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

[senorbuckeye]

That'd be great. Love had a great frosh season. Is Sullinger a one and done player?

In the 2010 recruiting rankings, ESPN has him at #1 overall, Scout as the top Center, and Rivals as #3 overall.

That said, his game doesn't project very well to the NBA. I've seen him listed between 6'7" and 6'9" and he's a bit limited athletically. But he more than makes up for it with a highly polished game and the mind of a coach's son. Low risk to disappoint, but, perhaps with a bit lower ceiling than some of the other highly touted players in his class. I don't mean to come across bearish on Sullinger as I think he'll be a phenomenal player for the Bucks, but think more Tyler Hanbrough than Blake Griffin.

Really, he's the antipode of Adrienne Payne.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I think Kevin Love is fair...Soft touch around the hoop, the ability to step out and also use the bounce some...

Not going to be a one and done hopefully because they have a 2 year rule in by then, but also i think he is the type of PF/C that is not highly rated at the NBA level...Much like a Hansbrough, DJ White, etc...GUys that can dominate at the college level, but would struggle against guys either 7 foot or more at C, or struggle against a very athletic PF...

I absolutely love his game tho...Just hope that he can grow another inch or so, and then start to transform his body...He has great lower body strength, if he can tone in on that, he will be able to be more athletic, and still stay as strong as he is...

 

[LitlBuck]

The Columbus Dispatch : Boys basketball: Sullinger named top Division I player

Junior Jared Sullinger, who powered Northland to a No. 1 ranking and its first Division I state tournament appearance, was named player of the year on the Associated Press All-Ohio boys basketball team yesterday.

A 6-foot-9 Ohio State recruit, Sullinger is averaging 19.9 points, 12 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 67.8 percent from the field. Northland faces Warren Harding at 5:15 p.m. Friday.

 

[Buckskin86]

Vindy.com Newswatch
Northland's Sullinger named Mr. Basketball
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

COLUMBUS (AP) ? Jared Sullinger should send his father a thank-you note. Without him, and the painful decision he made as both a coach and a dad, Jared might not be the 2009 Associated Press Mr. Basketball winner.

It was just over a year ago when Columbus Northland, with Jared scoring almost 19 points a game and his father Satch handling things as the head coach, carried a 21-0 record into a district semifinal game.

Things couldn?t be much better for a kid, a family, a school, right?

But then Satch Sullinger and school administrators noticed that his son wasn?t doing his schoolwork and wasn?t applying himself in class. Jared had been warned before, but hadn?t paid attention. There seemed to be only one way to get the point across: Satch sat his son down for a game.

In that game Northland lost 67-59 to Westerville South, sidelining the state?s No. 2 team and ?humbling? Jared, as his father put it at the time.

From that ignominy, however, bloomed a remarkable turnaround. Yes, the 6-foot-9 Jared averaged 19.9 points and 14.8 rebounds a game in this, his junior season. Yes, Northland rocketed to a 25-1 record this season, along the way winning the AP state poll title.

But, what is more important, Jared?s grade-point average this year is around a 3.2.

Tough love created a Mr. Basketball with some perspective.

?Last year I messed up with grades and we lost that game,? Jared said. ?That?s the most pressure I?ve ever had on me. With us losing, it was all on me if I didn?t do anything the next season, if the team didn?t do anything the next season. But I didn?t want it to be that way. I learned my lesson. I wanted to come back and have a great year and have the team go all the way to the state tournament. And here we are.?

Vindy.com Local News Youngstown, Warren, Columbiana Ohio - news, sports and information Northland's Sullinger named Mr. Basketball

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

OSU recruit nets top honor

Jared Sullinger is just the fifth junior to earn Ohio's Mr. Basketball award.


Wire Reports

Thursday, March 26, 2009

COLUMBUS ? Jared Sullinger absorbed some "tough love" from his coach and father last season.
That, more than his 19.9 points and 14.8 rebounds this season, had more to do with his being named the 2009 Associated Press Mr. Basketball winner.
A year ago the Columbus Northland standout wasn't doing his schoolwork or applying himself in class.
So Satch Sullinger held his son out of Northland's loss to Westerville South, which derailed Northland's tourney run.
Now, the 6-foot-9 Jared Sullinger has a 3.2 GPA and is better than ever. Lesson learned.
"Last year, I messed up with grades, and we lost that game," Jared said. "That's the most pressure I've ever had on me."
Northland (25-1) plays Warren Harding in the Division I state semifinals on Friday night.
Many recruiting experts tab Jared as the top junior prospect in the nation. He has verbally committed to play for Ohio State and coach Thad Matta in 18 months.
He is only the fifth junior to win the prestigious Mr. Basketball award, joining Jimmy Jackson, Greg Simpson, LeBron James and O.J. Mayo.
Cont...

 

[Buckskin86]

Little brother measures up
Sullinger exceeds great expectations in winning state's top individual honor
Thursday, March 26, 2009
By Steve Blackledge
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NICK FALZERANO For The Dispatch
Jared Sullinger, left, has helped Northland reach the state final four for the first time.

Jared Sullinger was still in elementary school when his father, Satch, told friends and coaching colleagues that Jared would be the most accomplished basketball player of his three sons.

"I wish he hadn't said that to everybody," Jared said. "It put a lot of pressure on me when I was in sixth and seventh grades, self-conscious about things, and J.J. was already doing great things. That was a lot to live up to. I got over it, though."

J.J. Sullinger started at Arkansas and Ohio State and now is playing professionally overseas. Middle son Julian, a senior at Kent State, has played in the NCAA Tournament.

Although Jared took his share of lumps from his brothers in pickup games, he accomplished a feat yesterday that they only dreamed of. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound Northland junior won the Associated Press Mr. Basketball award, joining a fraternity of Ohio high school legends such as LeBron James, O.J. Mayo and Jim Jackson.

Also considered for the honor, which is voted on by a statewide media panel, were C.J. McCollum of Canton GlenOak, Carl "Tay" Jones of Garfield Heights, Orlando Williams of Cincinnati Princeton, Josh Schuler of St. Paris Graham, Garrick Sherman of Kenton, Tyler Tucci of Malvern and Aaron Craft of Findlay Liberty-Benton.

"It's a great honor, no doubt about it," said Sullinger, who committed to Ohio State his freshman year. "But to tell you the truth, the only thing I'm thinking about right now is winning a championship."

The Columbus Dispatch : Little brother measures up

 

[bkochmc]

Congrats Jared!

 

[bucknut11]

Northland makes state finals with an easy win today. Jared had 22 and 14. Finals are tomorrow night at 8:30, hopefully against Cincy Princeton (Siebert)

COLUMBUS – Ohio’s Mr. Basketball - center Jared Sullinger - is known for his post game. So when the 6-8 Columbus Northland junior canned a 3-pointer to open Friday’s Division I state semifinal with Warren G. Harding, one could sense this was the Vikings night. And it was.
Utilizing depth, size and sturdy doses of Sullinger and fellow junior J.D. Weatherspoon in the paint, Northland surged past Harding 73-59 before a crowd of 13,997 at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.

JJHuddle

 

[crazybuckfan40]

If Sullinger can get the ball, he could have a big night, but they will really trap Northland's guards and make it tough on them...

Saw Sullinger right beside me tonight...He is a legit 6'8''...

He has great hands, catches everything near him...

I love his game...Would love it if there is anyway he could grow another couple inches...He would truly be dominant at the next level...

 

[Buckskin86]

Bob Hunter commentary: Meaningful lesson keeps Sullinger's eyes on goal
Saturday, March 28, 2009
By bob hunter

The Northland players were getting in their last warm-up shots before their Division I semifinal basketball game when Jared Sullinger slipped away and parked his 6-foot-9 body on the bench.

It was an odd sight, the state's Mr. Basketball sitting there by himself, staring in the direction of Warren Harding players who were feverishly warming up in front of him.

What could be the deal with this guy? Could he be tired? Lazy? Scared?

Anyone who has met this calm, thoughtful kid knows the answer: none of the above.

"Before every warm-up, my brother (Julian) likes to do a little rap," Sullinger said. "And I sing his verse before every game for about five minutes straight. It's just one simple line, and I sing that every game. It just gives me energy and I'm repeatedly saying it."

If there's one thing for sure I'm not gonna fake it ... If there's one thing for sure I'm not gonna fake it ... If there's one thing for sure I'm not gonna fake it ...

Fake it? It's hard to imagine a first-team all-state player, an Ohio State recruit who is the consensus No. 1-ranked high school junior in the nation, faking anything.

"It gives me energy because I was trying to fake my schoolwork and that's a no-no now," he said. "That song, it's a really motivational song."

A little history is in order. Last year before a district semifinal, Sullinger's dad, Northland coach Satch Sullinger, sat Jared down for not doing his schoolwork. The Vikings were No. 1 in the state, same as they are now, and they were favored to be where they are now, in Value City Arena playing for the state title. With its sophomore star in street clothes, Northland lost to Westerville South.

Dad said it had to be done.

"You can tell a kid to be home by 11 or you're not going out, and if he comes in at 11:30 and nothing happens to him, eventually he ain't coming in at all," Satch said.

He laughed. "I wouldn't go to work if I didn't have to, and I'm an educated man."

And his son is quickly becoming an educated kid. The young star has been living with self-imposed guilt for a year.

"I think about it before every game," Jared said. "I think about Westerville South and how we lost to them and how I let the seniors down. It just makes me mad. The more I think about it, the more I get mad. That's what the coaches want, so that's what I do."

It's easy to see why the coaches might want him to be mad; Jared is a pleasant, mild-mannered kid with the kind of size (255 pounds) and talent to use his anger like a sledgehammer. Yesterday, he had 22 points and 14 rebounds in the Vikings' 73-59 win over Warren Harding.

The Columbus Dispatch : Bob Hunter commentary: Meaningful lesson keeps Sullinger's eyes on goal

 

[schwab]

Division I - State Championship - Round 2 - Game 1 Score - ohiohssports.com

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Everyone remembers Drew Lavendar a couple years ago going to line with the game one the line in the state finals, and not knocking them down...He stepped up to the line after struggling some on the night from the line and knocked 2 of 3 down...

We know what to expect out of Sullinger by now...He is a banger, can handle the ball, has a solid jumper, has great hands, and can finish around the hoop...

My main question to see here, is how his body develops by the time he gets here...Need to make sure he puts only good weight on...Dropped 25 lbs since last year...And see how he grows...

 

[ScriptOhio]

Sullinger Leads Northland To State Title

If the poll voters were right, then they were right in a photo finish.
Mr. Basketball Jared Sullinger hit two free throws with 2.7 seconds left as top-ranked Columbus Northland edged No. 2 Cincinnati Princeton 60-58 on Saturday night to capture the Division I state championship.
It will go down as one of the weirdest finishes in the tournament's 87 years. Players were fouled on 3-pointers twice in the final 15 seconds.
Sullinger, a 6-foot-9 junior who has committed to go to Ohio State in the fall of 2010, finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Xavier-bound teammate J.D. Weatherspoon had 18 points for Northland (27-1), which edged Princeton for The Associated Press poll crown.
Jordan Sibert, who also is headed to Ohio State in 2010, led Princeton (25-2) with 21 points. Miami (Ohio) recruit Orlando Williams went for 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The two-point difference will be particularly painful for Princeton. The game also featured a basket scored by Northland when no one was within 15 feet of the ball - it was tipped in by a Princeton player.
With everyone in the arena screaming, Northland came out of a timeout with 7.5 seconds left with the score tied at 58.
The ball was inbounded to Sullinger, who was near the midcourt line. He took the pass, rolled to his right and began to drive to the foul line when Princeton's Marcus Davis made contact with him as he went up for a shot. Davis was called for the foul - on a 3-pointer - with 2.7 seconds left.
Sullinger, 5-of-8 at the line to that point, hit the first two, with Williams grabbing the rebound on the third. His 60-foot shot at the buzzer came up short.

Entire article: WBNS 10TV : Sullinger Leads Northland To State Title - WBNS-10TV, Central Ohio's News Leader

 

[LitlBuck]

My main question to see here, is how his body develops by the time he gets here...Need to make sure he puts only good weight on...Dropped 25 lbs since last year...And see how he grows...

I was thinking if he would grow another 1" or 2" and maintain his weight could he play the 5 position once he gets to Ohio State.

 

[BengalsAndBucks]

40, how does his game compare to DeJuan Blair's?