Evan Turner won’t be donning scarlet and gray forever.
Don’t expect the junior guard and National Player of the Year candidate, a projected top-five selection in June’s NBA Draft, to suit up for Ohio State next fall. Instead, take the time to watch him now before he wisely bolts to the pros.
It’s a shame to see empty seats at the Schottenstein Center during what is likely the final season at OSU for one of the greatest players in program history.
Buckeye basketball will never step out of the shadow that the football program casts, but its successes shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Before the season, when Turner was asked about the prospects of him leaving early for the NBA, he stated that the only facet of college he wanted to escape early was homework. Eighteen points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game later, it’ll take more than a generous tutor to get the Chicago native to stay in Columbus for his senior season.
That NBA roadblock nearly surfaced when Turner broke a pair of vertebrae in his back in a hard fall on Dec. 5. Had the injury cost him his entire season, he might have entertained the idea of returning for a year to polish his resume.
However, just as he’s done with every other aspect of his game this year, he exceeded expectations in his recovery, returning to the floor three weeks earlier than doctors had originally presumed. That has given Turner time to refine his game and boost his stock.
He’s one of the hottest commodities on NBA Wall Street, with certain outlets slating him as the No. 2 draft selection, behind Kentucky freshman sensation John Wall, Turner’s main competition for Player of the Year.
Entering the season, Dennis Hopson was the only Buckeye to ever notch a triple-double, with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a game in 1986. Turner etched his name in the Buckeye record books with a triple-double in OSU’s season-opening win over Alcorn State. Two weeks later, he engraved his name again, with 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Lipscomb.
While they didn’t come against premier opponents, Turner still owns two of the three triple-doubles in the history of a program that dates back to 1898.
Recently, success at Ohio State has only lasted one season. Buckeye fans were treated to just a few months each of Greg Oden, Mike Conley and Kosta Koufos. Turner is excelling in his third season at OSU, but it will be difficult for him to justify a decision to stay in school for another year.
Turner couldn’t possibly have predicted this much success in his first season as the team’s point guard.
Catch a glimpse of his greatness on the court before he’s gone.
