Shortly before 5 p.m. on Sept. 3, the Ohio State men's basketball program issued a press release publicly confirming the return of one of its most decorated players: Jared Sullinger, one of only three players in program history to be a first-team All-American more than once, was joining coach Jake Diebler's staff as director of player development.
The move had been in the works for a while and all but finalized during the weekend, but Sullinger kept it close to the vest. So close that, as of about three hours after the news was made public, he had not yet heard from former teammates and close friends such as Aaron Craft and David Lighty because he hadn't tipped them off.
"Honestly, ******* ody knew," he said. "I kept it under wraps for a reason. I just wanted to say ******* o world; this is the new me. I haven't gotten those text messages yet, but I'm pretty sure when I get those text messages, I'm probably going to cry like a little baby."
Whether or not tears wound up falling, Sullinger had a lot of emotions to unpack. In joining the staff, he officially announced his retirement as a player. He spent two years with the Buckeyes, five in the NBA and parts of the next nine overseas while also spending time playing for Ohio State's alumni teams in The Basketball Tournament.
After primarily playing in China in recent seasons, the decision to both stop playing and join the Ohio State staff was made with his family in mind. Sullinger and his wife, DeAnn, have three children: twins Jared. Jr. and Jemma, who will be 7 later this month, and Jaycee, who is 5.
#sullinger #ohio #staff
The move had been in the works for a while and all but finalized during the weekend, but Sullinger kept it close to the vest. So close that, as of about three hours after the news was made public, he had not yet heard from former teammates and close friends such as Aaron Craft and David Lighty because he hadn't tipped them off.
"Honestly, ******* ody knew," he said. "I kept it under wraps for a reason. I just wanted to say ******* o world; this is the new me. I haven't gotten those text messages yet, but I'm pretty sure when I get those text messages, I'm probably going to cry like a little baby."
Whether or not tears wound up falling, Sullinger had a lot of emotions to unpack. In joining the staff, he officially announced his retirement as a player. He spent two years with the Buckeyes, five in the NBA and parts of the next nine overseas while also spending time playing for Ohio State's alumni teams in The Basketball Tournament.
After primarily playing in China in recent seasons, the decision to both stop playing and join the Ohio State staff was made with his family in mind. Sullinger and his wife, DeAnn, have three children: twins Jared. Jr. and Jemma, who will be 7 later this month, and Jaycee, who is 5.
#sullinger #ohio #staff
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