Evan Turner would be the first one to admit he had a lot of growing up to do when he arrived on Ohio State’s campus in the summer of 2007. In fact, Turner’s lack of maturity early in his career was so problematic that Buckeyes coach Thad Matta actually gave him an ultimatum one day during practice.
“He and I would go round and round and round and round and round,” Matta recalled Monday afternoon, “to the point one day where I Kung-Fu kicked a side door of the gym open and told him to either grow up or go home and I really don’t care which one it is.”
Matta counts his blessings almost every day Turner opted to stick it out.
Because if he hadn’t, Turner’s No. 21 would not have been raised to the rafters of Value City Arena on Tuesday night forever cementing himself as one of the all-time greats in Ohio State history.
“Thank goodness he stayed and chose the growing up,” Matta joked.
In front of teammates past and present, his family, and a crowd of 17,088, Turner was honored at halftime of Ohio State’s 76-66 win over Michigan on Tuesday night. And what a celebration it was.
Matta delivered a personalized message on the video board overhead. Directly after, a montage featuring Turner’s best moments in a Buckeyes uniform played — of course his shot in the 2010 Big Ten tournament to beat Michigan was included.
After the banner with his jersey number was revealed, the 2010 National Player of the Year took the microphone to address the crowd. He thanked his family. He thanked his teammates — nearly every single one he played with and yes, that includes Mark Titus. He thanked his coaches. He thanked Ohio State for everything it did for him as a basketball player, but more importantly, a person.
“It definitely hit me. Just seeing the unveiling and stuff like that, seeing the video before — that was crazy. It’s unbelievable, man. It’s a blessing,” Turner said afterward. “Not many people are able to do that and have the opportunity. All the great people I’ve met here, I’m super blessed to be one of the people to be one of the people up there. It’s beautiful.”
Turner turned in one of the greatest single seasons in Ohio State history during his 2010 campaign when he averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game helping guide the Buckeyes to Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles, as well as a berth in the Sweet 16. For his three-year career, Turner averaged 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
After departing Ohio State following his junior season, Turner was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. And after spending three-plus years in Philadelphia and half of a season with the Indiana Pacers, Turner signed with the Boston Celtics, where he is now a key contributor to a team that currently sits in third place in the Eastern Conference.
But, for Turner, Tuesday was about more than what he accomplished on the floor. It was about everything else that went into his experience at Ohio State.
“It’s all about the relationships,” he said. “I’m blessed to be able to meet the people I met and to be humbled for them to show support for me. These are some of the greatest people I’ve met and having them out here showing support and cheer me on and take part in a night that was so special to me.”
“Obviously, I did a lot of great things on the court, but I’ve always had great relationships with everybody that I mentioned in the arena. It’s been beautiful.”
Former Ohio State All-American Jared Sullinger, who is Turner’s teammate now with the Celtics was also in attendance. For Sullinger, the decision to come back to Columbus for Turner’s night was an easy one.
“I would do it for any Buckeye,” Sullinger said. “And whoever gets their jersey retired next, I would do it for any Buckeye just because it’s a fraternity around here. Once you’re a Buckeye, you’re always a Buckeye.”
Who knows, Sullinger himself may be next in line to have his jersey number hung from the rafters.
But Tuesday belonged to Turner. He was emotional during his 10-minute speech — he choked up when he spoke about his mother. He was candid. Everything about it felt very real.
It seemed as if the man who once nicknamed himself ‘The Kid’ had finally grown up.
“I’m so proud of Evan. He and I, the relationship we have, really all the bumps in the road that we went through to get to this,” Matta said. “Just watching him grow as a player, grow as a person and seeing the commitment that he made, I don’t think anybody can understand all the things that he did to become the player that he is and I could not be prouder of him.”
“Just to be a Buckeye, that’s the coolest thing ever,” Turner added. “I know a lot of kids that when I was in Jamaica in this past week, I heard a bunch of people scream ‘O-H.’ That’s a rare thing.”
