PF Jared Sullinger (2x 1st Team ALL B1G & All American, Anyang KGC, S.Korea)

[GeorgiaBuck2]

Sully at football game....

For the ladies out there...

 

[southcampus]

For the ladies out there...

I coulda done without that haha.

 

[PlanetFrnd]

[Oden] Let me give you a few pointers, son... [/Oden]

[Mullens] And then me... [Mullens]

 

[MD Buckeye]

Scouting the Wooden Award watch list

Jared Sullinger, 6-9, So., C, Ohio State
"He's a force inside. He's an old-school big guy who knows how to play and use his body. He's got a great touch. He was so poised and never got rattled last year and hit big shots, which is amazing as a freshman."

 

[nookam]

He looks like he has gotten into good shape and is ready for the season to start. Glad to see a young man dedicated to improving himself and his game, knowing he was/is a lotto pick.

 

[Buckskin86]

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Buck ?Em

After forgoing the NBA Draft, sophomore phenom Jared Sullinger looks to lead Ohio State to the Final Four this season.

Originally published in SLAM 152

by Jared Sullinger (as told to Dan Shapiro)

I play this game to win. Sitting in the locker room after last year?s loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16, I knew right then that I had to stay in school and make things right. That was a loss I couldn?t live with. We had that game. I was raised to keep my word, and once I said that I was coming back, the decision was final. From my coach, my teammates and my family, all I?ve received is support for that.

It was never about the lockout. It was about winning at Ohio State and the chance to play another year on campus. Be a kid and have the irreplaceable experience of being on campus and playing college basketball.

I also get the advantage of working on my game. Taking the advice of Coach [Thad] Matta, the main thing I started to do was drop pounds. Toward the end of last season, at 275 pounds, I was definitely feeling the wear of the schedule.

The goal is to get my weight to a place where I can keep my power but get a consistent motor to help me with some of my new roles on the court. I took up boxing as a way to lose weight but also work on endurance while keeping up precision and quickness. This next season I really want to work on expanding my game. That will mean spending more time at the 4 position. Last year, so much of my time was spent in the low post, which was productive for the team, but I know that I can extend the court and be a risk away from the basket. Dropping this weight will show off my athleticism and not just on the offensive side of the ball. Expect a new effort from me on the defensive end. I want to be contesting shots, attacking the defensive boards and being a physical presence in the middle.

The summer?s been hectic but also a great learning experience. I spent time at four camps: Amar?e?s Skills Academy, LeBron James? Academy, the adidas Nations camp and at LeBron?s King?s Academy in San Diego. They?ve all been opportunities to help out younger players and get intensive workouts that picked apart my game and helped me improve.

Now I?m back finishing up summer school in Columbus, back with my team on my campus. I?m a Buckeye, and I?m telling you that we?re going to finish what we started.

I look at the lockout and see that I still have the opportunity to be playing competitive basketball just as I like it. I don?t have to go overseas to play the game, and I don?t have to be trying to figure out my role in a League that may not have a season. Don?t get me wrong, I love the NBA and have so much respect for what a lot of those guys do out on the court. But I can wait. For me, it?s back to school with a major assignment due in March.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/the-magazine/features/2011/10/buck-em-jared-sullinger-ohio-state/

 

[Bestbuck36]

Damn, this season is going to be sweet!!!

 

[Buckeye Maniac]

Damn, this season is going to be sweet!!!

I'd rather it end up being Elite or Final.

 

[GeorgiaBuck2]

Champs?

 

[Buckskin86]

Leaner Jared Sullinger still plans to battle in the post: Ohio State Men's Basketball Insider
Published: Friday, October 14, 201
By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer

Terry Gilliam, Associated Press
Ohio State's Jared Sullinger has dropped about 20 pounds since last season at his bathroom mirror, he sees two things that should raise the enthusiasm level of Ohio State basketball fans.

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Every morning, when All-American Jared Sullinger looks at his bathroom mirror, he sees two things that should raise the enthusiasm level of Ohio State basketball fans.

One is a photo of Kentucky's Brandon Knight hitting the shot that knocked the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes out of the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last season. Sullinger put the photo where he could use it to drive him every day.

"I think about how this could have been different," Sullinger said. "It was a tough shot, and he made it. It's a motivational thing for me."

The other is the reflection of a sophomore, who, after averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds as a freshman, looks like a new man.

Sullinger dropped 20 pounds to get down to 265 and lowered his body-fat percentage from 16.7 to 12.1. OSU coach Thad Matta is eager for Sullinger to be more versatile and mobile, potentially able to avoid some of the pounding he took in the post last season.

Point guard Aaron Craft joked that Sullinger is more apt to walk around in cutoffs now, and Sullinger said he did buy a few new clothes but hasn't changed his entire wardrobe.

"As long as I have a belt, I'll be fine," Sullinger said.

cont...

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2011/10/leaner_jared_sullinger_still_p.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Jared Sullinger- radio interview

Jared Sullinger on Singing, Eating and Returning to Ohio State

Jared Sullinger?s decision to return to Ohio State ensured the Buckeyes another shot at getting to the Final Four. Thad Matta hadn?t had much luck keeping big men around Columbus for more than one year ? witness Greg Oden, Kosta Koufos and B.J. Mullens.

However, Sullinger is a different breed. He averaged a double-double as a freshman and would have been a sure-fire lottery pick, but he opted to return for another year in college.

He told reporters immediately after getting bounced in the Elite Eight that he?d be back ? and he stuck to his word. Athlon Sports sat down with Sullinger over the summer to discuss the upcoming season.

Athlon Sports: What is your favorite opposing gym?
Jared Sullinger: Michigan ? mostly because of the rivalry. That building is electric and a fun place to play.


What?s the place you least like to play in the Big Ten?
I?m not sure there is a bad place to play in the league, but they were entertaining at Purdue. They kept singing ?Party in the USA? and were yelling ?Subway Diet? at me every time I was at the free throw line.


Who is the toughest guy who guarded you so far in college?
Colton Iverson at Minnesota (who has since transferred to Colorado State). The one thing about him is that I couldn?t move him. He really held his ground and I honestly didn?t expect that.


How about the most difficult player you have had to guard?
JaJuan Johnson. He?s able to make really difficult shots. Even when I had a hand in his face, he made shots. There was really nothing you could do.

Which coach in the league would you want to play for ? other than Thad Matta, of course?
Tubby Smith. I like his high-low. It looks like there are a lot of easy baskets down in the post.

You didn?t wait long to announce you?d be coming back to Ohio State for your sophomore season. You did it immediately after you guys lost in the Elite Eight. Did you ever have second thoughts after saying it?
Never. Honestly, I knew the whole year I was coming back. I never came out and blatantly said it, but I knew. A lot of people were telling me it was off emotion, but I knew I was coming back ? and I?m a man of my word.

cont...

http://www.athlonsports.com/college...inger-singing-eating-and-returning-ohio-state

 

[NINJA BUCK13]

This beast will tear right through the B1G this season. I'm not sure anyone can stop him. If and when teams double team Sully, we need to have our guys knock down their outside shots.

Look for Buford to be the main man providing the entry pass to Sully in the post this season with those 2 being the only 2 on that side of the court. If Buford's guy dips down to double Sully for 1 sec, it's a wide open 3 for Buford and I like the odds.

 

[greyscarlet]

The only way to beat tOSU with this beast is to double and even triple team him and hope the perimeter shooting has a bad day. There will be many open shots from the outside, just have to drain them.

 

[Buckskin86]

CBSSports.com Preseason National Player of Year: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

Sullinger averaged a double-double as a freshman and is one of those rare guys who matches potential with production. He's big and strong and a beast in the paint -- an intelligent player who doesn't force bad shots when he's double-teamed, a quality teammate who leads by example and with words. There may be players with skillsets better suited for the NBA, but Sullinger is the nation's best college basketball player.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/15749934/new-feature-1

 

[Buckskin86]

Marla Ridenour: No one and done, Jared Sullinger has much to prove at OSU
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published: October 17, 2011

COLUMBUS: Jared Sullinger knew people didn?t believe him.

The Ohio State star vowed to return for his sophomore season after the Buckeyes were upset by Kentucky last March in the NCAA East Regional semifinals, ending the championship dream of a close-knit team that finished 34-3.

But few thought he could turn down the riches of the NBA, even with a lockout looming. Especially since one-and-done had been a fact of life in OSU coach Thad Matta?s seven years.

?I?m a man of my word,? Sullinger said Thursday.

But the young man who returned wearing Sullinger?s No. 0 seems to have remade himself, both physically and mentally.

When he arrived on campus from Columbus Northland High School, Sullinger weighed 292 pounds, according to assistant coach Jeff Boals. At OSU?s basketball media day on Thursday, Sullinger was down to 264 pounds on his 6-foot-9 frame. His muscles are more defined. His cheeks appeared almost gaunt.

?He?s lost all his baby fat,? Boals said.

Sullinger might succumb to a Domino?s Pizza temptation occasionally, but Boals said Sullinger gave up his frequent trips to Five Guys for hamburgers.

Rather than eating three big meals a day, Sullinger said, he switched to five or six small ones to keep his metabolism high. He limited his splurges to about once a month. He said he took the Buckeyes? off-season program more seriously.

?There were times I could have gotten out of the gym and I decided to stay and work on my game by myself,? Sullinger said.

His teammates have noticed the changes Sullinger has made.

?Fat boy? Have you seen how skinny he is?? joked senior William Buford.

?Since we?ve been around him all spring and summer, you don?t see the changes much until you look at pictures,? sophomore point guard Aaron Craft said. ?It?s been awesome to see the discipline and growth he?s had in a year.?

cont...

http://www.ohio.com/sports/osu/marl...d-sullinger-has-much-to-prove-at-osu-1.240446