Friday, August 4, 2023
Boynton says OSU basketball’s trip to Spain ‘couldn’t come at a better time’ Braden Bush Sports Editor
knew his roster would have nine new players – and by now he would have liked to have had all the players over to his house to get acquainted. This trip will help make up for that lost time. “It couldn’t come at a better time, considering nine new guys, many of which, for different reasons, could need to play this year,” Boynton said. “So just the opportunity to establish the foundation of what we do on the court, but more importantly to get to know each other and really dive deep into the team bonding.” And the trip is a good gauge of where the Cowboys are at. John-Michael Wright and Bryce Thompson are the only returners from last season, so the team – with wildly varying ages, such as Justin McBride who turned 18 a week ago and redshirt senior Mike Marsh turned 24 last month – is figuring out how to play with each other while learning schemes and building relationships with teammates and coaches.
Mike Boynton is a world traveler these days. After spending portions of June and July in coaching the U19 Team USA squad and freshman Eric Dailey Jr. at the FIBA World Cup in Hungary, Boynton and his Cowboys team is heading to Europe for international competition. The OSU coach takes his team to Spain from Aug. 5-15, and the Cowboys will play three exhibition games with stops in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. Boynton’s travels have kept him away from the team more than he’d like. He accepted the invitation to help coach the Team USA in December – before he See Spain on 4
Mackenzie Janish OSU heads to Spain from Aug. 5-15, where it will play three exhibition games and spend time bonding with a new roster.
2 US sailors arrested on suspicion of espionage, selling information to China are a reminder of the photographs describNathan Solis ing the layout of the Los Angeles Times relentless, aggres-
Ethan Scott Jaden Nixon (right) said the depth at running back, including Ollie Gordon (left), takes pressure off any one back.
Cowboys settling into new defense, depth at RB and more from OSU’s first day of preseason camp ing plays in the box and in deep coverage, as well as disguising his position and coverage snap-to-snap. At such a versatile position, the 6-foot-4, 213-pound Daniels has both the size and athleticism to fit in. The complexity of the position presents challenges and is reliant on understanding. Braden Bush Daniels said Nardo is approachable and has Sports Editor made the transition as painless as possible for the entire defense. “He always tells me, he’s not just Kendal Daniels is in his third season gonna tell me the play, he’s gonna tell me the at OSU and has had just as many defensive breakdown of everything that the offense is coordinators. gonna do, the weakness to this defense, the First was Jim Knowles, who built the strength,” Daniels said. “I’ve learned a lot Cowboys into an elite defensive team before about defense just listening to coach Nardo.” taking the same job at Ohio State. Then, it Daniels still pulls Nardo aside and was Derek Mason, who took a sabbatical inquires on assignments and advice, but from coaching after one season in Stillwater. Nardo’s system is settling in. Daniels said his In January, Daniels found out his next coor- new position reminds him of his role in high dinator was a 37-year-old D-II coach named school, and the system allows the defense to Bryan Nardo, who was taking out the 4-2-5 be instinctual. scheme and implementing a new 3-3-5. “I feel like this defense really gives And Nardo wanted Daniels to be the us the option to play – not how we want to centerpiece of it in the backfield. play – but not be a robot and just play freely,” Six months later, during the first Daniels said. practice of fall camp inside the Sherman E. RBs want to dominate with depth Smith Training Center on Wednesday, DanBy the end of last season, Ollie Goriels expressed his comfort in the new scheme don, who started the year as the team’s thirdand leadership. string running back, was earning significant “At first it was like, ‘What are we snaps and even started in the bowl game. gonna do?’ said Daniels, a redshirt sophoThat means two things. The first is that more safety. “But I actually got to sit down Gordon has that much more experience under with coach Nardo and go over the defense, his belt and is ready to take on a larger role. and we just figured out how we were gonna The second: depth is crucial at running back. do it. And I’ve loved it ever since.” Daniels will play middle safety, or “rover” as Nardo calls it, which is a key component of the 3-3-5 defense in charge of mak- See Camp on 3
LOS ANGELES — Two U.S. sailors have been arrested and indicted on suspicion of accepting bribes in exchange for passing sensitive military information to intelligence officers from China, federal authorities announced Thursday. The sailors were in direct contact with Chinese officers who paid them thousands in bribes to provide national defense information, including technical manuals on assault ships, critical technology and radar systems, according to officials with the U.S. attorney’s offices in Los Angeles and San Diego. Jinchao Wei, 22, and Wenheng Zhao, 26, are naturalized American citizens who were born in China and were communicating with intelligence officers in China, though it’s unclear if they were speaking to the same intelligence officer, prosecutors said. Zhao is a resident of Monterey Park, according to authorities. “These individuals stand accused of violating the commitments they made to protect the United States and betraying the public trust, to the benefit of the (People’s Republic of China) government,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s national security division said during a news conference. “These arrests
sive efforts of the People’s Republic of China to undermine our democracy and threaten those who defend it,” Assistant Director Suzanne Turner of the FBI’s counterintelligence division said in a statement that accompanied the indictment announcement. Wei, also known as Patrick and who was stationed on the USS Essex in San Diego, was arrested when he arrived for work at the naval base there Wednesday, authorities said. Wei worked as a machinist’s mate and had access to sensitive national defense information about the ship’s weapons, propulsion and desalination systems. The Essex resembles an aircraft carrier, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release. He is accused of transmitting information over encrypted channels to a Chinese official. Prosecutors allege he was approached in February 2022 by the Chinese officer, who was interested in the workings of the Essex. Wei provided the officer technical and mechanical manuals that detailed the operations of multiple systems on the Essex and similar ships, including power, steering, aircraft and deck elevators, according to prosecutors. The Chinese officer confirmed to Wei that at least 10 of the documents were useful to him and paid him $5,000, according to court documents. Wei continued to send documents and
Essex and location of certain departments on the ship. The Justice Department alleges that Wei knowingly violated the the International Traffic in Arms Regulations by transmitting a technical manual without obtaining a required license. Wei was approached by a Chinese intelligence officer while his application to become a U.S. citizen was pending, prosecutors said. He also admitted to this officer that he knew this activity would be viewed as spying and could affect his pending citizenship application but did not report the offer, according to court documents. In a separate investigation, Zhao, who is also known as Thomas and was based out of Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, was also arrested Wednesday and accused of similar charges. Zhao is accused of recording and sharing the specific location and timing of naval force movements, amphibious landings, maritime operations and logistics support, beginning in August 2021 and continuing through May, prosecutors said. Zhao is also suspected of taking photographs of radar systems in Okinawa, Japan, at the naval base in Ventura County and on San Clemente Island, officials said.
See Sailors on 7