BTN is going through an effort of identifying All-Decade Big Ten teams for both football and hoops, and the results of 24-panelists are slowly starting to come out. On Monday, the network unveiled its Third Team All-Decade squad for basketball, with two Buckeyes appearing. On Tuesday, BTN announced its Second-Team All-Decade team and there’s yet another former Ohio State player recognized with the inclusion of forward Jared Sullinger.
At 6-foot, 9-inches, Sullinger came to Ohio State with big expectations. He was a five-star recruit that almost every program in the country wanted, but being a Columbus product out of Northland High School, he decided to stay home.
His performance didn’t disappoint. Sullinger hit the ground running as a freshman, averaging a double-double with 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest. He surprised a lot of folks when he decided to come back for his sophomore season and had a similar stat line despite battling back issues. His 17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game led OSU to a Final Four appearance in 2012 where it fell in a tight battle to Kansas in the semifinal.
He was a two-time consensus All-American and All-Big Ten First Teamer. He joins Cassius Winston of Michigan State, Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, Carsen Edwards of Purdue, and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ on the All-Decade Second Team.
BTN put together a video on why Sullinger was selected that you can view below.
It’s a shame Sullinger couldn’t stay healthy enough to make a difference in the NBA. After being selected in the first round by the Boston Celtics, he struggled with his playing weight and that seemed to affect his ability to remain healthy and effective.
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