Sullinger in charge for Buckeyes
si's Seth Davis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- All his life, Jared Sullinger has been a boy among men. It began when he was a toddler rumbling in the hallway with his two older brothers. When Jared was in elementary school, his brothers took him to the playground to play basketball with their friends, who pounded him unmercifully. When he was in middle school, he participated in practices run by his father, Satch, the coach at Northland High School in Columbus, Ohio. Whether it was attending Ohio State's basketball camp as a 10-year-old or competing in AAU basketball tournaments as a teenager, Sullinger always went up against older kids.
And yet, despite all that, Sullinger has consistently played like a man among boys. That was the case again Tuesday night at Florida's O'Connell Center. Now a 6-foot-9, 280-pound freshman center at Ohio State, Sullinger dominated the paint in the second half, enabling the fourth-ranked Buckeyes to run away from the No. 9 Gators, 93-75. Sullinger had 16 of his 26 points after intermission, and overall he shot 13-for-17 from the floor and had a game-high 10 rebounds. He may have been one of the youngest players on the floor, but he was also the toughest, the strongest and the smartest. Not bad for an 18-year-old kid playing in his second college game.
The most impressive aspect of Sullinger's performance was just how unimpressed he was by it. After the game ended, Sullinger stood in a hallway and was asked if he was nervous before the game. "Oh, not at all," he replied with cheerful insouciance. "I've played a lot of games in my life, some really tough games in AAU and high school. Usually it was against players who were two grades older. Plus, my brothers threw me into the fire at a young age. All that prepared me to play at this level."
Sullinger is not an above-the-rim athlete. He gets his points mostly through effort and guile, using old-school tactics like angles, efficiency and footwork. During one timeout Tuesday night, he even suggested plays he thought the Buckeyes should run to exploit Florida's weaknesses. "He thinks the game, and his demeanor is off the charts," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "In some ways it's like coaching a 40-year-old man. In practice I'll get on him and he'll look at me like, 'OK. I had it coming.' "
Given the hoops-addled household where he grew up, Sulllinger had no choice but to grow up fast. His father, who coached at three different high schools and worked a three-year stint at Oberlin College, first taught Jared how to execute a drop step when he was 2 years old. At 3, Satch had Jared shooting from the foul line with proper form. When Jared was in seventh grade, his father told anyone who would listen that Jared was going to be the best of his three sons. Jared later said he wished his father hadn't said that, but he allowed that it taught him at an early age how to deal with pressure.
The education extended beyond the court as well. When Jared was a sophomore in high school, Satch benched him for a state tournament game because his grades had slipped. Northland lost the game, and Jared never forgot the lesson.
Jared's oldest brother, J.J., who is eight years his senior, began his college career at Arkansas before transferring to Ohio State. One day J.J. went up to Matta and said, "Coach, I'm not telling you how to do your job, but you need to offer my little brother a scholarship." Matta thought J.J. was referring to Julian, who was four years older than Jared and would eventually play for Kent State. But J.J. said he was talking about Jared.
"Fat Jared?" Matta asked.
"Yes," J.J. replied. "I just saw him get 28 rebounds in a 20-minute game."
By the time Jared was a sophomore at Northland High, everyone in the country was offering him a schoalrship, but it was clear he was never going to leave Columbus. As a junior, he led the Vikings to a state championship, and last spring he finished his high school career with a 94-3 record. Sullinger was just the fifth player to be given Ohio's Mr. Basketball award twice. He was also named a McDonald's All-American and awarded the Naismith trophy for national high school player of the year. (Satch was named the Naismith national coach of the year for leading Northland to the No. 1 ranking in USA Today before they lost in the state tournament.)
Since becoming a Buckeye, Sullinger has absorbed advice like a sponge. During summer pickup games with Ohio State alumni who have been playing professionally, Sullinger picked the brain of Terence Dials, the Big Ten's player of the year in 2006. "He said you have to have a move for your move for your move, if that makes sense," Sullinger said. "In other words, you have to have a counter move for every move you have. That's what I've been developing over the years."
Sullinger has likewise culled lots of wisdom from Ohio State's four seniors, especially 6-8 center Dallas Lauderdale, whom Jared battles in practice like he used to battle J.J. and Julian. "Honestly, they're just teachers," Sullinger said of the seniors. "When I get fouled and the refs don't call it, Dallas tells me, 'Keep your head. If they don't call it, make them call it.' "
Lots of college freshmen say they want advice. Sullinger is one of the few who is both eager to hear it and able to apply it. "I'm open ears when it comes to basketball," he said. "There are times when I fight it, even with my father. But at the end of the day, it really processed. If you want to play basketball, you have to be able to think."
Matta knows that players like Sullinger don't come around often, and when they do they usually don't grow up in a coach's backyard. "He's a special kid," Matta said. "The best part about him is he's a great teammate. He just wants to win." It looks like Ohio State will be doing plenty of that this season. The scariest part is that this man child still has a lot of growing up to do.
2011 College Basketball Top 50 Recruits
OSU Ranks 8th with the early signing period.
1 Austin Rivers 98 Duke SG 6'4" 189 Winter Park H.S. (FL)
2 Anthony Davis 98 Kentucky PF 6'10" 200 Perspectives Charter School (IL)
3 Michael Gilchrist 98 Kentucky SF 6'7" 210 St. Patrick H.S. (NJ)
4 Quincy Miller 98 Baylor PF 6'9" 210 Westchester Country Day School (NC)
5 James McAdoo 98 North Carolina PF 6'8" 216 Norfolk Christian (VA)
6 Marquis Teague 98 Kentucky PG 6'2" 175 Pike H.S. (IN)
7 Bradley Beal 98 Florida SG 6'3" 177 Chaminade College Prep School (MO)
8 Adonis Thomas 98 Memphis SF 6'6" 210 Melrose H.S. (TN)
9 Myck Kabongo 97 Texas PG 6'2" 170 Findlay College Prep (NV)
10 Rakeem Christmas 97 Syracuse C 6'9" 222 Academy of the New Church (PA)
11 LeBryan Nash 97 Oklahoma State SF 6'7" 230 Lincoln H.S. (TX)
12 P.J. Hairston 97 North Carolina SG 6'6" 220 Hargrave Military Academy (VA)
13 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 97 Georgia SG 6'4" 190 Greenville H.S. (GA)
14 Branden Dawson 97 Michigan State SF 6'6" 220 Lew Wallace H.S. (IN)
15 Cody Zeller 97 Indiana PF 6'11" 210 Washington H.S. (IN)
16 Kyle Wiltjer 97 Kentucky PF 6'9" 221 Jesuit H.S. (OR)
17 Wayne Blackshear 97 Louisville SG 6'5" 205 Morgan Park H.S. (IL)
18 Jabari Brown 97 Oregon SG 6'3" 200 Oakland H.S. (CA)
19 B.J. Young 97 Arkansas PG 6'3" 170 McCluer North H.S. (MO)
20 Josiah Turner 97 Arizona PG 6'3" 185 Sacramento H.S. (CA)
21 Johnny O'Bryant 96 LSU PF 6'10" 245 East Side H.S. (MS)
22 Nick Johnson 96 Arizona SG 6'3" 185 Findlay College Prep (NV)
23 Tony Wroten Jr. 96 Washington SG 6'4" 206 Garfield H.S. (WA)
24 Quinn Cook 96 Duke PG 6'1" 180 Oak Hill Academy (VA)
25 Michael Gbinije 96 Duke SF 6'6" 194 Benedictine H.S. (VA)
26 Dorian Finney-Smith 96 Virginia Tech SF 6'7" 185 Norcom H.S. (VA)
27 Chane Behanan 96 Louisville PF 6'7" 230 Bowling Green H.S. (KY)
28 Levi Randolph 96 Alabama SG 6'4" 180 Bob Jones H.S. (AL)
29 Ky Madden 96 Arkansas SG 6'5" 195 East Poinsett County H.S. (AR)
30 Rodney Hood 96 Mississippi State SF 6'7" 190 Meridian H.S. (MS)
31 Michael Carter-Williams 96 Syracuse SG 6'5" 175 St. Andrew's School (RI)
32 Jakarr Sampson 96 St. John's SF 6'8" 200 Brewster Academy (NH)
33 Deuce Bello 95 Baylor SF 6'4" 180 Westchester Country Day School (NC)
34 Dezmine Wells 95 Xavier SF 6'5" 220 Hargrave Military Academy (VA)
35 DeAndre Daniels 95 None SF 6'7" 191 IMG Academy (FL)
36 Sheldon McClellan 95 Texas SG 6'5" 190 Bellaire H.S. (TX)
37 Nick Faust 95 Maryland SG 6'6" 175 Baltimore City College H.S. (MD)
38 Ben McLemore 95 None SF 6'5" 185 Oak Hill Academy (VA)
39 Amir Williams 95 Ohio State C 6'10" 220 Detroit Country Day School (MI)
40 Mikael Hopkins 95 Georgetown C 6'8" 210 DeMatha Catholic H.S. (MD)
41 Maurice Harkless 95 St. John's SF 6'6" 200 South Kent School (CT)
42 Shannon Scott 95 Ohio State PG 6'2" 170 Milton H.S. (GA) 43 Jahii Carson 95 Arizona State PG 5'11" 160 Mesa H.S. (AZ)
44 Marshall Plumlee 95 Duke C 6'11" 215 Christ School (NC)
45 Adeji Baru 95 None C 6'9" 225 The Steward School (VA)
46 Dai-Jon Parker 95 Vanderbilt SG 6'2" 185 Milton H.S. (GA)
47 Norman Powell 95 UCLA SG 6'2" 175 Abraham Lincoln H.S. (CA)
48 Hunter Mickelson 95 Arkansas PF 6'10" 220 Westside H.S. (AR)
49 Erik Copes 95 George Washington C 6'8" 220 Imhotep Charter H.S. (PA)
50 Zach Price
Maurice Clarett reflects on UFL season
OMAHA, Neb. -- Maurice Clarett's football comeback was a success, certainly to him.
Clarett says he would gladly spend another year with the United Football League's Omaha Nighthawks if they want him back. He feels lucky to have played anywhere and been given a chance to rebuild his life after being incarcerated for 3½ years.
"In January I was in prison, and now I've completed a professional football season," Clarett said in an interview with The Associated Press before Omaha's season finale Friday night. "I would absolutely say I could never ever have thought of being at this place. It's a blessing from God, and I take it that way."
The 27-year-old Clarett hadn't played competitively since he led Ohio State to the 2002 national championship. He was suspended by the NCAA for taking improper inducements and failed to make it in the NFL. He pleaded guilty in 2006 to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon in connection with a holdup outside a Columbus bar, and wound up behind bars.
By all accounts, Clarett has been a model citizen in Omaha.
Nighthawks general manager Rick Mueller, a former executive for the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars, said the team probably will put Clarett on the team's protected list. That means no one would be allowed to pick him in the next UFL expansion draft. The UFL has said it hopes to add three teams in 2011.
"His arrow is on the rise," Mueller said. "He's going to get nothing but better from here on out. I'm glad we had him."
NFL draft consultant Gil Brandt, a former Dallas Cowboys executive, said it would a long shot for an NFL team to bring in Clarett next year.
"When you're out of circulation for a while, it takes more than a year to get back," Brandt said. "The thing that always impressed me about Clarett is that I think basically he's a good guy. I don't think what's happened with the robbery was vintage Clarett.
"But I don't think anybody will take a chance on him. Statistically, he hasn't shown enough for anyone to go overboard and take somebody who has that kind of baggage and then is 27 years old."
Clarett didn't get much playing time early in the eight-game season as he worked his way into football shape. He became a bigger part of the game plan the past couple games as top running back Ahman Green battled injury. He went into the Nighthawks' final game with just 25 carries for 85 yards and 11 catches for 92 yards.
After the season, Clarett will head back to Columbus, where he'll live with his girlfriend, Ashley Evans, and their 4-year-old daughter, Jayden. He's enrolled for the spring semester at Ohio State. He said he's two years from completing his degree in gerontology. He'll also continue working out at OSU to prepare for next season.
Clarett said his time in prison matured him.
"Any time you have a period of that much isolation, and you reflect on your life and the decisions that brought you to the place you're at, it's going to do one of two things," he said. "You're going to stay stuck in the same place or you're going to evaluate and figure out how to get better. In my case, I had responsibility. I had a daughter. I decided to grow up and accept responsibility for the things I've done and move forward."
Mueller said Clarett eagerly participated in the team's community projects. Clarett especially enjoyed visiting the Boys and Girls Club in a hardscrabble area of north Omaha.
He spent much of his time in the club's education center helping boys with their homework and proofing math problems, said Paul Haskell, the club's director of marketing.
"You could really tell that's where he felt his place was," Haskell said. "I could tell he definitely wanted to be there."
Clarett said Omaha fans and people on the street have been welcoming, which initially surprised him.
"It's obvious I had some public struggles, but they recognize me, we speak and it's cool," he said.
Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards in 2002, helping Ohio State to its first national championship in 34 years. He scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime of a dramatic Fiesta Bowl victory over top-ranked Miami.
He was ruled ineligible the following year for taking extra benefits worth thousands of dollars. He sued to enter the NFL draft early, before he was out of high school for three years, but lost in court.
He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2005, but he reported to camp out of shape, injured his groin and was cut before the season started. He spent the last 4½ months of his prison sentence in a dormitory-style facility in Columbus that serves as a transition for those getting out of prison.
"He's not proud of where he's been," Mueller said, "but he's learned from it and wants to show everybody he's a different person."
Clarett said prison humbled him and that he doesn't presume the NFL would want anything to do with him again.
"I just deal with the reality of my situation," he said. "I pretty much don't get ahead of myself."
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