Ohio State basketball players from the Thad Matta era share a unique brotherhood. Matta made sure to connect all of the players he coached. He loved bringing his former players around the current guys to make sure that everyone was connecting with each other.
On Sunday, the Ohio State Buckeyes scrimmaged Butler. Those were the last two schools that Matta coached. They honored Matta during halftime. During the ceremony, Matta revealed an extremely heartwarming situation between JJ Sullinger and Terence Dials.
Thad Matta revealed JJ Sullinger donated a kidney to Terence Dials
While talking to the crowd at the Schott, Matta let everyone know that Sullinger gave a kidney to his former Buckeye teammate Dials.
"Maybe the greatest thing I've ever seen in my coaching career happened a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if you're aware of it. James Sullinger gave his kidney to his teammate, Terence Dials. That is what coaching is about."
It's clear that the Buckeye brotherhood goes far beyond their days on the court. Having teammates who are willing to donate an organ for you is a much higher level of connection. It's great that Sullinger was able to do that, and it's great that Dials is now seemingly healthy.
Dials is a former Big Ten Player of the Year, capturing that title in the 2005-06 season. Sullinger was teammates with Dials for the majority of his tenure with the Buckeyes. Both Sullinger and Dials have been mainstays around the program, with Dials even being a member of the coaching staff for a brief time.
Matta is the second-greatest head coach in Ohio State basketball history, only behind Fred Taylor. His impact in bringing players together goes beyond the basketball court. A story like this shows how much the players care for each other, and Matta was the reason for bringing them all together.
Ohio State defeats Butler in the final scrimmage of the season
There was a basketball game that was played, as well. It was the final scrimmage of the season for the Buckeyes. They took on the Bulldogs of Butler and won the game. Amare Bynum led the way for Ohio State, scoring 23 points and grabbing six rebounds. Juni Mobley added 17 points, as well.
Five-star freshman LJ Smith looked impressive coming off the bench by pouring in 12 points on just 12 shots, as he made four of his five shots from beyond the 3-point arc. It was a good finish to the Buckeyes for their preseason, with the regular season starting next week.
Jake Diebler is trying to get the Buckeyes back to where they were when Matta was the head coach. He understands the kind of history that this program had with Matta leading it. Diebler also wants former players around the current guys, just as Matta did.
This season, the Buckeyes have expectations to advance in the NCAA Tournament this season. Last year's first-round exit was disappointing, but Diebler is hoping to get this team back into contention for more than just a first-round win. He has Matta to look at as an example of how to do that.
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