Jared Sullinger: Slimmer and More Explosive
The burly forward had his way on the interior last season en route to a consensus first-team All-American selection. His dominating low-post scoring combined with a soft touch moving away from the rim were large reasons why Ohio State ran the most efficient offense in the country, giving open looks to 3-point wizard Jon Diebler and 40+ percent shooters David Lighty and William Buford behind the arc. Although he could have maintained his 280-pound husky frame and put up similar, if not improved numbers in his second-season in Columbus, Sullinger insisted a change was in order. He skipped the NBA Draft where he was a lottery lock, vowing to get the Buckeyes further into the NCAA Tournament in 2012.
Thus far, things look impressive- Sullinger has fine-tuned his diet, cutting out fast foods, eating salads and using smaller portions to lose 15 pounds off of last season's playing weight. A slimmer, more explosive Sullinger could take home the nation's player of the year. Ohio State is flying under the radar behind a veteran North Carolina team and a young and talented Kentucky team, but the Buckeyes return Sullinger, Buford, elite defender Aaron Craft, multi-talented wing Deshaun Thomas and an incoming freshman class that was ranked in the top five.
ByPresident Corey Ruff - 8 - 26 - 11
