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PG Aaron Craft (B1G 6th MOY '11, Def POY '12, Acad AA, Dolomiti En. TR - Italy)

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Thad is a little pissed off and now the other coaches in the conference knows how he feels. Good for him:highfive:
Ohio State coach Thad Matta admitted he is biased, but he said today he was "shocked" and "amazed" that Victor Oladipo of Indiana was voted Big Ten defensive player of the year this week instead of the Buckeyes' Aaron Craft.

Craft won the award last year as a sophomore.

"I think Victor Oladipo is a tremendous, outstanding, awesome defender, one of the best I’ve ever seen," Matta said. "But Aaron Craft is in a whole ‘nother world when it comes to defense, and this basketball team would not be anywhere (near) where it is without the impact he makes on the defensive end.

"I’m not taking anything away from Oladipo. I think the guy is awesome," Matta added. "But Aaron doesn’t fly through the air and pin shots on the glass. He takes them from the guy’s hands when he’s on the floor. How many five-second counts has Aaron Craft gotten this year by himself, man on man, with 80 feet to get away from him and they can’t get away?"

Matta was unaware that only he and his fellow coaches, and not a panel of media members, vote for the defensive-player-of-the-year award.

He said he also thought David Lighty was shortchanged by voters when Lighty played for Ohio State. Matta often said he thoughtLighty was the best defender in the conference if not the country, but Lighty never was Big Ten defensive player of the year and made the all-defensive team only as a senior.

"Aaron Craft should be the national defender of the year," Matta said. "I don’t even care about the Big Ten, he should be the national defender of the year. And I said the same thing about David Lighty.

"Maybe I’m biased, but I know you have to game plan for (Craft). As an opposing team, you have to be aware of where he is when you’re running your offense. . . . I’ve been in this league nine years, and I’ve never seen a kid make an impact on a basketball team like he does on the defensive end.

"Victor Oladipo is off the charts. I just think Aaron’s the best."
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http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/con...13-13-matta-craft-deserved-defensive-poy.html
 
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Listening to him answering questions in an interview and listening to some other guys trying to answer questions in an interview is laughable. Not only is Craft a Baller but he handles himself quite well behind a microphone without any duhs :)
 
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Dryden;2313994; said:
The Most Hated College Basketball Players of the Last 30 Years

Craft is a 7 seed in the 00s bracket opposite Joakim Noah. Duke has its own region. lol.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id...ated-college-basketball-players-last-30-years

grant_bracket_hatedplayersRd1.jpg
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Surprised that they went with Cleaves as their Spartan over Scott Skiles. And what did Larry Johnson ever do to anybody?
 
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Published: 3/17/2013
Much like on court, Ohio State's Craft competitive in classroom
Liberty-Benton alum still finds fun with academia
BY DAVID BRIGGS
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

CHICAGO ? Contrary to popular belief, the smartest basketball player in the Big Ten is not perfect.

Aaron Craft once got a B-plus.

Yes, the Ohio State guard who scored a 32 on the ACT his sophomore year at Liberty-Benton, was valedictorian of his class, and plans to become a doctor still burns from the chemistry class that got away his first quarter of college.

?It was my fault,? Craft said. ?I really thought that college and high school were almost the same. I did really well on the first test, didn?t quite study enough for the [exam], and there was information I hadn?t seen before.?

A day after the blemish was official, his father, John, texted him: ?The sun still came up, huh??

Aaron wasn?t so sure.

?I?m glad I?ve been able to bounce back,? he said.

Think Craft, a junior who helped lead the No. 10 Buckeyes into today?s Big Ten Tournament title game, is competitive on the court?

You should see him in the classroom.

Though invaluable to Ohio State?s pursuit of a deep run in the NCAA tournament ? coach Thad Matta calls the all-conference junior the best defender he?s seen in his nine years in the Big Ten ? Craft may be even more respected in academia.

He indeed bounced back. Now with a 3.92 grade-point average despite a rugged pre-med track ? his spring semester courses eeeeeeeinclude Organic Chemistry, Macronutrients, and Kinesiology ? Craft was honored last month as Capital One?s Academic All-American of the year in Division I college basketball.

cont..
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Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Ohio-Sta...etitive-in-classroom.html#p6JpXxRgep7r4Ff4.99
 
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