The question has been asked and answered ad infinitum. But in this generation of sound bites and short attention spans, it will go on for as long as the Columbus kid who went to Michigan still plays basketball for the Wolverines.
Especially today, when Trey Burke returns home as arguably the best point guard in college basketball, at the helm of the nation?s No. 2-ranked team.
The question, of course, is this: Why isn?t Burke, who is best friends and played at Northland High School with Jared Sullinger, playing for Ohio State?
The answer: He had no choice. The Buckeyes never offered him a scholarship.
But Thad Matta wasn?t the only coach who didn?t.
?Let?s be honest: People just missed on the kid,? said Reggie Rankin, a former City League star, like Burke. Rankin played at Linden and Ohio University, was a major-college assistant coach for a number of years and now is a recruiting analyst forESPN.com.
?I thought he would be a really good college player,? Rankin said. ?Did I think he?d be the best point guard in the country like he is now? I didn?t.?
Burke will play in Value City Arena today for the second time as a Wolverine. Last year, the Buckeyes had a national player of the year candidate in Sullinger, were ranked higher (fourth, to Michigan?s 20th) and won 64-49. This year, the roles are reversed.
Michigan is now the only undefeated team remaining in major-college basketball, and Burke was second to Duke?s Mason Plumlee last week in a national player of the year straw poll of media by ESPN.com. He averages 18.2 points, third in the Big Ten, and ranks among the top 10 nationally in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio
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So far, it has been the season Burke hoped for last spring when he chose to forgo the NBA draft after his freshman season and return to the Wolverines. It?s more than he could have hoped for, actually. After he put a half-spin move on Nebraska on Wednesday that he copied years ago from NBA All-Star Chris Paul, Paul tweeted Burke a compliment. The two met at Paul?s skills camp last summer.
?I?m definitely kind of surprised by the way my life has changed the last year or so,? Burke said. ?But I knew that, just by the grace of God and by staying humble, and (with) hard work, I could be at this point eventually.?