Brett Ludwiczak
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You’re Nuts: Which former Buckeye do you want to see on Carmen’s Crew in the future?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Sunday, Carmen’s Crew won The Basketball Tournament for a second time, netting $1 million for the team composed of a number of Ohio State alums. Not only did the team include recent Buckeyes Andre and Kaleb Wesson, Keyshawn Woods, and Kyle Young, also on the team was Jared Sullinger, who hit the winning shot of the tournament which gave Carmen’s Crew a 69-65 win over Forever Coogs in Louisville.
The Basketball Tournament first took place in 2014 and Carmen’s Crew has competed in TBT in seven of the last eight years, with 2022 being the only year they didn’t field a team. The 2019 team also was able to win the whole tournament with former Buckeyes William Buford, Aaron Craft, Jon Diebler, and David Lighty. Throughout the years, many memorable Ohio State alums have competed in the tournament. Greg Oden, Deshaun Thomas, and LaQuinton Ross are just a few of the 20 former Buckeyes who have suited up for Carmen’s Crew.
What makes Carmen’s Crew so fun to watch annually is seeing former Buckeyes come together to make another run at a title. The 2019 team was so fun to watch because it brought back together Buckeyes who made Final Four runs while in college. Even former NBA first round picks have played for Carmen’s Crew over the years. Now we want to know who should be the next Ohio State alums to suit up for Carmen’s Crew when they go for their third TBT title?
Tate might not have been the biggest or most talented Buckeye, but he certainly was one of the most beloved because of how hard he worked while at Ohio State. It became clear early on in his career that Tate bled scarlet and gray and would go on to play four seasons for the Buckeyes, being named second-team All-Big Ten in his final season as Buckeye in 2018.
Despite not being selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, Tate still worked tirelessly to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. The forward would play in Belgium and Australia before signing with the Houston Rockets in 2020. Tate would go on to make the NBA’s All-Rookie Team, becoming just the second undrafted player to earn those honors. The 2021-22 season saw Tate start 77 of Houston’s 81 games, and after four seasons in the NBA Tate is averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
For as hard as he has had to work for everything throughout his career, Tate deserves a chance at as many titles and accomplishments as possible. Plus, you know Tate would be an amazing leader of Carmen’s Crew since he always went above and beyond when Thad Matta and Chris Holtmann challenged him at Ohio State.
Then again, it doesn’t have to be too soon for Tate to play for Carmen’s Crew because we want him to play in the NBA for as long as he can before moving on to other ventures. Knowing how hard Tate works at his craft, he’ll be able to stick around the league for quite some time.
I’m not gonna lie, Jae’Sean Tate would have been my answer too had Brett not claimed him first. Not only was he arguably my favorite Buckeye of recent vintage, but we also graduated from the same high school, so there is an extra level of connection that I have with him that makes me root for his success all the time.
However, watching TBT games over the years — and especially this season — one thing I have learned is that big guys can dominate this tournament. And while Jae’Sean played a very undersized 4 for the Buckeyes, it’s legitimate big guys who can help win the million bucks in this event. Therefore, I am going with former Ivy League Player of the Year Seth Towns.
Now, before you start yelling at me, hear me out. I know that his time as a Buckeye was not exactly memorable, aside from the fact that he was memorably injured. However, he is a Columbus native and chose to transfer to OSU over Duke; the dude bleeds scarlet and gray. And, after he left Columbus, he did play college basketball last season, and again, he was a force.
As a member of the Howard basketball team, Towns was honored as an All-MEAC third-team selection after putting up 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In fact, in this three full, non-injured seasons of college basketball, Towns only averaged double-figures in points and his rebounding totals increased in every campaign.
How great would it be to see a 6-foot-9 former Buckeye clogging up the paint for Carmen’s Crew? Who knows how long Jared Sullinger will continue to come back for TBT? Kaleb Wesson could be around for a while, but as we saw this season, it helps to have a second big, and Seth can help stretch the defense, shooting 38% from beyond the arc.
So, sign me up for a little bit of the Seth Towns Redemption Tour on Carmen’s Crew in 2025!
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Sunday, Carmen’s Crew won The Basketball Tournament for a second time, netting $1 million for the team composed of a number of Ohio State alums. Not only did the team include recent Buckeyes Andre and Kaleb Wesson, Keyshawn Woods, and Kyle Young, also on the team was Jared Sullinger, who hit the winning shot of the tournament which gave Carmen’s Crew a 69-65 win over Forever Coogs in Louisville.
The Basketball Tournament first took place in 2014 and Carmen’s Crew has competed in TBT in seven of the last eight years, with 2022 being the only year they didn’t field a team. The 2019 team also was able to win the whole tournament with former Buckeyes William Buford, Aaron Craft, Jon Diebler, and David Lighty. Throughout the years, many memorable Ohio State alums have competed in the tournament. Greg Oden, Deshaun Thomas, and LaQuinton Ross are just a few of the 20 former Buckeyes who have suited up for Carmen’s Crew.
What makes Carmen’s Crew so fun to watch annually is seeing former Buckeyes come together to make another run at a title. The 2019 team was so fun to watch because it brought back together Buckeyes who made Final Four runs while in college. Even former NBA first round picks have played for Carmen’s Crew over the years. Now we want to know who should be the next Ohio State alums to suit up for Carmen’s Crew when they go for their third TBT title?
Today’s question: Which former Buckeye do you want to see play for Carmen’s Crew in the future?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Jae’Sean Tate
Tate might not have been the biggest or most talented Buckeye, but he certainly was one of the most beloved because of how hard he worked while at Ohio State. It became clear early on in his career that Tate bled scarlet and gray and would go on to play four seasons for the Buckeyes, being named second-team All-Big Ten in his final season as Buckeye in 2018.
Despite not being selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, Tate still worked tirelessly to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. The forward would play in Belgium and Australia before signing with the Houston Rockets in 2020. Tate would go on to make the NBA’s All-Rookie Team, becoming just the second undrafted player to earn those honors. The 2021-22 season saw Tate start 77 of Houston’s 81 games, and after four seasons in the NBA Tate is averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
For as hard as he has had to work for everything throughout his career, Tate deserves a chance at as many titles and accomplishments as possible. Plus, you know Tate would be an amazing leader of Carmen’s Crew since he always went above and beyond when Thad Matta and Chris Holtmann challenged him at Ohio State.
Then again, it doesn’t have to be too soon for Tate to play for Carmen’s Crew because we want him to play in the NBA for as long as he can before moving on to other ventures. Knowing how hard Tate works at his craft, he’ll be able to stick around the league for quite some time.
Matt’s answer:
I’m not gonna lie, Jae’Sean Tate would have been my answer too had Brett not claimed him first. Not only was he arguably my favorite Buckeye of recent vintage, but we also graduated from the same high school, so there is an extra level of connection that I have with him that makes me root for his success all the time.
However, watching TBT games over the years — and especially this season — one thing I have learned is that big guys can dominate this tournament. And while Jae’Sean played a very undersized 4 for the Buckeyes, it’s legitimate big guys who can help win the million bucks in this event. Therefore, I am going with former Ivy League Player of the Year Seth Towns.
Now, before you start yelling at me, hear me out. I know that his time as a Buckeye was not exactly memorable, aside from the fact that he was memorably injured. However, he is a Columbus native and chose to transfer to OSU over Duke; the dude bleeds scarlet and gray. And, after he left Columbus, he did play college basketball last season, and again, he was a force.
As a member of the Howard basketball team, Towns was honored as an All-MEAC third-team selection after putting up 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In fact, in this three full, non-injured seasons of college basketball, Towns only averaged double-figures in points and his rebounding totals increased in every campaign.
How great would it be to see a 6-foot-9 former Buckeye clogging up the paint for Carmen’s Crew? Who knows how long Jared Sullinger will continue to come back for TBT? Kaleb Wesson could be around for a while, but as we saw this season, it helps to have a second big, and Seth can help stretch the defense, shooting 38% from beyond the arc.
So, sign me up for a little bit of the Seth Towns Redemption Tour on Carmen’s Crew in 2025!
Continue reading...