It’s hard to put into words the impact Jared Sullinger has had on the Ohio State basketball program during his two years on campus. For Ohio State fans there is more to his legacy than what the nation saw on the floor as a sophomore or freshman. Throughout his time here we’ve seen a kid from Columbus grow into a man ready for the next level of competition.
From the battles in the paint, to the ‘Sully Smirk’. Teammate, to at times the most dominate player in all of college basketball. An athlete who always let his actions speak louder than words.
From game number one we had a feeling that he was going to be something special. Against North Carolina A&T he scored 19 points in 21 minutes. Four days later he helped his squad blow out a Florida team by putting together 26 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 13/17 from the floor.
Less than a month later the Columbus native caught the eyes of the nation against IUPUI. From dunks to dishes, drives to dunks, the big man dominated. Down early in the second half, the freshman scored 14 points in a total of nine minutes. In total he broke a freshman record for points in a ballgame and got to the charity stripe a record 23 times.
Just before the start of conference play the freshman did it again. This time it was South Carolina trying to figure out a way to keep Sullinger from doing work. When it was all said and done the Gamecocks were able to hold everyone in check.
Minus the stud that dropped 30 points while shooting 10/17 from the field and bringing down 19 total rebounds.
In his first season of conference play he averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds. The most impressive part was that he hardly ever looked over matched down low. As the year progressed, so did his game. He went from an imposing scoring presence to arguably the best passing forward in the nation.
And, when it got to tournament time, he put a veteran team on his shoulders.
In the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament nobody could find their rhythm. After being outplayed by Northwestern in the second half sent the game to overtime, #0 took over. It might not have been pretty, but Sullinger did what winners do – he took over the ballgame and found a way to win.
Shooting 2/12 from the floor didn’t deter Ohio State from getting the ball to their playmaker. Sully would get to the line ten times in overtime and drain every single shot with that sweet fluent stroke. His game high 18 rebounds were one away from tying the tournament record set by Greg Oden in 2007.
After back to back double-doubles to bring home the Big Ten Tournament championship, Sullinger rode the momentum of his continued improvement on the floor.
In the NCAA Tournament it started in the round of 32. Down 11-2 after coughing up the ball three times, the freshman became a man. The Patriots thought the best way to attack Sullinger was to be physical and attack him in the post.After three minutes of play there was no doubt it was effective – Jim Larranaga’s squad woke up a sleeping giant.
For the next 17 minutes, if Ohio State’s big man wasn’t throwing it down in the paint, he was finding an open teammate on the perimeter. Punishing his opponents in the post was only a part of the story. Scoring 18 points wasn’t even the majority of it. After finding his way inside, Sullinger did what a freshman never does.
Instead of forcing up shots, he started picking his spots. When the offense collapsed on him, he found Aaron Craft – who had an Ohio State record 15 assists – David Lighty, Jon Diebler and William Buford on the perimeter. After outscoring George Mason 50-15 in the final sixteen minutes of the first half, the Buckeyes would cruise to a 32 point victory, the highest win margin in Ohio State tournament history.
It was after that game that we first saw the Jared Sullinger that we’ve been accustomed to on and off the court.
Despite falling short against Kentucky, there is no doubting that Jared Sullinger showed up to play. Despite struggling physically with Josh Harrellson, he became the first Buckeye in fifteen years to score 20 points in the tournament and bring down 15 rebounds in a game. He would finish the game with 21 points and 16 boards.
What I will always take away from that performance, though, is how he responded afterwards.
Like the man he’d become, he put his senior teammates on his shoulders. He felt personally responsible for the way their last game ended.
Simply put, Jared Sullinger is a winner and would do anything to get that game back. Not just him but his coaches and teammates.
Instead, he did the next best thing and came back to Ohio State for his sophomore season. Knowing the battle facing this team in terms of finding it’s leader, he stepped right into the fire. While people were discussing in the off-season how this team would respond to losing it’s leaders – he was putting the work in to make himself the best player and team mate possible.
When everyone doubted his team, he swallowed it for his teammates. And, in true Jared Sullinger fashion, he made them better on the floor every time on out.
Most importantly, I would be willing to bet he helped make them better students of life.
There was no doubt that this season was more taxing than his first year in scarlet and gray. From double teams, to injuries, to criticism – he fought through it.
Sully would be the first to admit that this season wasn’t easy. There was nobody that could shoot like Jon Diebler from the perimeter and relieve the pressure of a go to man. David Lighty was an irreplaceable slasher and voice on the hardwood.
But at the end of the year, it was this team that made it all the way to the Final Four. A true testament of his will to win.
In an era where players go to play college ball to showcase their skill for the NBA, Jared Sullinger played a team game while mostly focusing on just part of his skill set. Instead of hoisting up jumpers, he dished the ball off when he wasn’t open. Instead of demanding playing time, he chose to sit because it was best for his team.
As head coach Thad Matta said at yesterday’s press conference, it’s hard to say goodbye to Jared the basketball player. But it’s even harder to say goodbye to Jared the person.
From Buckeye Nation, thank you Sully for the two years you gave back to The Ohio State University.
(P.S – Detroit Pistons Front Office Management: If your reading this, please draft this kid. Not only would it be awesome for a Columbus native to take over the state of Michigan (again), I would root for you.)
Of course Dan Gilbert, if you’re reading this…. You promised fans a championship. A good start would be drafting a winner like Jared Sullinger.
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