The last time Evan Turner played point guard on a full-time basis was back in the eighth grade.

"I was a thing of beauty back then," the junior laughed. "I was probably 5-foot-8 or so."

Now Turner is nearly a foot taller and will be the key to Ohio State's season.

Buckeyes coach Thad Matta first approached the 6-foot-7 Turner shortly after the season about running the team in an effort to get his five best players on the court.

"I thought he was bluffing," Turner said.

But Turner found out Matta was dead serious when he spent the bulk of his time at point guard in the team's trip to Canada last week.

"It's a big adjustment," Turner admitted. "The hardest thing is keeping my rhythm."

But Turner is getting used to adjustments. After David Lighty went down with a season-ending injury midway through last season, Turner moved forward spots.

"I had to learn a new position," Turner said. "New reads and how to score in different places."

And all of the sudden, Turner was thrust into a leadership role.

"I didn't even have a clue that Dave was hurt and broke his foot until Coach told me," Turner said. "I went from having my hand held to having to hold other people's hands. It was tough."

But Turner now feels that Lighty, who returned to the court in the Canadian trip, won't have to perform the leadership duties as a solo act.

Turner also mentioned that the chemistry should be much improved this season – and while he had nothing but positive comments about former big man B.J. Mullens, it was clear that the loss of Mullens isn't something that Turner and the Buckeyes are overly concerned about.

"He's a great person, but I think he put a lot of pressure on himself trying to follow Kosta (Koufos) and Greg (Oden)," Turner said. "He was still maturing and finding his way."

Other notes from Turner:

• Turner said he didn't feel as though he was ready to go to the NBA after last season. "I was too skinny and needed to work on my ball handling and shooting. Also, I like college. It's fun, and my teammates are great."

• Turner has gained 10 pounds and is at 215 – and is also shooting 200 3-pointers each day.

• The team will be improved due to experience. "People don't understand we were all freshmen and sophomores last year. We didn't have the experience, but now we'll be equally matched. We didn't lose anything, but a team like Michigan State lost (Goran) Suton and (Travis) Walton – two guys that knew how to lead the team."

• The two guys who have made the biggest jump are sophomore guard Walter Offutt and junior big man Dallas Lauderdale. "People have to remember that Walter barely played in high school because he was always hurt," Turner said. "And Dallas is catching the ball much better, and his conditioning is much better."

NORTHWESTERN STATE’S WATKINS IMPROVING

On Friday afternoon, Northwestern State sophomore guard Dwayne Watkins was critically injured in a car accident in which he went through the windshield.

However, Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy said that the prognosis for Watkins has improved dramatically.

"Doctors feel as though he can make a full recovery," McConathy said.

Watkins, 19, was driving home from Lafayette, La., to Tickfaw when he lost control of his car while driving on the highway. He suffered two fractured vertebra in his spinal column, bruised lungs and head injuries – but did not require surgery.

"He's the best kid in the world," McConathy said. "Just an unbelievable kid. We're blessed he survived – and that the outlook is for him to live a normal life."

"We're not sure if he'll ever be able to play again, but that's the least of our concerns right now," he added.

OFFICIAL VISITS BEGIN THIS WEEKEND

As usual, Scout.com has done a nice job of providing official visits for this weekend – the first in which kids will head to campus and have the red carpet rolled out.

Here are some noteworthy visits to keep an eye on:

• Top-ranked Harrison Barnes heading to North Carolina for the Tar Heels alumni weekend. James McAdoo, one of the elite players in the 2011 class, is also expected to be in Chapel Hill.

• Louisville having a pair of Illinois natives, Wayne Blackshear and Mike Shaw, on campus. Marquis Teague, arguably the top guard in the Class of 2011, could visit as well.

• Tennessee will have plenty of guys on campus for Lane Kiffin’s debut with the Vols. The bigger names are Jordan Price, a Top 10 kid in the Class of 2012, and Chris Jones – a Top 75 player in the Class of 2011.

• Clemson will have a pair of Top 100 kids – Jason Morris and Casey Prather.

• USC will have recent commit Bryce Jones, Kyle Collinsworth, former USC pledge Gary Franklin, Curtis Washington, Andre Stringer and Josh Huestis.

RANDOM NOTES: Late condolences go out to Tennessee assistant Tony Jones, whose father Clarence "Sonny" Jones, Jr., was murdered in Detroit on Aug. 18. The elder Jones was checking on a friend's house when he was killed by 19-year-old Eugene Peguies, who has been charged with first-degree and felony murder. ... Huge get for USC with the verbal of 6-foot-6 wing Bryce Jones of Taft (Calif.). Jones also considered Arizona, Arizona State, Gonzaga and UNLV. ... Memphis coach Josh Pastner credits strength and conditioning coach Richard Hogans for Pierre Henderson-Niles dropping about 50 pounds from last year to 277. ... Veteran North Carolina assistant Joe Holladay will move to the director of basketball operations position for this season. Previously, C.B. McGrath and Jerod Haase have alternated each year going between assistant coach and the DBO spot.