The MoCshiki (Kiichiro Sato, Associated Press)
On a more serious note, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports Clarett will spend between four and sixth months in Maryhaven, a facility with dorm-style bunking allowing inmates to depart to work full-time. The paper goes onto describe the facility as something between "a county jail and a prison", though emphasizing the preparedness it can provide in helping one-time inmates adjust to post-jail living. We go onto learn that Maurice also spent some of his time incarcerated studying geriatrics and gerontology and aspires to work with the elderly. Here's wishing him the absolute best going forward as he re-acclimates to day-to-day life and the outside world. For those looking to relive Maurice's glory days, check out this video titled "The Freshman", commemorating Clarett's heckuva one season in scarlet & gray (forewarning: you are thankfully spared the Verve Pipe song but subjected to something worse).
In case the heartbreak of Butler's Villain-esque heave coming up so painstakingly close has had college hoops off your radar for the last couple of days, you may have missed this. Or this. This and this definitely fit the bill as well. It's certainly an almost unnerving "what have you done for me lately?" climate we're growing ever increasingly accustomed to these days in college athletics. Makes it almost impossible not to wonder if the ilk of a Coach K (38-47 in his first three years) or John Calipari (48-45 in his) would've made it through a recruiting cycle in this day and age. It does, however, certainly help to us realize more and more how good we've got it with a coach the caliber of Thad Matta leading the basketball Bucks. A floor of 20 wins, a 35 win season and a title game berth, a Final Four, and 3 Sweet 16s. I know it's been said around these parts that these times aren't like any we've seen in some 4-5 decades but it really can't be emphasized enough.
Of course, that's saying nothing of the man declining overtures (as in plural) from schools the stature of Indiana and Kentucky. During Thad's time wearing suits on the sideline of Value City, the two whom many assumed would be at the top of his personal list have had two openings a piece. Each time approached (which admittedly was less of an issue on UK's second go around), Thad's done the smart thing: listen to the overtures, analyze his options, politely declined, and gotten back to work. At this juncture, it's fairly safe to assume there isn't a "dream job" on the horizon nor is it likely we're looking at any other historical powers making a play for the Bucks' fearless leader anytime soon. Couple that with the likes of this and isn't hard to see why we as fans should make more of an effort everyday to realize just how fortunate we are as fans going forward. Having Elite Eight/Final Four expectations going into 2010/'11 doesn't suck one bit, particularly when you consider the alternative.
Comments
"Dashiki, that's swahili for doggy style."
What about the AK-47??? does he get that back?
seriously, after watching that video... most of us forget how GOOD he really was (and could have become).... He was an 18 yr. old FRESHMAN with skills that were off the charts. He made 22 Yr. old Seniors look ridiculous and had instincts you cannot teach. Imagine him as a Senior in 2005??? wow!!!
Thanks for the video, man he was fun to watch that year.
It was also great to see the old field. I wish they would have painted the new turf like the old field with the gray O at the 50, and maybe kept the endzones like the old field too, instead of that bright scarlet is it now.
**it is now, not is it.
I had season tickets during the 2002 season and I've always said that I've never seen someone run as furious as The Beast. Sure, he was certainly athletic, but not on a Reggie Bush / Adrian Peterson type of freak level and so he made up for it with Youngstown hustle. The strip of Sean Taylor defined who he was to me. Everything that happened thereafter is a hell of a shame. More than any other Buckeye, he makes you wonder what might have been.
Thanks for the link to "The Freshman". Sometimes a few good memories outweigh all the bad ones.
To any future Cane trolls:
Our one criminal beat your multitude of criminals.
lmao
I was really mad at #13 for about a week after his second situation and then I realized just how stupid I was at that age and I realized that I couldn't begin to fathom what these kids must go through. At that age my ego would have destroyed me if I had half the talent of Clarett.
Watching OSU fans burn #13 jerseys at tailgates made me feel kind of sick. How quick those fans forget how much he meant to that championship team. I really hope he turns his life around for the best.
Are we positive he doesn't have any eligibility left?
i literally..LITERALLY..just cried watching that video
As much as I loved Beanie, he wasn't even close to Clarrett on the field. Clarrett would've gone down as one of the greatest RB's in Ohio State history in my opinion.
You know what though, there are a lot of kids who go through a lot and don't do stupid shit like Clarrett did. He had the world in the palm of his hands and it wasn't good enough. I'm not giving him a pass for anything he did because he went through a lot, or he was so good that his ego got inflated. It's not fair to all the guys who do the right thing and play by the rules. I don't forget the great year that he provided the buckeyes, but I also don't forget stupid allegations he made to try and drag the program through the mud.
I'm not sure if you were seriously asking or not, but yes we are positive he doesn't have any eligibility left. The NCAA only lets you play your 4 years within a 5 year window. So once you start you only get 5 years to play (except for the rare 6th year for medical exceptions). The NAIA lets you use your 4 years whenever you want.
Also he was drafted and had an agent.
Best Wayans brothers movie ever!
Good points. I'm not saying I give him a pass BUT you will never see me burning his jersey at a tailgate. I guess with all the guns, booze and ninja swords, I completely forgot about him making the comments about the program and his comments after he wasn't allowed to attend a funeral. Yeah. That really p*ssed me off at the time.
I knew he didn't have any eligibility left but I thought he couldn't play because he got an NFL agent and was drafted. I wasn't aware of the other rules, and I imagine that is 5 years for each indvidual sport, right?
Without question. Hell, it's my top 5 all time...I'm admittedly a simple man. Zoolander also makes the list.
nope 5 years total. You can play 4 years per sport (like Charlie Ward playing football and Basketball at the same time for FSU), but it has to be within that 5 years. That's why Greg Paulus was only allowed to play 1 year of football for Syracuse after 4 years of basketball at Duke. Also he didn't have to sit the year out for transferring since they put a new rule in a few years ago where if you've already graduated from the 1st school and go to a different school for grad school you don't have to sit a year.
There are also some other weird rules regarding military service or religious trips that affects the 5 year eligibility, but I don't know them off the top of my head.
"Kids, what do you say when you meet a nice man?"
"Are you my daddy?"
Imagine a 2004/05 team with MC and TS, Teddy, Hawk that would've won that close home loss to TX, and gone to the Rose Bowl for a NC...
I had season tickets in 2002 and distinctly remember watching him vs Texas Tech and Washington State. When Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall were in they'd get hit in the backfield and many times were lucky to get a few yards. Then they send in Clarett and all of a sudden holes are open everywhere. I got a glimpse of the future though as he showed up to the post game press conference with his jersey on backwards so the whole world could see the name "Clarett". Coach Tressel played it off that Maurice had blood on the front of his jersey which is why it was on backwards but it was a warning sign of things to come.
I've always thought that our O-line in 02 was average but Clarett made them look like superstars. He didn't have great top end speed but I think only Barry Sanders had a better combination of quickness, strength and vision. It's a shame he never got himself into shape in the pro's because he was a true talent.
+10
watching that video though, looks like Schnittker did an amazing job opening up holes for him too.
The worst thing about MoC's idiotic/stupid decisions was that we got stuck with Ross and Wells for 2 years.
OSU has not had a dominant fullback since Nicky Sualua was blasting LB's for Eddie George.
Z. Boren may become something great if he continues his improvement.
-3 yards and a cloud of dust
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the season he gave us, and he was totally worth the headache based on the result of that season, but I don't feel sorry for him, I'm not burning his jersey either, but I understand why some would. At the end of the day he could have been the best, and we got to enjoy one season of that. He had a lot of very positive people around him trying to guide him the right way and he chose to take the other road.
Way off topic here but I work in a call center for a major electrical product manufacturer and got a call from a guy named Rich Rodriguez, had to fight the overwhelming urge to hang up lol. I knew it couldn't have been the man, unless he is training for his next career after this season.
might wanna stone up there, brother
I told you guys I'd see you on Sundays.....
just never thought it would be at the carwash.....
I think I saw you at Miani's(or whatever they call it now) a couple years after you graduated, on a sunday. is that what you meant?
Nice video, brings back a few memories.
- Nice to see crisp offensive line blocking..
- In Miami game, great game presence, for a freshman, to not only make the tackle, but to strip the ball from Taylor.
- Mo's footwork reminds me a bit of Archie's. Capable of changing direction 3 times in two steps.
I remember watching that Texas Tech game with my boys and as the game neared the end, I told them that they were watching a Buckeye legend.
Sadly, his legendary status came from what he did off the field more than what he did on it.