• Others receiving votes: Florida State 108, Texas 107, Michigan State 73, Temple 59, Washington 29, Butler 25, New Mexico 22, Creighton 19, Villanova 18, Purdue 17, UNLV 16, West Virginia 13, George Mason 12, Mississippi State 11, St. John's 11, Saint Mary's 5, Virginia 5, Virginia Commonwealth 4, Drexel 2, Kansas State 2, Long Beach State 2, Notre Dame 1, Brigham Young 1
• 
  

     Craft led the scoring efforts in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and averaged 26 points, seven assists and eight rebounds as a senior with 70 steals (3.2 per game). Though handling the point guard duties, he scored on 57 percent of his shots from the field (164-288), 43 percent from 3 point range (43-101) and 85 percent from the foul line (120-141).

Craft played for All-Ohio Red along with Sullinger and Weatherspoon.

     Craft played football as well for Liberty-Benton as both a quarterback and free safety. On the gridiron his LBHS was regional champions in 2006 and 2009 and the state runner up in 2009. He was an all-state QB in 2008 and 2009 while earning Ohio Division 5 Offensive Player of the Year honor in 2009.

like Charles. He has that big, strong body, but he gets up so quick. He's a quick leaper. And he has great hands. He's going to be a great pro one day.
      Jackson State has been blown out in all 4 games this season but their 44 point defeat at the hands of Ohio State was the worst of the season.   Wright State and Florida have each played 3 games, winning the two they didn't play OSU.

       Ohio State coach Thad Matta, an assistant to Coles in 1995 and 1997, is perfectly aware of what his point guard means to his team.. "He's kind of everywhere," Matta said. "You see the other four guys watching him hawk the ball and he's just kind of all over the other team. I singled him out during film in a positive way: If you were all like this, they'd never score on you."'

      William Buford led Ohio State (12-1) with 18 points and added four assists to join Jim Jackson, Evan Turner and David Lighty as the only players in program history to have at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in their careers.
      Julian Mavunga, the leading scorer and rebounder in the Mid-American Conference and one of just three players in the nation averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, had eight of Miami's 15 field goals.  He was 8 of 14 from the field with 20 points and 10 rebounds, both game leading stats, but he played 40 minutes while the Buckeye's Big 4 played from 24 to 31 minutes.
       Ohio State if off until December 28th when they open the Big Ten season at home vs Northwestern.  at 2:30 PM PST on Big Ten Network.

        COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Northwestern coach Bill Carmody was in mid-thought when he suddenly said of Ohio State's William Buford, "I don't know if you'd call it his team but ... he's a senior, right?"

 Ohio State       32            38          70
 indiana              33            41           74

                                            OHIO STATE FOULS WAY TO DEFEAT BY INDIANA 74-70
       The Buckeyes came storming out of the gate which is usually the norm for the Buckeyes.   But the entire game changed on one call, a charging foul on Sullinger that the announcers said 'that wasn't a bad call, that was a horrible call'.   It was Sullinger's 2nd foul and he went to the bench with the Bucks ahead 19-9.  The Buckeye well oiled machine never surfaced again as Sullinger set out the last 11 minutes of the half, Thomas sat out about 12 minutes of the half and Buford about 4 minutes of the half as each had 2 fouls.  The three combined to play 29 minutes in the first half.  The remaining players couldn't play with Indiana.  But Indiana was only ahead by one at the half and the entire 2nd half was played with neither team ahead by more than 5 points.  The Bucks foul troubles continued but the starters played most of the 2nd half but Sully, Buford, Thomas and Ravenel all finished with 4 fouls and played tentative defense giving Indiana one lay up after another.  OSU was only able to get the ball to Sullinger enough to take 5 shots although he had 13 foul shots as he was fouled on most attempts.  

     The Bucks had a shot of winning but with Indiana up 2, Buford missed a long 3 pointer with 5 seconds remaining.   It was an exciting last 5+ minutes as there were 10 lead changes or ties!
      The Bucks outshot Indiana 59 to to 46%, shot 73% on foul shots to Indiana's 68%, won bounds 34-26 and assists 11-6.  But the two key stats that the Bucks almost always win are turnovers which Indiana won 11 to 17 and fouls which Indiana won 20-22.  Indiana shot 39% from downtown to 27% for OSU.
       Craft lead OSU scoring with 16 points on 6 of 10 from the field with 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals but 6 huge turnovers in 38 minutes.   Sullinger added 15 on 3 of 5 from the field and 9 of 13 from the line and 9 boards with 3 turnovers in 29 minutes.  Smith played the best of any starter with 12 points on 4 of 8 from the field, 6 boards and 3 assists in 30 minutes.  Buford never got untracked scoring 8 points on 3 of 7 with 4 bounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes.          Thomas scored 5 points on 2 of 6 with 3 boards in 21 minutes.  Ravenel scored 4 with 3 boards and 3 blocks in 19 minutes.  Sam Thompson was the most effective reserve making 3 of 6 shots including two alley oop slams and scored 6 points.  
        Indiana becomes the ninth team since 1996-97 to beat both a No. 1 and a No. 2 in one season, and it joins Kansas in 2007-08 and Louisville in 2003-04 as the only teams over that span to achieve the feat in the same month. Only Louisville did it during the regular season.

        Tim Frazier led the Nittany Lions (10-12, 2-7) with 16 points, but he had only six when Craft left the game with 131/2 minutes remaining. Frazier also had four assists and no steals. He entered the game leading the Big Ten in all three categories in conference games.

       “I thought Craft did a great job on him,” Chambers (Penn State Coach) said. “Yesterday, I had a couple of our second-team guys just really get after Tim and really play physical and really play tough because that’s how Craft plays. I think he got into Tim a little bit mentally and physically.”

                             RATING    W   L  SCHEDL(RANK) VS top 25 | VS top 50 | ELO_CHESS    | PREDICTOR  
                HOME ADVANTAGE=[  3.42]                                               [  3.52]       [  3.35]
   1  Ohio State              =  94.35   20   3   76.47(  46)    4   2  |    5   3  |   90.69    6 |   96.25    1
   2  Kentucky                =  93.69   23   1   74.95(  88)    4   1  |    4   1  |   92.86    2 |   93.76    2
   3  Syracuse                =  92.09   23   1   76.37(  50)    2   0  |    3   0  |   91.97    5 |   91.95    4
   4  Kansas                  =  91.64   18   5   79.55(   2)    4   3  |    7   4  |   89.14    8 |   92.43    3
   5  Missouri                =  90.75   21   2   75.72(  72)    2   1  |    7   1  |   92.15    4 |   90.30    8
   6  Michigan State          =  90.70   18   5   78.02(   9)    3   2  |    7   4  |   88.31   13 |   91.40    6
   7  North Carolina          =  90.59   20   3   75.67(  74)    2   3  |    4   3  |   89.52    7 |   90.74    7
   8  Wisconsin               =  90.23   18   6   77.41(  16)    2   4  |    5   5  |   86.57   20 |   91.76    5
   9  Baylor                  =  89.25   20   2   77.69(  13)    2   2  |    7   2  |   93.66    1 |   88.46   12
  10  Indiana                 =  89.08   18   6   77.83(  11)    2   3  |    4   5  |   87.35   16 |   89.46    9

Four of top 10 teams in Sagarin's rankings are from the Big Ten!

          First place in the conference is on the line in the game at Penn State. The Lions (21-5, 11-3) currently have a half game lead over the Buckeyes (23-3, 10-3). Ohio State has three games left in the regular season. Two are on the road. Penn State has two games remaining, both at home. 

          Prahalis missed her fourth game in four seasons on Thursday. The 9th-ranked Buckeyes didn't need her to put away the Hoosiers 76-54. They will against the No. 12 Lions, who can clinch a tie for their first conference title since 2004 with a win.

Tayler Hill leads the Big Ten in scoring at 21.3 points per game. Prahalis is a close second at 19.8. She leads the conference in assists with 167. She is 18 away from tying Northwestern's Nancy Kennelly for the Big Ten career assist mark of 892. She also is nine points from 1,900 for her career.

           Hill and Prahalis have accounted for 52.2 percent of Ohio State's 2.002 points this season.

        In her home finale, Prahalis sets school scoring record for women

     On senior night, Prahalis set an OSU record by scoring 42 points to lead the No. 8-ranked Buckeyes to an 81-56 Big Ten victory over Minnesota in front of 5,344 appreciative fans.

     Prahalis notched 22 points in the first half and 20 more in the second to break the record set by Katie Smith against Idaho State on Dec. 11, 1994. Prahalis also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

     With the win, the Buckeyes (24-4, 11-4) can finish no lower than second place in the conference regular-season standings.

     Prahalis dropped in two free throws with 2:27 to play to set the program and arena record and left to a standing ovation. She was 15 for 27 from the field, 7 of 12 from three-point distance and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line.

“I don’t know who wrote the script,” OSU coach Jim Foster said. “But somebody did. And, you haven’t even talked about zero turnovers. Think about it. She was all over the place.”

      Point guard Aaron Craft became the first Ohio State men’s basketball player in 44 years to be named an Academic All-American, and one of five players to be named to the first team, by the College Sports Information Directors of America yesterday.

      Craft, from Findlay, Ohio, is an exercise science (pre-med) major with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.89. He is the first Ohio State men’s player to be so honored since Bill Hosket was named to the first team in 1968.

      Craft also was the only sophomore named to the first, second or third teams. The last sophomore to make the first team was D.J. Augustin of Texas in 2008.

     Four Ohio State starters were voted to one of the three all-Big Ten teams. Coaches and media voted sophomore Jared Sullinger to the first team for the second year in a row. William Buford and Deshaun Thomas made the coaches’ second team. Thomas and Craft made the media’s third team.

     Michigan State senior Draymond Green was the only unanimous selection to the first team and was voted Big Ten Player of the Year by coaches and media. Sullinger, a first-team All-American last season as a freshman, had been voted Player of the Year in the preseason.

     Craft, The Buckeyes’ sophomore point guard was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten last night after results of voting by league coaches were totaled. They also named Craft to the all-defensive team for the second year in a row.

     The only other Ohio State players to win the award since its inception in 1984 are shot-blocking centers Ken Johnson (2000 and ’01) and Greg Oden (2007).

      “I think he’s the best defender in college basketball,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said of Craft.

Ohio State                    39         34       73

Gonzaga                       37        29        66

                    CRAFT SPARKS BUCKEYES OVER GONZAGA 73-66 AND A PLACE IN SWEET 16

      Buckeye fans are used to stifling defense from Aaron Craft but today they received a bonus as Craft

showed his seldom used offense with 17 points on 7 of 9 from the field and a season high 10 assists.

Craft and Sullinger started out the first 8 minutes going 5 for 5 for 13 points, but Sullinger sat out the last 9 minutes of the first half with 2 fouls and it was Craft at both ends of the court then 12 straight points by Thomas (3 assists by Craft) from the 5 minute mark to 1 minute left in the first half to rally OSU from a 7 point deficit to a two point half time lead.   After Thomas’ streak, Craft scored 10 straight Buckeye points ending at the 16 minute mark of the second half.  Thomas broke the streak with a 3 (assist by Craft) giving Craft and Thomas 25 straight Buckeye points in a span of 9 minutes while holding Gonzaga to 12 points.

      The OSU defense held Gonzaga to 39% from the field enabling the Bucks to prevail in the second half.  The Zags tied the game at 61 with 4:05 left, but then Sullinger made his only two field goals of the 2^nd half and a Thomas foul shot gave the Bucks a 66-61 point lead.  Sullinger then made two clutch foul shots with 59 seconds left to give the Bucks a 68-61 point lead.  Gonzaga made two foul shots and a prayer 3 pointer in the last 35 seconds, but Buford and Smith combined to make 5 of 6 foul shots down the stretch and the 7.5 point favored Buckeyes had a 73-66 victory much to the chagrin of Charles Barkley who picked the Zags.

         In today’s game OSU out steshot Gonzaga from the field 47 to 39% and from the foul line 78 to 74% while winning steals 6-3, blocks 4 to 1 and personal fouls 17 to 19.  The Zags out shot the Bucks 35 to 28% from downtown and won rebounds 31 to 26, assists 14 to 13 and turnovers 9 to 11.

      Thomas led the Buckeyes in scoring with 18 points in 39 minutes on 7 of 15 from the field, 3 of 7 from 3 point range with 7 boards and two blocks.  Sullinger also scored 18 in 26 minutes on 5 of 9 from

the field, 2 of 2 from downtown with 4 boards.  Craft scored 17 in 40 minutes of action on 7 of 9 from the field with 10 assists and 3 steals.  Buford scored 13 points in 40 minutes on 4 of 13 from the field and 2 of 7 from downtown with 5 boards.  Smith added 7 points on 2 of 6 from the floor with 5 bounds.  For the 3^rd time in the last 10 games the bench was scoreless in 27 minutes of action taking only 1 shot.

      Craft’s defense, great for two seasons now, has really been stifling.  Today he took on Kevin Pangos who averages 13.5 point a game.  Pangos was able to score 10 points but he was only 3 of 14 from the field.  In the last 4 games Craft has clamped down on 7 straight point guards including the 2^nd (TWICE) and 3^rd team all Big Ten guards as follows:

MIN                       36.7                        31.6

FGM                      3.9                          2.7         

FGA                       6.6                          9.4

FG%                       58.7%                    28.8%                                   

3 PT FGM             .9                            .6

3 PT FGA              2.4                          3.7                         

3 PT %                   35.3%                    15.4%

ASSISTS                5.3                          4.6

STEALS                  3.0                          1.1

TURNOVERS       2.4                          2.1

POINTS                 10.6                        7.3

     Opponent point guards are taking 2.8 more shots a game and scoring 3.3 points less a game.  Craft has held last 7 point guards to 28.8% from the field (while shooting 58.7% himself) and 15.4% from downtown.  Craft leads in assists 5.3 to 4.6, steals 3.0 to 1.1,  but is committing 2.4 turnovers to 2.1 a game for his opponent.

      This corner has been calling Craft the best defensive guard in the NCAA for two years.  Nice to see broadcasters now getting on board and saying the same thing.  He made the Big Ten all defensive team last season and this year when he was also name Big Ten defensive player of the year, an honor usually won by a shot blocking center. 

      In the last two season, behind Craft and Sullinger OSU was #1 in the nation in the polls and #1 seed overall before losing in the sweet 16 game to Kentucky on a field goal with 5 seconds remaining.  This season they were a #2 seed by the NCAA committee but the 2^nd favored behind Kentucky by the Odds Makers in Vegas.  Should be favored by about 5 points in the next two games if they win and than by 2 points in the semi-finals.

       The Big Ten have three teams in the sweet 16 and are 8-1 in the tournament with Michigan State and Purdue playing tomorrow.  The Big Ten has been acknowledged all season as the best conference from top to bottom and seem to be proving it in the tournament.  Ironically, the only Big Ten team that lost was Michigan and they lost to Ohio University.  Do you think the Wolverines with still refer to the Buckeyes as Ohio?   Incidentally the 4 teams in the tournament from Ohio are now 5-0!!  OSU 2-0. Ohio 1-0, Xavier 1-0 and Cincinnati 1-0.

Ohio State        29        48      77

Syracuse           29       41      70  
     

                               OHIO STATE BULLIES  SYRACUSE 77-70 – NEXT SEMI FINALS

     Ohio State used the power of Sullinger and his 14 2^nd half points to control Syracuse 77-70 and a trip to the NCAA semi finals.  Four teams will be remaining after tomorrow and OSU will play the North Carolina and Kansas winner.

     The game was tied 29-29 at half as Sully only played 6 minute due to 2 fouls.  In the 2^nd half they got the ball into him enough for him to make 3 of 5 fouls shots and draw 6 fouls.  They worked the lead up to 10 at 46-36 with 13 minutes remaining,  but Syracuse responded by coming within one at 52-51 with 7:43 left.   Lenzelle Smith knocked down a 3, but Brandon Triche responded with a 3 for Syracuse with 6:43 remaining to make it 55-54 OSU.  In the next two minutes  Sullinger scored 5 points Syracuse made a loan foul shot for at 60-55 lead with 4:19 left.  Triche and Smith exchanged buckets.  Thomas made a basket and Sully and Craft both sunk 2 foul shots to give OSU a 68-60 lead with 59 seconds left.  A few seconds later Craft committed his 5^th foul of the half to make things interesting!  Trich made two free throws with 49 left to cut OSU lead to 68-64.  But in the last 44 seconds all four starters other than Craft went to the line making 9 of 10 foul shots to clinch the win.   

      The Buckeyes won the battle of the boards 37-22, assists 10-9, turnovers 11 to 12 and fouls 20-28.     The Orangeman slightly out shot the Bucks 41.5 to 41.2% from the field, 38 to 33% from downtown, 80 to 74% from the foul line and won  steals 6-4, and blocks 7-3.

      Sullinger led the Bucks with 19 points in 26 minutes on 5 of 9 from the field and 9 of 12 from the line with 7 boards.  Smith tallied 18 points on 3 of 6 from downtown and 7 of 9 from the line with 3 bounds in 35 minutes.  Thomas was held to 14 points on 6 of 14 from the field and 9 boards in 40 minutes.  Buford tallied 13 points on 3 of 12 from the field , 6 of 8 from the line with 9 bounds and 2 assists in 40 minutes.  Craft was held to 5 points on 1 of 3 from the field 3 of 3 from the line with 4 boards, 4 assists, one steal and 2 turnovers in 39 minutes.  His steal is probably already on U-tube.  Craft knocked a ball away from Syracuse then with a running start leaped over the end line while grabbing the ball and throwing a perfect no-look pass in bounds while plowing through the photographers row and the first row of fans.  Once he got stopped he did a 360 and sprinted back through the photographers and down the court to join the offense.  Never saw someone get out of the stands so fast.  Usually the players limp out, help people up, sign a few autographs and jog up court.  Craft was full speed over the end line and back to the court.

      The bench played a big part in the game also.  In addition to playing their normal tough defense, the bench also added 8 points and 5 boards in 20 minutes.

      Syracuse was paced by Triche with 15 points on 4 of 10 from the floor, Scoop Jardine with 14 points on 5 of 12 from the field and 6 assists and Kris Joseph with 10 points on 4 of 11.  Two Syracuse players fouled out and three more players finished with 4 fouls.

      Ohio State has now beat the odds in 16 of the 24 games since the start of Big Ten games and 6 of the last 8 games.  OSU missing covering the odds by a half point in the win over Cincinnnati and in the Big Ten tournament final when they lost to Michigan State.  The Big Ten is now 11-5 and the four Ohio schools are 9-3.  Unless Baylor or Kansas win tomorrow, Ohio State will be the team located furthest west of the final four teams.

In last 7 minutes of game today, Smith made 2 of 3 shots and 4 of 4 from the line for 9 points.   Smith may be the best clutch shooter for Ohio State. 

     Matta will start taking criticism for playing his starters too much.  When your starters are an All American, two 2^nd team All Big Ten, a 3^rd team All Big Ten player who arguably is best  defensive guard in the country  and the 5^th player your best shooter in the clutch, why would you go to the bench?  The bench isn’t that bad but the starting 5 is so good you take a hit when any are replaced.  I could see all five playing 40 minutes in one or both of the next two games if they can all stay out of foul trouble.  One thing you can count on, if the Bucks lose one of next two game it will be blamed on Matta playing his starters too many minutes!  Kobe Bryant is 33 and averages 38.6 minutes a game playing 3 games a week.  I suspect, 19 year olds won’t have any trouble playing 40 minutes twice in 3 days!! 

      Below are average stats for each of the 5 starters plus Scott for the last 8 games.  I chose the last 8 games as those have all been pressure games.  Starts with last regular season game at Michigan State, three Big Ten tournament games and four NCAA tournament games.   If stats don't come out formatted correctly, see attachment.

Ohio State       34        28      62

                FINAL BIG  TEN  STANDINGS
         

TEAM                         W-L            OVERALL W-L

Purdue                         14-4                    26-4

Michigan State            14-4                    24- 7

Ohio State                   14-4                    24- 7

Wisconsin                   13-5                    23- 7

Illinois                        10- 8                  18-13           

 Minnesota                    9-9                   18-12 

Northwestern               7-11                  19-12

 Michigan                     7-11                 14-16

Iowa                             4-14                 10-21

Indiana                         4-14                 10-20

Turner was joined on the All-Big Ten first team by Lucas, E'Twaun  and Robbie Hummel of Purdue and high-school teammate Demetri McCarney of Illinois. Turner and McCarney played for Westchester St. Joseph in a suburb of Chicago.

The media but not the coaches voted unanimously for Turner as player of the year. Turner said he did not know who snubbed him, "but that doesn't matter, to tell you the truth."

William Buford and David Lighty of Ohio State were voted to the third team, Jon Diebler received honorable mention, and Dallas Lauderdale was named to the All-Defensive team.

Turner is the fifth Buckeye to earn the conference's player of the year award, following Dennis Hopson (1987), Jim Jackson ('91 and '92), Scoonie Penn ('99) and Terence Dials (2006).

Turner, who announced this week that he will forgo his senior year to enter the NBA draft, is the first Ohio State player to win the Wooden Award, which is named after the legendary UCLA coach and has been presented since 1977.

Last week, Turner received the Naismith Trophy from the Atlanta Tipoff Club, the Oscar Robertson Trophy from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and player of the year awards from the Associated Press (54 votes to 9 for Wall of Kentucky) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. In March, he was named player of the year by Sporting News.

Turner is the first Ohio State player to receive the Naismith, AP and NABC awards.

He averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and six assists in leading Ohio State to a share of the Big Ten championship, the conference tournament title and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Evan Turner was named Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year in the Big Ten on 6-23-2010, the third Ohio State athlete to earn the honor since the award was established in 1982.  Football player Eddie George in 1996 and gymnast Blaine Wilson in 1997 also won the award.  The last men's basketball player to win the award was Glenn Robinson of Purdue in 1994. Other men's basketball players who won it were Steve Alford of Indiana in 1987 and Glen Rice of Michigan in 1989.

JERRY LUCAS, The sophomore All-American center connected on 5-of-6 field-goal attempts in the first half as Ohio State started 15 of 16 and were 16-of-19 (84%) in taking a 37-19 halftime lead. The five-point underdogs didn't let down in the second half and coasted to a 75-55 victory in the Cow Palace in San Francisco as five Buckeyes scored in double figures.

"One of the great things about that team is that it was a team," Lucas said.

He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after being the top scorer
(16 points) and rebounder (10) in the biggest title-game rout in the first 22 years of the
NCAA Tournament. But the job he did defensively might have been his biggest contribution.

Lucas had the task of guarding All-American center Darrall Imhoff, who had scored 25 points in Cal's semifinal victory over No. 1-ranked Cincinnati and Oscar Robertson. But the 6-foot-8 Lucas forced the 6-foot-10 Imhoff into 3-of-9 shooting, holding him to eight points and five rebounds.

The team grade-point average was 3.6 on a 4.0 scale. Every player on the roster graduated.  On the court, it was just as impressive, averaging a remarkable 90.4 points a game.

john HAVELICEK was from the small town of Lansing, across the Ohio River from Wheeling, W.Va.  He was an All-Ohioan in basketball, football and baseball at Bridgeport High School.  Havlicek dabbled in baseball for the Buckeyes and even signed a professional contract with the Cleveland Browns and made the team, but when Paul Brown told him it would be at least three years before he would see the field, Hondo went back to the hardwood.  You learn a lot about offense by guarding other people," Havlicek said. "The people who are the most difficult to guard are always moving, using screens and cutting, and I thought I'm going to apply those things to my game (offensively)."He did and ended up scoring more than 1,000 points at OSU and taking it a step further and scoring more than 26,000 points in the NBA, averaging more than 20 a game for his career.

Another sophomore, MEL NOWELL, a 6-2 starting guard from Columbus, would also go on to a pro career. He averaged 13.1 points and was the trigger man of an offense that ran every chance it could. 

The other two starters were holdovers from Taylor’s first season as head coach, a team that went 11-11. 

LARRY SIEGFRIED, a 6-4 guard, averaged 19.6 points on that team but had to
take a back seat to the younger stars a year later, when he scored 13.2 points a game. Like Havlicek, he would go on to a glittering NBA career with the Celtics that would include five championships.

Rounding out the starting lineup was JOE ROBERTS, a 6-6 senior from Columbus whose
biggest contribution might have been accepting the sophomores to help pave the way for the team’s success. He, too, would play in the NBA.

The first man off the bench was 6-7 DICK FURRY, a starter the year before who lost his job to Havlicek. Like Siegfried and Roberts, he bore no ill will toward the upstarts who took over the team. Rather than complain or bide his time, he threw himself into being a valued player off the bench.

“I decided I had to make the best of it and play the sixth man,” he said later. “And I felt
I really contributed.”

 BOB KNIGHT made the case to Taylor that he should be playing more, but he still remained a reserve. He averaged just 3.7 points a game. Much of the Xs and Os he would introduce during his storied coaching career, which included a record 902 wins, would be gleaned from his years around Taylor, also one of his lifelong friends.

1960 PLAYERS INDIVIDUAL POINTS AND REBOUNDS

Name                     Pos    Class    Pts     Reb
Jerry Lucas               C       SO     26.3    16.4
Larry Siegfried           G       JR     13.3     3.8
Mel Nowell                G       JR     13.1     2.6
John Havlicek             F       JR     12.2     7.3
Joe Roberts               F       JR     11.0     6.9
Dick Furry               F/C      SR      5.1     3.3
Bob Knight                F       SO      3.7     2.0
Howard Nourse             C       SO      3.1     2.7
Gary Gearhart             G       SR      2.6     1.2
Richie Hoyt               G       SO      2.5     

Odds 'n' Ends - NCAA Tournament

In his NCAA Tournament debut, Lucas scored a career postseason high 36 points and had 25 rebounds in Ohio State's 98-79 victory over Western Kentucky in 1960.

     In the early 1970s he put his memory to the test when he appeared on television
and amazed a national audience with his ability to memorize the first 500 pages of the
Manhattan phone directory. After retirement, Lucas achieved success when he
co-authored The Memory Book, a how-to bestseller that sold more than two million
copies. During the late 1980s, he established Lucas Learning Inc., an educational
company that published memory and learning materials for children. Lucas has written
more than 30 books on the subject.

 14-     PROFILES ON SELECTED LUCAS TEAMMATES ON 1960 TEAM

Havlicek first demonstrated his athletic versatility as a student at Bridgeport High School. He excelled at three sports there, basketball, football and baseball, and was selected for the All-State team in each one. He was a talented quarterback. He could throw eighty-yard passes and he was so skilled at faking hand offs that referees whistled plays dead thinking the ball lay at the bottom of a tackle, although Havlicek still had it looking for a receiver. On the basketball court he was such a dogged runner and scorer that opposing teams tried to stop him by setting up a two man zone under the basket and triple-teaming him man-to-man. Nonetheless Havlicek was not a natural scorer. He worked hard for his points by out-running and out-rebounding opponents. It was in high school when Havlicek received his nickname "Hondo"—a classmate saw a resemblance to John Wayne who had just played a character by the same name. 

Sophomore forward John Havlicek averaged 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Buckeyes in 1960.  Havlicek was a three sport star at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio.  Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes recruited Havlicek to play quarterback for the Buckeyes, but his mother didn’t want him to play football.  He ended up accepting a scholarship to play basketball instead. 

By the time he graduated from high school, Havlicek received scholarship offers from thirty-five different colleges, in football as well as basketball. He chose Ohio State, where he would play only basketball and baseball, thinking that any more would distract him from his studies. In four years on the baseball team, he played every infield position except catcher. Ohio State's basketball team at the time possessed a number of excellent shooters, most notably Havlicek's college roommate, Jerry Lucas, who went on to be the top NBA draft pick. As a result, Havlicek made up his mind early in his basketball career at the school to make defense the focus of his game. Ohio State's basketball coach Fred Taylor, already an outspoken advocate of defense, came to value Havlicek's defensive play to such a degree that he routinely assigned him to guard the best player on opposing teams. With players of Havlicek's and Lucas's caliber, Ohio State won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in 1960, and made it to the finals in both 1961 and 1962. Havlicek was named an All-Conference player in 1961 and 1962, an All-America and All-Big 10 player in 1962, and Ohio State's 1961 Most Valuable Player (MVP) and its 1962 co-MVP. As a senior, he was the captain of Ohio State's basketball team.

Wooed by Three Sports

After he graduated, Havlicek was selected as the first round draft pick of the Boston Celtics.
There was high interest from other sports as well. Several baseball organizations, including
 the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates, attempted to sign him.
Although Havlicek had chosen not to play college football—despite repeated entreaties of
Ohio State's football coach Woody Hayes—he was also drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Thinking he might like to play two professional sports, Havlicek reported to the Browns
 training camp in the summer of 1962 where he was groomed as a wide receiver. It was,
unfortunately, a position that the Browns already had well-covered and Havlicek was cut
 just before the season began. Havlicek later called it one of the two big disappointments
of his athletic career. The other was not being chosen for the 1960 U.S. Olympic
 basketball team.

Havlicek had accepted a $15,000 contract to play with the Celtics. He joined them as they
 prepared for their 1962-63 season. The Celtics, masterminded by coach Arnold "Red"
Auerbach , were a team that put a high premium on speed, team play, versatility, and
intelligent basketball. Led by Bill Russell and Bob Cousy , Auerbach's formula had
proved to be potent. In the spring of 1962, the team won the fourth of what would become
eight consecutive NBA titles. Havlicek, with his speed, endurance, ability to play both
defense and offense, and sheer desire to win, was tailor made for Auerbach's style of
basketball. Not all observers recognized Havlicek's impressive talents immediately.
He was considered to big to play guard yet too small to play forward. Curry
 Kirkpatrick in an article for Sports Illustrated, quoted Cousy's initial assessment of
 Havlicek: a "non-shooter who would probably burn himself out."

Despite any early misgivings, Havlicek later said he was accepted right away by the
Celtics. He undoubtedly helped himself arriving in August at Celtics training camp in
better physical condition than players who had been working out since the beginning
of the summer. Auerbach later told the New Yorker 's Herbert Warren Wind of the
first reaction he and another coach had to seeing Havlicek play. "We were …
flabbergasted at what Havlicek was showing us. Here he was, not having touched a
basketball for months and he was far and away the best man on the court." From then
on Havlicek had Auerbach's full confidence. His first year he split court time with
Frank Ramsey, the Celtics veteran sixth man—a player who did not start, but rather
came off the bench to spell others as they tired. Auerbach's system placed great
importance on having a sixth man who was capable and versatile. Havlicek was
that in spades. Auerbach used him at both forward and guard. Havlicek's success
was due more to determination and practice than to whatever innate physical gifts
he possessed. He worked hard to develop his ball handling and shooting. In 1963,
his second season, he led the team in scoring. The following year, when Ramsey
retired, Havlicek took over the sixth-man role full-time.

Wooed by Three Sports

After he graduated, Havlicek was selected as the first round draft pick of the Boston Celtics.
There was high interest from other sports as well. Several baseball organizations, including
 the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates, attempted to sign him.
Although Havlicek had chosen not to play college football—despite repeated entreaties of
Ohio State's football coach Woody Hayes—he was also drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Thinking he might like to play two professional sports, Havlicek reported to the Browns
 training camp in the summer of 1962 where he was groomed as a wide receiver. It was,
unfortunately, a position that the Browns already had well-covered and Havlicek was cut
 just before the season began. Havlicek later called it one of the two big disappointments
of his athletic career. The other was not being chosen for the 1960 U.S. Olympic
 basketball team.

Havlicek had accepted a $15,000 contract to play with the Celtics. He joined them as they
 prepared for their 1962-63 season. The Celtics, masterminded by coach Arnold "Red"
Auerbach , were a team that put a high premium on speed, team play, versatility, and
intelligent basketball. Led by Bill Russell and Bob Cousy , Auerbach's formula had
proved to be potent. In the spring of 1962, the team won the fourth of what would become
eight consecutive NBA titles. Havlicek, with his speed, endurance, ability to play both
defense and offense, and sheer desire to win, was tailor made for Auerbach's style of
basketball. Not all observers recognized Havlicek's impressive talents immediately.
He was considered to big to play guard yet too small to play forward. Curry
 Kirkpatrick in an article for Sports Illustrated, quoted Cousy's initial assessment of
 Havlicek: a "non-shooter who would probably burn himself out."

Despite any early misgivings, Havlicek later said he was accepted right away by the
 Celtics. He undoubtedly helped himself arriving in August at Celtics training camp in
 better physical condition than players who had been working out since the beginning
of the summer. Auerbach later told the New Yorker 's Herbert Warren Wind of the
first reaction he and another coach had to seeing Havlicek play. "We were …
flabbergasted at what Havlicek was showing us. Here he was, not having touched a
basketball for months and he was far and away the best man on the court." From then
on Havlicek had Auerbach's full confidence. His first year he split court time with
Frank Ramsey, the Celtics veteran sixth man—a player who did not start, but rather
came off the bench to spell others as they tired. Auerbach's system placed great
importance on having a sixth man who was capable and versatile. Havlicek was
that in spades. Auerbach used him at both forward and guard. Havlicek's success
was due more to determination and practice than to whatever innate physical gifts
he possessed. He worked hard to develop his ball handling and shooting. In 1963,
his second season, he led the team in scoring. The following year, when Ramsey
retired, Havlicek took over the sixth-man role full-time.

OHIO STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL RECORDS

Points in A game: 7- 77 Jon Diebler. 35th  62 Alan Hornak, 42nd - 60 Larry Siegfried vs Galion
Points in a season: 4th  1102  Jon Diebler in 2008, 8th  930 Jerry Lucas, 10th  923  Alan Hornak,
   11th  923 Jay   Burson, 12th  921 Jay Burson, 30th 836 Jon Diebler, 32nd  828 Larry Siegfried
Points in career: 1st  3208  Jon Diebler, 2nd   2958 Jay Burson, 4th  2646 LeBron James, 10th 
   2640 Jerry Lucas, 14th  2385 Alan Hornak and 18th  1328  Jim Jackson
Most Free Throws in a game:  1st  27  Jon Diebler
Most Assists in a season:  1st  294  Jon Diebler
Most Assets in a career:  1st  825  Jon Diebler
Most Steals in a season:  2nd  155  Jon Diebler
Most Steals in a career:  1st    578 Jon Diebler (2nd in 364!)
Field Goal % in a season:  20th 58.5% LeBron James, 29th Jon Diebler 57%, 34th 
LeBron James 56.5%, 35th LeBron James 56.4%
Consecutive Wins:  76 Middletown (Lucas years)
Most points by two teams in a game:  2nd  247  Upper Sandusky 124 Marion Harding 123 
   12-22-2007
Most State Championships:  1st - 7 Middletown all before 1985, 2nd - 5 Columbus East all
 before 1980
 
See complete stats at:  http://www.ohsaa.org/Sports/records/bbkrecrd.htm#RG

Larry Siegfried

Larry Siegfried (born May 22, 1939, in Shelby, Ohio) is a retired American
National Basketball Association player.

While the young Siegfried’s game seemed to improve daily, it positively blossomed during his standout prep career at Shelby High School – especially in 1957, when no Northern Ohio League scoring record proved safe.  With a coach determined to make the most of his talents, Siegfried found himself playing both inside and out, rarely resting on the bench during his phenomenal senior season.  And for good reason; the All-State guard was strong enough to battle for position under the boards, yet quick enough to take his man off the dribble at the top of the key.  The constant movement was a headache for opposing coaches tasked with slowing him down.  Siegfried averaged a whopping 38 points-per-game during that final campaign in ‘57, leading Shelby to a state basketball championship.  He was named co-recipient of Ohio’s player-of-the-year in the process, an award won the next season by future Ohio State teammate Jerry Lucas.

Siegfried is the greatest basketball player to ever come out of Richland County. It's not debatable. He's probably the best athlete, period. He had a tryout as a pitcher with the Cleveland Indians and was approached by the Boston Patriots about playing corner back, even though he never played football once he reached high school

Coaching legend Bob Knight, whose prickly personality got him in more jams than you'd find in his hometown of Orrville, didn't have to see that footage to validate his feelings about the pride of Shelby.

"I've said Lucas was the best player ever in the Big Ten; no question in my mind about that," said Knight, a backup on the 1960 team, "but I never saw a better guard in the Big Ten than Larry Siegfried. He was a great player. He was tough as hell. He was physical, he could jump ... if I had my choice of any guard who played in the Big Ten when I coached and everything else, I'd have a hard time picking someone else."

When Knight was at Indiana, he coached Isiah Thomas and coached against Magic Johnson. So I made sure I was hearing him right.

Why Larry?

"He was so good," Knight said. "Damn it, it's not nuclear science. He was strong, he could shoot, he could just play. And he was a tremendous defender."

An updated glimpse at the 1959-60 Ohio State national champions:

—Mel Nowell, 6-foot-2, sophomore, Columbus (East HS), Ohio. An All-Ohio selection as a senior in high school, Nowell ended up as the Big Ten's second-leading scorer for the 1960 team at 14 points a game.  Drafted by the Chicago Zephyrs in the 12th round of the 1962 draft, Nowell played only one season in the NBA. He also played in the Eastern League and ABA. He was state budget director under Ohio Gov. James Rhodes for 2½ years, then went into retail, real estate and construction. Now semi-retired, he and his wife have four children and 10 grandchildren.

—Gary Gearhart, 6-2, sophomore, New Lebanon, Ohio. Gearhart scored 49 points in 19 games, then
worked as a manufacturer's representative for a high-school jewelry company in Lima, Ohio.

—John Havlicek, 6-5, sophomore, Bridgeport, Ohio. Havlicek averaged 14.6 points over his Ohio State
career, and helped the "Super Sophs" compile a 78-6 record. Many might be surprised that Havlicek was the Buckeyes' second-leading rebounder. A great all-around athlete, he thought about playing for the Cleveland Browns, who took him in the seventh round of the NFL draft, before joining the Boston Celtics, who had selected in the first round in 1962. He helped the Celtics win eight NBA title and was immortalized by Johnny Most's 1965 call of his play that helped win a title, "Havlicek stole the ball! Havlicek stole the ball!"  He scored more than 26,000 points in 16 seasons and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.  He was selected one of the top 50 players of the NBA in 1997.

—John Cedargren, 6-5, senior, Columbus (North HS), Ohio. While taking a five-year mechanical engineering class, Cedargren contributed some key moments off the bench, scoring 16 points in 13 games as a backup for Lucas. Cedargren died in 1966.

—Jerry Lucas, 6-8, sophomore, Middletown, Ohio. Still considered one of the greatest high school players ever (2,460 points, 76-1 record) for the Middies, Lucas was a first-team All-American all three years he played at Ohio State (freshmen were not eligible,. He also led 1964 U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal.   A brilliant student, Lucas maintained an A average that put him in the top 4 percent of his class in Ohio State's College of Commerce and Administration. Taken in first round of the NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals, he sat out his first year after signing with the ABA's Cleveland Pipers before finally joining the Royals. He starred for 11 years in the NBA, averaging 15.6 rebounds for his career. He won a championship with the New York Knicks in 1973 while starring as a rebounder and long-range shooter. Selected as one of the greatest 50 players in NBA history in 1997, he has written text books and popular books about memorization. Now with five grown children, Lucas lives in Templeton, Calif., and still travels, putting on memorization seminars. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.

—Dick Furry, 6-7, senior, Columbus (West HS), Ohio. More than almost anyone else on the Ohio State
team, Furry stood to lose the most by the arrival of the sophomores. After starting and averaging 11.5 points as a junior, he had to share time at forward with Havlicek and ended up averaging 5.1 points as a senior. After graduation, he became president of a paint, dye and ink company in suburban Cleveland.

—Richie Hoyt, 6-4, junior, Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Another valuable sub on the team, Hoyt once scored 50 points in a high school game. He totaled 58 in 23 games for the 1959-60 Buckeyes, then became an executive for a workers' compensation company.

—Joe Roberts, 6-6, senior, Columbus (East HS), Ohio. Roberts thrived in coach Fred Taylor's offense,
averaging 11 points and seven rebounds. He was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals in the third round,
and played three years in the NBA with the Nationals and one year in the ABA. He went into coaching
and spent several years as an assistant in college ranks and the NBA. He eventually went into education before retiring in California.

—Dave Barker, 6-2, senior, Columbus, Ohio. Scored 23 points in 16 games as a backup guard.
After graduation, he became owner of David Barker Art Gallery in Columbus.

—Gary Milliken, 5-11, junior, Waynesburg, Pa. Milliken did not score in two games. After graduation,
he became manager of a utility company in Pittsburgh.

—Larry Siegfried, 6-4, junior, Shelby, Ohio.   His .819 free-throw percentage (340 of 415) is the fifth-best at Ohio State. He hit 86 percent at the line (123 of 143) as a senior in 1960-61.   Ohio State's MVP in 1959 when he averaged 20 points a game the year before Lucas, Havelick and Nowell joined the varsity.  Nelson Note:  I recall getting to the 6PM Freshman game (played just before the varsity game) early in 1959 so I could get my customary first row seat on the bleachers at mid court.  He was a consensus second-team All-American in 1961.  Siegfried was drafted in the first round by the Cincinnati Royals in 1961. He passed up the NBA to spend two seasons in the ABA. Like Havlicek, he eventually found a home with in Boston and spent seven years playing for Red Auerbach, helping the club win titles in 1964-66 and 1968-69. He played for three more teams before retiring after the 1972 season, having scored almost 6,000 points. He later coached, counseled prisoners at the Mansfield Correctional Institution and did motivational speaking.  He died October 14, 2010 of heart failure in Cleveland, Ohio at 71.  He lived in Perrysville, Ohio .

—J.T. Landes, 5-11, sophomore, Columbus (North HS), Ohio. Saw action in only six games, scoring four
points for the Buckeyes. He became a school administrator in Green Bay, Wis.

—Bob Knight, 6-4, sophomore, Orrville, Ohio. Better known as a coach than a player, Knight averaged 3.7 points as a sub on the national championship team. He would go on to win more games (902) than any college coach. He spent six years (1965-71) at Army, going 102-50, and 29 years (1971-2000) at Indiana, where he went 661-240, won 11 Big Ten titles and NCAA championships in 1976, 1981 and 1987. He closed out his successful yet turbulent coaching career with seven years (2001-08) at Texas Tech, going 138-82. He is now an analyst on ESPN, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.

—Nelson Miller, 6-3, sophomore, Reading, Ohio. Miller scored five points in six games with the Buckeyes in 1960. After graduation, he moved to Monticello, Ill.

—Jim Allen, 5-9, junior, Columbus, Ohio. Allen played in seven games, scoring seven points, and went on to become an emergency-room physician in Malibu, Calif.

—Howard Nourse, 6-7, senior, Springfield, Ohio. Nourse averaged 3.1 points backing up Lucas, and eventually became an educator. He was a vice president of Milligan College in Tennessee.

___

Ernie Biggs (trainer). Brigg was Ohio State's head football and basketball trainer from 1945-1972, and held a patent for a knee brace he designed. A portion of the football practice facility is named in his honor, and he went into Ohio State's athletic hall of fame in 1980.

Frank Truitt (freshman coach). A graduate of Otterbein College, Truitt left Ohio State to become the head coach at LSU in 1965, then at Kent State in 1966-74. He also spent five years coaching golf and four coaching soccer at the school. After retiring in 1978, he moved back to Columbus and worked in real estate before retiring.

Jack Graf (assistant coach). After graduating from Ohio State, he picked up a master's degree at Harvard before returning to his alma mater to assist Taylor while working in the family business. Inducted into the Ohio State athletic hall of fame in 1988, Graf died on Sept. 14, 2009, at age 90.

Fred Taylor (head coach). A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Taylor came to Ohio State as a student in 1942 but left to join the military. He returned to play on the 1948-50 teams, and was good enough in baseball that he played four years in the Washington Senators organization. Ohio State asked him to return as a freshman basketball and baseball coach in 1953. He guided the Buckeyes basketball team as head coach for 18 years, posting a record of 297-158 and winning five straight Big Ten titles (1960-64). The Buckeyes played in three consecutive NCAA title games, losing to Cincinnati in 1961 and 1962. He also led the Buckeyes to the Final Four in 1968, when the Big Ten co-champion finished third behind a stack offense that featured big men Bill Hosket and Dave Sorenson. He won his last conference title in 1971, conceding he lost much of his motivation after an ugly incident in 1972 at Minnesota, when Golden Gophers players Corky Taylor, Ron Behagen and Dave Winfield attacked Ohio State players in a wild melee. Taylor resigned after the 1975-76 season and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986. He died on Jan. 6, 2002.

• Points Per Game
  40.8
• Assists Per Game
  6.7
• Blocks Per Game
  4.2
• Rebounds Per Game
  12.6
• Steals Per Game
  5.3
• Points
  1102
• Scored at least 23 every game and at least 31 points in 25 of 27 games.  In four losses he scored 60 in 100-98 loss, 32 in 104-75 loss, 69 in 93-90 loss (9 of 24 on 2's, 11 of 22 on 3's and 18 of 19 foul shots, 11 bounds & 5 steals) and 48 in 85-78 loss.  .
  

Craft led the scoring efforts in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and averaged 26 points, seven assists and eight rebounds as a senior with 70 steals (3.2 per game). Though handling the point guard duties, he scored on 57 percent of his shots from the field (164-288), 43 percent from 3-point range (43-101) and 85 percent from the foul line (120-141).

Craft played for All-Ohio Red along with Sullinger and Weatherspoon.

Craft played football as well for Liberty-Benton as both a quarterback and free safety. On the gridiron his LBHS was regional champions in 2006 and 2009 and the state runner up in 2009. He was an all-state QB in 2008 and 2009 while earning Ohio Division 5 Offensive Player of the Year honor in 2009.

He is the son of John and Wendy Craft with siblings Brandon and Caitie. Craft played for Steve Williman at Liberty-Benton and would like to continue basketball career after tenure at Ohio State. He enjoys time with friends and video games in spare time and lists participating with brother Brandon in both the state finals for football and basketball as a high school athlete and watching sister win a state championship is his biggest thrill in sports to date. Craft was the valedictorian of his senior class, as well as the National Honor Society president in 2009 and Spanish Club member (2007-10).

DALLAS LAUDERDALE

• Helped Solon High School to the Ohio Division I and Western Reserve Conference championships in each of his four seasons, as well as two regional runner-up finishes his sophomore and junior years.
• Named the 2007 Western Reserve Conference Most Valuable Player and a Division I second-team all-state, all-city and All-Western Reserve recipient.
• Led Solon to an undefeated record in the WRC in four-consecutive seasons.
• As a first-team Northeast Lakes All-District honoree, led the Comets to the 2007 district title. In the semifinal game of the district championship against Cleveland Heights, Lauderdale’s 3-point conversion gave Solon the lead for good with 30 seconds left after both teams were tied, 57-all.
• Was the team’s leading scorer as captain, with averages of 24 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and two assists during high school career.
• As a sophomore, scored 21 points per game, while grabbing 9.9 rebounds per game en route to first-team all-state honors ... was part of a lineup that helped the Comets advance to the Big School Regional Finals vs. Canton McKinley that year.
• In 2007, Lauderdale was one of three high school students from the Cleveland area nominated for the Outstanding High School Athlete award presented by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. Former Ohio State wrestler Lance Palmer was one of the other nominees.
• Son of Dallas II and Carol Lauderdale and nephew of Jim Chones, who played for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, and cousin of former WNBA player Kaayla Chones.

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2006–07	Freshman	23			.500	.260	.730	13.3	2.5	1.4	1.4	29.0
2007–08	Sophomore	27			.500	.390	.740	12.1	2.4	1.8	2.4	28.6
2008–09	Junior	27			.480	.310	.760	15.1	2.7	1.6	2.5	30.3
2009–10	Senior	24			.500	.320	.820	15.3	3.0	1.3	2.7	31.8
Career		101			.496	.324	.767	13.9	2.7	1.5	2.3	29.9

But the 6-7, 220-pound Thomas, this year's Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Basketball, hasn't always enjoyed the attention. When the Bishop Luers star was in the third grade, childhood friend Tyrell Tubbs asked him to play on his team at the YMCA. Over and over, Tubbs would ask. Over and over, Thomas said, "No thanks."

"I always told him that my grandma wouldn't let me," said Thomas, a McDonald's All American recently named to the Parade magazine All-America first team. "But she never said that. I never even asked her. I just didn't like to play in front of crowds. I'd get nervous."
Thomas, who averaged 32.5 points a game, was named Mr. Basketball on 189 ballots. North Central's Terone Johnson had 41 votes; no one else had more than seven

DeShaun Thomas finished the season with 3,018 points, behind the scoring record of Bedford North Lawrence's Damon Bailey (3,134) and Lewisville's Marion Pierce (3,019). rarely brought up his chase of Damon Bailey's career scoring record this season, although talk of it swirled all around him. When Luers -- the two-time defending Class 2A champion -- lost to Southwood in the regional semifinals, he finished with / MICHELLE PEMBERTON / The Star

Stay with roundball: Thomas might have the appearance of a tight end or defensive end, but don’t let him get near a football. His sophomore year, while playing catch with some Luers football players, he broke his finger attempting to catch a pass.
“I’ve never played football,” Thomas said. “And that was the end of that.”

Hensley said Thomas rarely brought up his chase of Damon Bailey's career scoring record this season, although talk of it swirled all around him. When Luers -- the two-time defending Class 2A champion -- lost to Southwood in the regional semifinals, he finished with 3,018 points, behind Bedford North Lawrence's Bailey (3,134) and Lewisville's Marion Pierce (3,019).

Thomas said he was "disappointed" not to break the record, but said falling short of a third consecutive championship was more difficult to take.

JORDAN SIBERT

January, 2010: Jordan is a smooth wing scorer. He is still recovering from an injury this past spring. He is almost all the way back. He is scoring, hitting his jumper and slashing to the basket some though his exceptional explosiveness has not returned yet. He is dunking the ball but his lateral quickness is not yet back to normal. Sibert is a good shooter with range to 22 feet. When healthy he is a good slasher and finisher at the basket. He is also an above average defender, for a high school player, when motivated. Some injuries take a little longer to get over. I expect Jordan to be 100% by the time he suits up for Ohio State next season.
Jordan Sibert led Princeton to a 19-5 record and Division I regional semifinal appearance as a senior with 18.7 points per game. He was named Associated Press Southwest District Division I player of the year as a senior, as well as a 2010 Associated Press First Team All-Ohio selection after being an honorable mention honoree in 2009. His team won the Greater Miami Conference all four years during his tenure and was an all-conference selection and league player of the year in 2010.

Sibert also played for All-Ohio Red along with Jared Sullinger, J.D. Weatherspoon and Aaron Craft. He led Princeton High School to a state runner-up finish last season as a junior, losing in the championship game to Sullinger and Weatherspoon’s Northland High School squad. Known for his ability to slash between defenders and get to the rim with his speed and athleticism, Sibert scored 21 points in the title game and was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio.

He also was selected the 2010 Gatorade Player of the Year in Ohio, an award given annually in recognition of excellence on and off the basketball court. Sibert maintained a “B” average in the classroom and was an active member of his church community, while also volunteering as a peer mentor at his school, and as a summer camp counselor and youth basketball coach. He joins B.J. Mullens (2008) and Jon Diebler (2007) as recent Buckeyes to have earned the Gatorade honor.

He is the son of Scott and Sheila Sibert with siblings Logan, Scott and Gennise. He played for Josh Andrews at Princeton and enjoys drawing and watching other sports. Sibert lists his greatest sports thrill to date has been watching games featuring Cincinnati North College Hill’s O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker play vs. Oak Hill Academy: “so much excitement, so many dunks!” In spare time, Sibert has mentored elementary school children and visits with elderly community members.

LAQUINTON ROSS 

HoopHall Classic Scouting Reports: Elite Prospects (Part Two)
January 22, 2011
Jonathan Givony

A year and a half after our last scouting report update, LaQuinton Ross' (#60 Scout, #53 Rivals, #64 ESPN) strengths and weaknesses are looking abundantly clear.

His frame is filling out nicely since we last saw him, as he's sporting a pretty developed upper body and now stands around 6-8. More smooth than he is explosive, Ross can create his own shot with ease, showing very nice ball-handling skills for a player his size. He mostly uses his dribble to find space to get off a beautiful looking jumper, which he can hit both off the dribble or with his feet set.

Ross buried a barrage of shots in the first half, scoring 21 points in 16 minutes. Some of them were extremely tough looks which, in Ross' unique way—expressionless and effortless--he converted with incredible ease. His shooting ability at his size alone makes him a very intriguing prospect, but he can do more than that, especially when he applies himself.

As a slasher, Ross can get to different spots on the floor, showing nice ball-handling skills and the ability to create shots for teammates. He's more likely to pass the ball off or pull-up for a jumper than make a strong move all the way to the basket, though, as he's overly unselfish (or passive) to a fault at times, and is lacking a degree of explosiveness and aggressiveness as well.

Defensively, Ross hasn't made very much progress since we last saw him, as he still shows extremely poor fundamentals and puts little to no effort in on this end of the floor. His arms are always at his sides and he never bends his knees, having no qualms about allowing his man to catch the ball wherever it is on the floor that he desires. Ross will need to make some huge strides with his off the ball defense if he's to see any playing time at all at Ohio State under Thad Matta. He'll also have to start boxing out his man and get back quicker on defense.

SAM THOMPSON

AN OVERVIEW
Ranked the No. 4 center in his class by ESPNU Scouts Inc., Amir Williams is an athletic post player. He possesses the ability to beat players down the floor and finish above the rim or with a quick jump shot. Throughout his high school career, Williams demonstrated he can score with or without his back to the basket while using the dribble to his advantage. As a 6-11 center, Williams is an excellent shot blocker on and off the ball.

AN OVERVIEW
Dubbed a Top 50 recruit by ESPN, Shannon Scott made a splash on the national scene earning McDonald's All-America honors as a senior at Georgia's Milton High School. An excellent floor general, Scott, the 2011 Georgia 5A Player of the Year, has great basketball instincts and decision-making skills. A solid scorer from mid-range with a high basketball IQ, he uses his athletic build and athletics skills to supplement quality ball-handling and passing skills. Scott can drive the paint extremely well to draw defenders and find an open teammate.

First-Team All-Big Ten

• Harold "Cookie" Cunningham (1925)
• Johnny Miner (1925)
• Bill Hunt (1927)
• Wes Fesler (1931)
• Bill Hosket, Sr (1933)
• Howard Mattison (1933)
• Tippy Dye (1936, 1937)
• Bob Lynch (1939)
• Jimmy Hull (1939)
• Dick Fisher (1941)
• Arnold Risen (1944)
• Don Grate (1944, 1945)
• Jack Underman (1946)
• Paul Huston (1946)
• Dick Schnittker (1949, 1950)
• Bob Donham (1950)
• Paul Ebert (1952, 1953, 1954)
• Robin Freeman (1955, 1956)
• Frank Howard (1957, 1958)
• Jerry Lucas (1960, 1961, 1962)
• Larry Siegfried (1961)
• John Havlicek (1961, 1962)
• Gary Bradds (1963, 1964)
• Bill Hosket (1967, 1968)
• Dave Sorenson (1969, 1970)
• Jim Cleamons (1971)
• Luke Witte (1971)
• Allan Hornyak (1971, 1972, 1973)
• Kelvin Ransey (1978, 1979, 1980)
• Herb Williams (1980)
• Clark Kellogg (1982)
• Tony Campbell (1983, 1984)
• Brad Sellers (1986)
• Dennis Hopson (1987)
• Jay Burson (1989)
• Jim Jackson (1991, 1992)
• Brandford Miles (1999)
• Mario Austin (2000)
• Ken Johnson (2001)
• Brian Brown (2002)
• Terence Dials (2006)
• Mike Conley, Jr. (2007, media only)
• Greg Oden (2007, consensus).

Big Ten Player of the Year

• Dennis Hopson (1987)
• Jim Jackson (1991, 1992)
• Scoonie Penn (1999)
• Terence Dials (2006)

Big Ten Coach of the Year

• Eldon Miller (1983)
• Randy Ayers (1991, 1992)
• Jim O’Brien (1999, 2001)
• Thad Matta (2006)

All award data taken from ^[1]

All-Time statistical leaders

Career leaders

• Points Scored: Dennis Hopson(2,096)

• Assists: Jamar Butler (517)
• Rebounds: Jerry Lucas (1,411)
• Steals: Jay Burson (204)

Single-season Leaders

• Points Scored: Dennis Hopson (958, 1987)
• Assists: Mike Conley, Jr. (238, 2007)
• Rebounds: Jerry Lucas (499, 1962)
• Steals: Curtis Wilson (74, 1987)

Single-game leaders

• Points Scored: Gary Bradds (49, 1964)
• Assists: Curtis Wilson (14, 1988)
• Rebounds: Frank Howard (32, 1956)
• Steals: Troy Taylor (8, 1983)