Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Buckeyes Win 58-44 - Prince James Returns Tomorrow - OSU Football Recruit


Buckeyes Win 58-44 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger was a load for Florida State to handle.
In just his sixth collegiate game, the 6-foot-9 widebody out of Columbus, Ohio, muscled his way to the third double-double of his blossoming career with 11 points and 13 rebounds to lead the second-ranked Buckeyes to a 58-44 victory in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday night.
"He loves to win and he knows how to win," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "For him to go 36 minutes, I mean it was hotter than a beach in that gym tonight and I was really, really pleased with how he kept competing."
Sullinger defended Chris Singleton, Florida State's top scorer, for part of the game. Singleton was held to eight points, half his season average.
"We knew defense was going to win the game," Sullinger said.
Jon Diebler led the Buckeyes (6-0) with 12 points and David Lighty added 10.
Ohio State jumped to a 7-0 lead and never trailed, building its biggest lead at 40-23 on William Buford's jumper with 15:45 left in the game.
Florida State (5-2) closed within 49-42 on Deividas Dulky's only 3-pointer with 4:30 left.
"We've been on the road in difficult situations before," Lighty said. "I think it's us not being rattled and just being ready for everything that comes at us."
Ohio State had a 42-33 rebounding advantage, but dominated the offensive boards 17-7 with Sullinger getting six.
"I pride myself on the rebounding," Sullinger said. "If I'm not rebounding, I'm really not effective."
Freshman Ian Miller had 11 points and Derwin Kitchen added 10 for the Seminoles, who shot 35.4 percent and committed 22 turnovers, including 14 in the second half. Florida State shot 33 percent in a 55-51 loss to Florida on Sunday.
"I hate to say it, but they outmuscled us," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We gave them too many extra possessions."
Both teams shot poorly in the early going, but Ohio State's domination of the backboards allowed the Buckeyes to stay comfortably ahead on the way to a 28-17 halftime lead.
Florida State shot just 26.1 percent in the first half while Ohio State was slightly better at 36.7 percent but enjoyed a 25-14 rebound advantage.
Singleton had a second straight cold-shooting night, making just 2 of 9 tries from the field on the heels of a 2-for-12 showing in Sunday's loss.
Ohio State is 6-0 against Florida State, including consecutive victories in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Buckeyes prevailed 77-64 in last year's game at Columbus.
After winning its first five games of the season against weaker opponents, Florida State struggled again against the Buckeyes as it had Sunday against 18th-ranked Gators.
During a first-half timeout, Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher was presented the trophy for winning the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 20th-ranked Seminoles (9-3) play No. 12 Virginia Tech (10-2) Saturday in Charlotte, N.C. for the ACC title with the winner advancing to the Orange Bowl.



Hard work, humility sets Kenny Hayes apart
A good article on OSU recruit from si.com
Most high school football players spend their summers relaxing, doing light cardio and lifting sporadically to prepare for fall camp. In 2008, Whitmer High's Kenny Hayes spent his offseason struggling through three-a-day workouts to add 40 pounds of muscle.
His grueling regimen included bench presses, power cleans and a variety of running exercises to improve his release speed. He ate a steady diet of meat and potatoes, getting some form of protein with almost every meal. Perhaps most uniquely, he used manual labor to augment his strength.
"I used an axe to cut down trees," he says. "I was really working to get bigger and faster before the season started."
That training paid off, as the Ohio State commit has become one of the top defensive end recruits in the nation. His increased size (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) overwhelms most linemen, and his polished handwork makes him a challenge to contain in the trenches. He paced the Panthers (12-2) with 60 tackles, six sacks and a blocked kick.
Much of that success stems from his signature spin move, a maneuver he first implemented during his breakout sophomore season. He says the secret is in his timing.
"When I'm pass-rushing the tackle upfield, either the quarterback or the running back steps up," he says. "Then I spin to the inside to tackle [them]."
He'll bring that skill to Columbus, where he'll join a Jim Tressel squad with a history of terrific defensive lineman. Vernon Gholston and Thaddeus Gibson were each selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, and Cameron Heyward will likely join them once he leaves school in 2011. Hayes will develop under Jim Heacock, the defensive coordinator and former D-line coach who's been with the team since 1996.
That's not why he selected OSU, though. Hayes' Buckeye allegiance dates back to seventh grade, when he cheered for the likes of Troy Smith and Antonio Pittman. Though he briefly flirted with the idea of attending Florida or Michigan State, his loyalty never wavered, something he cemented when he committed to the team in August of last year.
"I always wanted to go there, just from watching the games on TV, watching the tradition and how they play the game," he says.
Ohio State is thrilled to have him, and the Buckeye faithful will count on Hayes to be the next defensive end to wreak havoc on Big Ten quarterbacks. His outstanding play at Whitmer did little to temper expectations.
It also further excited the Toledo native, who can't wait to play his first game in The Horseshoe. While he may not be Heyward version 2.0, he's confident his physical style of play will translate to the college level. He's eager to make an immediate impact.
"My biggest motivation comes when I make a tackle," he says. "I just wanna do it again."




LBJ Heading to Cleveland
MIAMI (AP) -- There's not much LeBron James can absolutely say about what awaits when he returns to Cleveland as an opponent on Thursday night.
Fun, weird, tough, draining. James cites them all as expectations.
He's likely right on each count, and who knows how many more ways the emotional gamut will swing on Thursday when the Miami Heat visit Cleveland, the city James scorned on July 8 when he announced in a nationally televised special that he was "taking my talents to South Beach."
It'll be James' first time back as a visitor, and Cavaliers fans have been waiting months to not welcome him home.
"It's going to be tough, but I'm there to win a basketball game," James said after Tuesday's Heat practice and preparing for Wednesday's game against Detroit - almost forgotten given the magnitude of what looms Thursday. "I understand. I understand how passionate fans are about sports. I'm ready for whatever response that I'm going to get. It's going to be very emotional."
True, for all parties involved.
But the NBA might have helped James out a bit with this trip.
Because Miami plays at home Wednesday night, the Heat will not arrive in Cleveland until early Thursday morning. The team won't practice that day, just have meetings and a walkthrough at its hotel, which will be teeming with security - like always. They'll bus to the arena, play the game, head to the airport and leave for Miami.
No time to visit old haunts or old friends. A business trip, nothing more, nothing less, and James seems relieved by that.
"I think it's going to be very emotional for myself," James said. "I've got a lot of great memories in that city. So many times, from ups and downs, and a lot of things that I've done in my life, I give a lot of thanks to that city, lot of thanks to those fans for giving me the opportunity to not only showcase my talent but grow from a young boy to a man."
He's not from Cleveland, but Akron, about 40 miles south. The Cavaliers' franchise was reborn when they won the right to pick James No. 1 overall in the 2003 draft, and together, they soared. Cleveland won 349 games during James' seven seasons, second-most in the Eastern Conference over that span, and the Cavaliers' 127 wins in 2008-09 and 2009-10 - James' MVP years - topped the NBA charts.
So when he became a free agent, there was angst in Cleveland, understandably.
Angst turned to anger at 9:27 p.m. on July 8, when James revealed his decision.
"I think it's going to be something that none of us have ever seen before," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said of what's coming on Thursday. "If we can be a fan and watch it from afar, we all would, and not go. I would love to watch it and see as a fan, but I'm involved in it. It's going to be entertainment for everyone to watch."
Some Heat fans will gather to watch, at a team-sponsored event known as a "road rally."
Of course, it'll happen at the Clevelander - on South Beach. At least the Heat will be cheered somewhere on Thursday.
"I'm sure a lot of people are going to show their support for the Cavaliers in their own kind of way," Heat forward Chris Bosh said. "I don't think we know what to expect, but I'm sure it's going to be something like we've never seen before."
He'll see something like it on Feb. 16, when he returns to Toronto, his former home, for the first time as an opponent.
"I'm glad LeBron breaks the ice first," Bosh said.
It's a Cleveland homecoming for former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas as well, and while he said the trip will be "a unique situation," he's almost certain not to face the level of venom that'll be directed at James.
Wade said he'll give James simple advice beforehand.
"The only thing I would say to him is not try to go out to get 100 points," James said. "Play the game. Let the game flow to you. I know he wants to play great, but sometimes you can force it too much. Just play basketball like LeBron James."
Which is what James says he'll do.
He won't break from his normal routine for this game, and doesn't plan to reach out to fans in any way, though he noted that he remains "very respectful" of the people who cheered him for seven years.
"It's one game," James said. "I know everyone is making it a huge deal, but it's one game."

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