Juhász offers the intangibles. From the first game this season, she made her presence known with 16 points and 7 rebounds against the outmatched Valparaiso, with OSU winning easily 89-38. But that’s not all that I saw. I saw a 6-foot-4 forward who wasn’t afraid to shoot the three. Juhász also brings an offensive and defensive intensity in the post, grabbing boards and getting the ball up the floor.

Juhász’s role in the Buckeye’s 67-60 statement win over then-No. 2 Louisville in early December cannot be understated. She brought a grit and willingness to battle in the paint. She also went 6-for-9 from the field and scored a team-high 15 points — including what has become her signature high arching three-point shot.

For such a young team, Juhász and her ability to score are important. Most importantly though is her ability to score in the paint and beyond the arc. She brings a versatile European-style of play to the Buckeyes, having played on a number of Hungarian national teams since 2015 has gotten her ready for the level of competition that she’s facing at OSU.

Here’s hoping we see a Euro step or two from her with the start of Big Ten play.