How Good is Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell? 'He's Like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning'

By Patrick Maks on February 9, 2015 at 11:37 am
D'Angelo Russell.
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After notching a triple-double in a blowout win over Rutgers Sunday night, the growing legend of D'Angelo Russell seemed to add a few more pages.  

On the Big Ten teleconference Monday morning, Russell, Ohio State's star freshman guard and one of the nation's most electrifying players, received considerable praise from opposing coaches. 

"He's like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, he just sees the floor, the game’s so easy to him,” said Eddie Jordan, the Scarlet Knights' coach, who added he hasn’t seen a player so young so smooth. Russell dropped 23 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in a 79-60 win against Rutgers. 

"He plays beyond his freshman status … I just love watching kids play like that. He’s really, really, really good," Penn State coach Pat Chambers said.

"You haven’t seen a freshman do this for a long time.”

The Buckeyes play the Nittany Lions Wednesday night. 

Conference Notes

Tom Crean (Indiana)
Since routing Maryland a few weeks ago, Indiana doesn’t look quite as dominant as it did to start Big Ten play after big losses to Ohio State and league-leader Wisconsin. Likewise, the Terrapins, which took the conference by storm, have struggled, losing three of their last five in conference play. On Wednesday, the teams will rematch. “Maryland’s definitely still the same team that we played,” Crean said, “only a couple weeks better.”

Fran McCaffery (Iowa)
After telling a reporter questions about Adam Woodbury’s eye-poking antics were stupid and defended such a stance because “I said so,” McCaffery offered a bit more mature and reasoned defense of his player, saying it was “not anything malicious, intentional.” Woodbury was called for a flagrant foul.

Mark Turgeon (Maryland)
After being crushed by Iowa Sunday, Maryland has lost two of its last three games by 32 combined points. Turgeon, though, maintained confident in his defense and said he though the Terrapins played well at times against “probably one of the best half-court offenses we've seen all year” in the first half against the Hawkeyes. Turgeon, on Woodbury’s eye poke on star freshman Melo Trimble said, “You have to be pretty talented to be moving full speed and poke somebody in the eye."

Matt Painter (Purdue)
After beating Ohio State, Purdue lost on the road to Minnesota. “We played about as poorly as we’ve played in my 10 years at Purdue,” said head coach Matt Painter.

Pat Chambers (Penn State)
As the Nittany Lions gear up to play Ohio State Wednesday in Columbus, Chambers gushed over D’Angelo Russell. “I’ve watched Ohio State, they’re on TV  a ton. He’s plays beyond his freshman status … I just love watching kids play like that. He’s really, really, really good.” Chambers added: “You haven’t seen a freshman do this for a long time.”

Tom Izzo (Michigan State)
After losing to Illinois in East Lansing, Izzo said “anytime you lose a game at home, it’s disappointing.” Izzo said the “haunting” factors that have hampered the Spartans all seasons are poor 3-point shooting and “ridiculously poor free-throw shooting.”

Eddie Jordan (Rutgers)
After watching D’Angelo Russell drop 23 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in a blowout win over Rutgers last night, Jordan said Ohio State’s star freshman guard is “like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, he just sees the floor, the game’s so easy to him.” Jordan said he hasn’t seen a player so young so smooth.

Bo Ryan (Wisconsin)
Asked if he was content where with Wisconsin is headed in terms of Selection Sunday next month, Ryan said, "I'll always find things. in our breakdown of all our games, there's teaching points ... I think everybody's going through it right now. You've got some nicks, you've got some" bumps and bruises

"Maybe I can say this," he added, "whoever has the best trainer or strength coach, that's who the key is."

Tim Miles (Nebraska)
"I got a haircut today, that's a good thing. I saw a few gray hairs, that's a bad thing."

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