Analysis
Father Explains Why Ohio State Star Won?t Change Mind
By PETE THAMEL
Published: March 28, 2011
Mike Segar/Reuters
Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger wants to return to the Buckeyes next season to win a national championship and learn more from Coach Thad Matta, right.
One of his favorite sayings sums up his son?s decision to return to Ohio State for his sophomore year, despite being projected as a top-five pick in the N.B.A. draft.
?Yesterday is history,? Satch likes to say. ?Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That?s why they call it the present.?
While the focus of the college basketball world shifts to Houston this week for the Final Four, Sullinger?s return next season makes Ohio State an early favorite to advance to New Orleans for the 2012 Final Four. The Buckeyes should be No. 1 in the preseason polls, as the coaching staff also expects the junior wing William Buford to return.
While the presence of eighth-seeded Butler and 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth in this year?s Final Four suggests that we should not put much stock in early-season projections, Sullinger?s move will have an indelible impact on next season.
Sullinger told reporters after the Buckeyes? loss to Kentucky in the Round of 16 last week that he would return. That proclamation was greeted with skepticism. Star players have made similar remarks in the emotional moments after a big loss before financial realities took over.
That?s not the case with Sullinger. His father confirmed and expounded upon his son?s intentions in a phone interview Sunday.
?You can etch it in stone,? Satch Sullinger said. ?Jared Sullinger will be back at the Ohio State University.?
In an interview in December, Satch Sullinger predicted this. He had used the specter of a possible N.B.A. lockout as a reason. But on Sunday he said that the potential lockout did not factor into the decision-making process. In fact, he said he had barely discussed the N.B.A. with his son.
Satch Sullinger said his son had two goals. The first was to win a national title, which Ohio State was favored to do this season, coming into the N.C.A.A. tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.
?That?s exactly why he?s coming back,? Satch said. ?He?s coming back because his goal is to win a national championship. He?s won A.A.U. and high school championships, and he wants to win a national championship.?
Cont..