REAL DEAL IN THE ROCK : Sullinger shines
BY TIM COOPER
Posted on Saturday, April 18, 2009
Jared Sullinger claimed to have "dead legs" for Friday's opening game of the Real Deal in the Rock, but the 6-8 star of the All Ohio Red team seemed to be everywhere.
In the first five minutes of a 76-65 victory over the MBA Hoops Elite, Sullinger pulled down 4 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and made 3 steals at UALR's Jack Stephens Center. That early spark helped set the tone for the remainder of the tournament's feature game.
"For the most part, he's a relaxed, high-IQ kid," All Ohio Red Coach Quentin Rogers said. "He rarely ever wavers as far as his emotions go. When he does get emotional, it can be a lot worse than it was today."
Sullinger and his teammates started the morning in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio. They flew to Houston, where they caught their connecting flight to Little Rock. The team was on the court less than two hours after landing in Arkansas.
"That was rough," said Sullinger, an Ohio State committment who finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals. "Coming in here when you've got dead legs and you really can't move, it takes you a half a game to get your legs halfway warmed up. It takes another 10 minutes to where you're ready to play a real game. By the time you're really ready to play there's only five minutes left."
Sullinger, who just completed his junior season at Northland High School in Columbus, is No. 1 on the list of many recruiting services. He averaged 19.9 points, 12 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game and was selected as Mr. Basketball for Ohio. He is the younger brother of former University of Arkansas player J.J. Sullinger and he has another brother who is also a college basketball player at Kent State.
"He comes from a family of basketball players and that's made him mature," Rogers said. "His daddy's a coach and his two brothers played. He's been around basketball since he was a baby. For the most part, he does what he can do. He rarely steps out of the box and he won't do anything he hasn't worked on."