I still remember sitting at the lunch table in my old high school reading a story in the newspaper about the superstars that might all attend the University of Michigan. Then one day I was sitting in the library at Toronto High School and on the cover of the a magazine there they were: the Fab Five with Juan Howard standing in the middle and the other players, Ray Jackson, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Chris Webber all surrounding him with such a look of confidence and aura about them. These five freshmen changed the college basketball scene forever. Man, I still remember them sporting those long shorts. You either loved them or hated them, and they were judged by the way they carried themselves and looked.

Back then many fans considered them hoodlums and thugs because they wore big baggie shorts, and black socks to match. I had to get my coach to get us some of those shorts. The only thing is that the shorts were so long that if you tried a between-the-legs crossover it was a done deal. The ball would get stuck — but what the heck, they looked good.

Anyway, back to the Fab Five. They were considered the greatest recruiting class ever assembled, trendsetters that changed the face of college basketball by the way they played on the court and how they handled or mishandled themselves off the court. Still, they were one of the most intriguing stories in not just basketball but all sports in the ’90s. During the 1991-92 season The Fab Five became the first all-freshmen lineup to start in a national championship game.

Now let’s fast forward over 10 years later. A new breed of freshmen (well, Othello is a first year player but technically not a freshman, but stick with me), the Thad Five, has landed on the famous Oval at The Ohio State University. This crew is confident but not cocky. They have a swagger, but it not a cocky swagger. It’s more a “doubt me if you want to but we will still get the W” swagger. No, we don’t have five freshmen starting in the final 4 game — but they easily could. We just are lucky enough to have two Seniors and a junior that understand winning.

So who would I choose if I were a coach? I would have to say the Thad Five. Why? Because with the Fab Five I would have to deal with all of the off-the-court distractions and rumors that they faced. Now at Ohio State I wouldn’t have to deal with that - at least not this year. We have one of the most dominant big men to ever grace the college ranks, and by talking to him you couldn’t tell. We have one of the best floor generals in college basketball and he’s just a freshman with the poise of a 5th year senior. Then you have the defensive stopper who stepped up big in the last game and showed he could score. Rounding out the freshmen class for Coach Matta is the talented Mr. Cook, who could easily try to score 20 points a game but is learning that there is no I in team. And last but not least is Othello, the silent big man that is steady eddy. He does what he needs to do to make sure he is productive, and his game is benefiting us big time.

So will the Thad Five do what the Fab Five couldn’t, and win a national championship? Only time will tell, but if I have to choose, I would have to say, on that day bet on scarlet on gray.

Popularity: 42% [?]

This Saturday will be the day where everyone will witness the 21st century version of Clash of the Titans. A lot has been said over the years about basketball becoming a guard game but this weekend I believe it will be different. This weekend will be the tale of the endangered species that we call “The Big Man.” Greg Oden, 7-0 280 lbs., and Roy Hibbert 7-2, 275lbs, will be the match up that everyone should pay attention to.

This weekend will be both Greg’s and Roy’s biggest challenge of the year. This match-up is like the Larry Bird/Magic Johnson rivalry that started when Magic was at Michigan State and Larry Bird at Indiana State. Yes, I know that there are other players on the team that have to contribute — but can you name another player from those Indiana or Michigan State teams when Bird and Magic met? I am not saying that the other players on these teams will not be a factor because they will. I just believe that this game will be won or lost with the big men inside.

Can we keep Greg out of foul trouble so he can dominate like we know he can? Can he adjust to guarding a big man that can put the ball on the floor? I was very impressed this weekend with Roy, but I think Greg will do what he does best: step up the plate and accept the challenge. Like I said earlier, we will witness another great player rivalry that could last for years to come. Borrowing a line from the famous ring announcer Michael Buffer, “Let’s get ready to rumble.”

Popularity: 42% [?]

This week’s poll question is sponsored by: ClearSaleing

Popularity: 30% [?]

Many may say that the young Bucks made a lot of games closer than they should have during the regular season. I also heard around the office
that the team let some big leads get away from them just to barely hold off their opponents at the end. A lot of people in the sports world saw this as a weakness with the young Bucks. But these learning experiences that many saw as a weakness with the young Bucks actually helped them out big on Saturday. To be honest, the Buckeyes lost only 3 games for a reason. They closed. Yes, they let big leads get away from them, but they also closed the game out at the end. These type of learning experiences were exactly what this young team needed.

On The Job Training

I have heard many times in my life that the best experience is on-the-job training. That’s exactly what the Bucks got in the regular season. on-the-job close game training. Ron Lewis, who has come up big for us during the regular season, stepped up big again. Just think– he had the confidence to take the last shot of the game because of what he did against Tennessee during the regular season. Actually it looked like the same exact shot he hit on Saturday (and Tennessee’s Chris Lofton had missed the front end of a one-and-one on Tennessee’s previous possession — sound familiar?). Isn’t the regular season supposed to get a team ready for tournament time? Well, if you ask me, I think this regular season did more than just prepare the young Bucks for tournament time. I think it has prepared them for a road trip to Atlanta.

Popularity: 40% [?]

This week’s poll question is sponsored by: ClearSaleing

Popularity: 27% [?]

I’m sure many of you have already seen the March 05 issue of Sports Illustrated. But if you haven’t, the issue has an article on the Ohio State program that’s definitely worth reading.

I wanted to link to the article, but unless I’m missing something, SI doesn’t provide it online (I found it in a blog post that probably violates SI’s copyright, so I’ll resist the link temptation). I’m constantly amazed when I see publishers restrict access to good content, but that’s a subject for a different blog…

All things considered, it’s a very positive look at the Ohio State program and includes profiles of Gene Smith, Greg Oden, David Graham, Thad Matta and others. The author, Jon Wertheim, does a nice job of pulling back the curtain a little and giving readers a peek at the inside of the program. The article also tries to look at the program from the perspective of students, non-revenue athletes and boosters.

I mentioned David Graham in my last post, so I’m not surprised by the progress the article reports. I just wish we could finally put the whole Clarett saga behind us.

Gene Smith’s profile is on target. I met Gene a few months ago and was impressed with his vision for the program. He’s a Cleveland guy, so I’m sure he’ll succeed. You know those Cleveland guys…

Popularity: 34% [?]

Any more questions about Ohio State being ready for postseason tournament play? Last night’s dismantling of their first round foe was certainly expected……but, everyone was curious to see if the Buckeyes would waltz their way through it…..or play with the intensity required in NCAA play.

No more questions from here. As long as coach Thad Matta is a walking, breathing coach, his teams will play with intensity and fire. Sure, you might not his on all cylinders every night, but, with the talent that Ohio State has, that intensity and fire showed last night will take them a long way. I continue to be impressed by what I think is the most underestimated strength of the Buckeye team — it’s tenacious defense. Even the normally stoic Thad Matta had to admit after last night’s game that his team did alot of things right.

As for Xavier — it’ll be a tough game for all the obvious reasons. Should Ohio State win it? Yes. Should they win big? Probably. But, let’s see how hungry Xavier is tomorrow. And, let’s see if last night’s grueling win over BYU might take a fatigue toll somewhat on the Musketeers. We all know the extremely close relationship between Thad Matta and Xavier coach Sean Miller and the entire Xavier family. The other major factor to ponder in this second round matchup: Drew Lavender. The Brookhaven Flash will really want this one. His coach talked about the game about Lavender’s background…..coming from Brookhaven, a tough school….a school known for his athletic successes. Drew Lavender loves being a difference maker. He loves having the ball in his hands down the stretch. Clearly, Ohio State’s game plan will be to take him out of those situations.

As I write this, I’m working at Nationwide Arena for the NCAA tournament games. I’m serving as the NCAA news conference moderator. You should know that while Columbus didn’t draw a #1 seed, or a #2 seed, or a #3 seed, Columbus drew a field full of great teams that want to be here, are excited about advancing in the game they love and coached by wonderful, dedicated men.

We know about Bruce Peal at Tennessee and Bruce Weber from Illinois. We’ve all heard alot about them through the years, but, yesterday, I loved listening to the comments of the coaches from Albany, Holy Cross, Long Beach State, Southern Illinois, Virginia Tech and Virginia yesterday. They have such a tremendous passion for their student-athletes. It’s great to see!

We’re near the first tipoff of the day and — unfortunately — four of these teams will be leaving us after today. It’ll be sad for the coaches and players, but they have all demonstrated great attitudes and understand the life lessons these games teach.

Enjoy the NCAA — keep you eyes on the Buckeyes!!! They looked like the real-deal in game #1.

Popularity: 38% [?]

I have heard a lot of things over this past season about Greg Odon’s future, but not much of it has come from Greg Oden. Greg says he’ll see how the season plays out and then decide. That’s all he can do. If he wins an NCAA championship one-handed, what else does he have to prove? If he doesn’t reach that goal, then we can start speculating on his priorities. Then we can start wondering about how big of an insurance policy he can get. Then we can talk about what Greg’s mom meant when she was urging people chanting “One more year” after the Wisconsin game to “Shhhh!” Then we can talk about shoe contracts.

What if Greg gets hurt?
Shaun Livingston of the Clippers went down with a bad knee injury this week, which is supposed to illustrate the dangers of not going pro and grabbing the cash while you can. Would Shaun Livingston have gotten hurt at Duke? Who knows? Could his knee have benefited from getting stronger in a 35-game season against easier competition? Maybe. I’m still waiting to hear of an example of a college kid who stayed in school and suffered a career-ending injury. If there were one, the experts would sure be pointing to him. Guys do suffer in the draft if they stay in college too long and get their weaknesses exposed.

Can Greg’s weaknesses be exposed?
One thing Greg Oden will not get next year is exposed. Greg will be better. But will he get better? Will he improve his game by staying in college? I know a lot of people will instantly say of course because first he will have two good hands. My concern about Greg returning is will he get the proper guidance as a big man at Ohio State. We know that Coach Matta was a guard and I believe all of his coaching staff was guards — so how does Greg learn from guys who have never lived in the paint? I have to admit that you can tell he has benefited from his free throw shooting. To be able to shoot 62.5% from the free throw line with the opposite hand is simply amazing to me. And Coach Matta’s strength as a recruiter has ensured that Greg will be battling with athletic big men every day in practice — 7′2″ Kosta Koufas joins the daily practice wars next year.

Who is really benefiting here?
But back to my point — will it benefit Greg to return to the Buckeyes for his sophomore season? I heard the great Bill Walton say something that was very interesting when we played against Penn State at Happy Valley a few weeks ago. He was doing a phone interview during the game and he was asked what was the difference between his freshman year at UCLA and Greg’s at Ohio State. Walton stated that the great John Wooden used UCLA to make Walton better, but he believes that Ohio State is using Greg Oden to make Ohio State better. Was Walton on to something, or simply on something? It’s a different world from Walton’s freshman year, when no freshman could play, you couldn’t leave school early for the NBA, and dunking the ball was a technical foul. But are we using Greg Oden to make Ohio State better? When I thought long and hard I had to disagree with Mr. Walton. Coach Matta is doing more with these young guys than just basketball. He challenges his players in more ways than one. I know that Coach Matta was offered a lot of different opportunities to parade his famous “Thad Five” around like a race horse but he turned it down. If Coach Matta wanted to use Greg to make Ohio State better then why didn’t he take advantage of all the different offers that were probably brought his way? I believe Coach Matta turned all that down because he has class and he did not want to take advantage of the young men whose houses he sat in and told their parents that he would take care of them. He didn’t want to exploit Greg or the other players. Coach Matta is not using Greg to make Ohio State better — he is using this opportunity to help a young teenager to become a man. Coach Matta is interested in more than just his players as basketball athletes. I believe he is trying to help them become better men. As you can see from this year’s team he is well on his way into raising young boys into men and he is doing it with class and a winning style that goes along with it.

So if you ask me do I think the big fella should stay? I would have to say only if he is interested in becoming a better person than he already is. I choose to be optimistic like Clark Kellogg and think that the Eraser will surprise a lot of people and come back.

Popularity: 36% [?]

He was a star basketball player and world-class high jumper. Then former Ohio State athlete Otis Winston decided to put down his ball, kick off his sneakers, and pick up a pen.

Otis Winston brings a fresh, compelling vision to film. With an idea and pen in hand, this powerful contemporary voice offers a “wise beyond years” perspective creatively translated from page to screen.

Winston, originally from northeast Ohio, speaks with the grace of a survivor and the confidence of a visionary. Throughout his life, he was always conscious of how choices aligned consequences in his life. He admits that it was the hard times that molded him into who he is today, and led him to realize that life isn’t supposed to be figured out—it is supposed to be lived. It is that honesty that supports the foundation of his work, as he seeks to uncompromisingly explore life’s realities in a creative format.

Interestingly, his discipline as a highly-trained athlete ultimately led to his focus and commitment for writing and filmmaking. The Ohio State University graduate learned to be physically as well as mentally creative on the court and field as he played basketball and competed in track. He admits that as an aspiring pro-athlete at that time, many of his dreams revolved around achieving in athletics. It wasn’t until circumstances shifted his career that Otis had to take a hard look at the relevance of his aspirations, and determine if they were a reflection of his true calling. He realizes today that his purpose is spiritually guided and the experience gained through competing as an athlete fuels the discipline and creative edge he needs to succeed in any arena.

Rooted in true wisdom, Winston’s words reveal a new vision. Spiritually guided, this talented mind shares with us his take on the powerful revelations of life.

This husband and father of two, is also an ordained minister in Columbus Ohio. Besides the screenplays, Otis is currently pitching a sitcom and drama in Hollywood and has many more in his vault at his production company 2nd Wind Productions.

Popularity: 18% [?]

This week’s poll question is sponsored by: ClearSaleing

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Popularity: 24% [?]