Jared Sullinger Named Second Team Big Ten All-Decade

Sullinger led Ohio State to a combined 65-11 record in two seasons and a run to the 2012 Final Four.

From the moment Jared Sullinger first took the floor for the Ohio State Buckeyes, you knew he was special. After two incredible seasons in Columbus, he was drafted in the first round by the Boston Celtics and enjoyed a five-year NBA career.

Sullinger joined former teammate Aaron Craft and fellow Buckeye D'Angelo Russell on the Big Ten All-Decade Team. Craft and Russell were given third-team honors on Monday while Sullinger was named to the second team this afternoon.

Sullinger arrived to Ohio State with big expectations, having been ranked as a top-five player nationally by all outlets after leading Columbus Northland High School to state title. He won the James A. Naismith Award, presented to the nation’s high school Player of the Year, and received Co-MVP honors at the McDonald’s All-American game.

The 6-9, 270-pound phenom then spent two decorated seasons in Columbus, becoming a 2x consensus first team All-American while starting 73 games. He was the Big Ten Tournament MVP as a freshman in 2011 when the Buckeyes finished 34-3 overall and earned a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“I had upperclassmen that were willing to take different roles and just ride me through,” Sullinger told Dave Revsine from Big Ten Network. “I was very lucky to have older players that helped me understand the game faster.”

Sullinger led the Buckeyes to a combined 65-11 record in his two years, including a pinnacle run to the 2012 NCAA Final Four in New Orleans where his club dropped a narrow 64-62 game with Kansas.

“The enjoyment we had as a team,” Sullinger added when asked about what he remembers most from the Final Four season. “We went through some hiccups throughout the year, especially late, but that run brought us much closer and allowed us to build a family.”

Cutest interview BTN's ever done?@Jared_Sully0 was joined by his son, Jared Jr., while accepting his nomination to the #BTNAllDecade 2nd Team. Look out for Junior down the road, @OhioStateHoops. 👀

More ➡️ https://t.co/6JM815E36S pic.twitter.com/GxO489v1vP

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) June 23, 2020

“Sully” averaged roughly 17 points and 10 rebounds per contest wearing Scarlet and Gray before declaring for the NBA Draft, where he was ultimately selected 21st overall by Boston. He spent four seasons with the organization, averaging double-digit scoring in three of those campaigns before finishing his time with Toronto.

After one final season in China, Sullinger officially retired and moved back to Columbus. He coached Carmen’s Crew to The Basketball Tournament (TBT) crown last summer and will be back on the sidelines once again come July 4-14 at Nationwide Arena.

Other members of the Big Ten All-Decade second team were Victor Oladipo (Indiana), Cassius Winston (Michigan State), Ethan Happ (Wisconsin) and Carsen Edwards. Stay tuned to BuckeyesNow and all of our social media outlets (@BuckeyesNowSI) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for continued coverage!