Jared Sullinger: Mr. Basketball
By Adam
OSU football may be the moneymaker, but thanks to the recruiting and coaching efforts of Thad Matta over the last eight years, Ohio State has become a consistent power in basketball as well. I will be the first to admit that when I was growing up football was my favorite sport and I rarely paid attention to basketball until March, but now that has changed…or at least bridged the gap.
The basketball season is almost upon us (November 6th vs. Walsh University), so it’s time to start giving those guys some attention, and deservedly so, in our weekly blogs about OSU here at Scarlet and Game. So, wake up, throw on your Buckeye basketball gear, and get excited about the season, because they’ve earned it. Now, it’s time to meet the players, so why not start with the one you’re probably the most familiar with already…Jared Sullinger.
Unfortunately, with the growing egos in the game and the lack of intelligent, polite, and unselfish role models in the NBA, it’s becoming harder and harder to find a genuine person to have your kids emulate in the basketball world. Although Jared Sullinger won’t even turn 20 years old until the last game of the regular season in 2012, he is showing that he is not only a leader on the court, but a smart, honest and fun-loving individual off of it as well.
It’s easy to see that Barbara and “Satch” Sullinger, Jared’s parents, know what they are doing in the parenting department just by looking at their children. I can’t say much about the oldest brother, Julian, who attended Kent State, and was out of my Buckeye tunnel vision. However, I worked at the Schottenstein Center in college, during JJ Sullinger’s tenure on the team, and he always seemed to be the one on the court keeping the team on their toes with practical jokes, constant half-court shot contests, and laughter that could be heard from the offices. Jared, like his brother JJ, seems to have that same quality and ability to keep things in perspective and remember that he is playing a game that he loves at the school that he loves.
Just one small example of his positive attitude could be seen at a road game in Minnesota last year. A Golden Gopher student made a poster of Jared’s infamous Miley Cyrus sing-a-long video (accompanied by teammates Jon Diebler and Aaron Craft) as a way to taunt the young OSU freshman. Instead, Sullinger thought that it was hilarious and asked if he could have the poster to give to his mom. The student, at first, declined, but then connected with the star player on Twitter and sent him the poster. Jared’s talent may only be outweighed by his leadership qualities and attitude, but his basketball abilities aren’t too bad either.
Speaking of “outweighed,” many opposing fans (none more than Purdue’s student section that chanted “Subway diet” during the game) were quick to point out that Sullinger was playing his freshman season with a bit of his high school baby fat. Purdue may need to dig a little deeper for material this year, as Sullinger has literally worked his butt off, although it is an often-used weapon of his, and dropped his weight down to 264 pounds from the 292 that he came to OSU carrying. Look for this weight loss to add quick drives to the hoop and fast break finishes to his already stellar arsenal of weapons (post moves, turn-around jumpers, and powerful dunks).
Sullinger was, by many accounts, the top prospect in the 2010 high school class. His size (6’9”, 280 lbs at the time) and tremendous skills under the basket made him a player that any school would want. While playing for Northland High School in Columbus (coached by his father), he racked up just about any and every award that you could earn, including: 2010 McDonald’s All-American (co-MVP in the game), 2010 High School Naismith Award winner, 2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American, the 2010 Parade Magazine Player of the Year, and was also named Mr. Basketball in Ohio, First Team All-State, and AP Player of the Year TWICE. In other words, even when you tell make-believe, exaggerated stories of how good you were in high school, he was still a lot better than even the fictional you.
After an incredible freshman campaign in which Sullinger earned individual honors of Big Ten/National Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Tournament MVP and helped lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten Title and #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, many were shocked when he announced that he would return to Ohio State for his sophomore season. Sure, lots of people say that after a tough loss, but Sullinger meant what he said and is back to lead the Bucks again. Jared is on pace to become the 7th OSU player to reach 1,000 points in under 60 games. His game is only getting better and more refined, and with the addition of Amir Williams (Freshman, C, #23, 6’11”, 220 lbs), he will finally have a big man that can take some of the pressure off of him underneath…not that it slowed him down much anyway.
He’s already shown us that he can ball, and now he’s slimmed down and gotten quicker as well. I can’t wait to see what this big man will do in 2011-2012. He’s already become one of our favorite Buckeyes of all-time on and off the court, and his quality of play speaks for itself, but one MAJOR question remains… What pop song can we look forward to hearing him sing this year on the jumbo scoreboard at the Schott?
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