As the Ohio State men’s basketball team continues its season and pushes for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the team’s top recruits for the 2010 class (ranked No. 1 by rivals.com) are finishing up their senior seasons and getting ready for the college game.
Four of OSU’s prized recruits will take the floor Saturday in the eighth annual Ohio Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic at the Schottenstein Center. The event, which will feature seven games over the course of the day, tips off at 10:30 a.m. with a match-up of Harvest Prep vs. Dayton Jefferson.
The highlight of the day will be at 7:15 p.m., when Bishop Luers, from Fort Wayne, Ind., takes on Columbus-based Northland High School.
Not only does this game feature two of the country’s top high school teams, but also two of the best young players: power forward DeShaun Thomas from Bishop Luers and center Jared Sullinger from Northland, who will be teammates next year at Ohio State.
“I made my commitment as a freshman to come to Ohio State,” Thomas said. “Now to play on that floor against Jared, the No. 1 player in the country, and the No. 1 ranked team in the country, you can’t ask for anything better than that.”
Sullinger, who is averaging 22 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks per game as a senior, is no stranger to big games. He won the Ohio State Championship last year with Northland and this year has already beaten Findlay Prep (Nev.) and Oak Hill (Va.) on national television.
“I am so excited for this opportunity,” he said. “We have had some incredible opportunities this year already, and this is another.”
Sullinger is also no stranger to OSU. His brother J.J. was a star for the Buckeyes from 2001-2006.
“I have always wanted to play here at Ohio State, since my brother played here,” Sullinger said. “After J.J. lost to Georgetown in his last game at Ohio State, we met at halfcourt, and he hugged me, and he was crying, and he told me, ‘If [Ohio State] offers you a scholarship, you should take it,” the younger Sullinger said.
While the battle of Thomas and Sullinger is what most people are looking forward to, there are two other future Buckeyes to keep an eye on. Sullinger’s high school teammate J.D. Weatherspoon, averaging 18 points per game, will also match up against Thomas. Also Jordan Sibert, averaging 22 points per game, will lead Cincinnati Princeton against Benedictine at 8:30 p.m.
“It’s starting to feel like home,” said Sibert. “I will be ready to go out and perform in front of my future fans. I think it is incredible that four of us will be playing here all in one day.”
