Saturday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on February 7, 2015 at 6:00 am
The Teflon Wizard
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Urban Meyer potentially turning Notre Dame's recruiting director (and RB/WR coach), Tony Alford, into OSU's RB coach? That's a textbook example of turning an L into a W.

EZEKIEL ELLIOTT LEFT FOR DEAD BY OWN FATHER. Ah, the joys of dentistry drugs:

You know, apropos of nothing, it's unfair Ohio State is getting Elliott and four-fifths of its offensive line back next year. (I'm not complaining, but this is why I say being an Ohio State fan feels like cheating at times... because it's so easy.) 

PATIENT 0 BLOWING UP. Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell entered the season as a projected late first round pick. He's played so well that would seem like an insult now, and it would appear his blinder hasn't gone unnoticed outside of the Big Ten.

ESPN's Chad Ford, in a video on ESPN.com, said Russell is "one of the hottest names in the draft" and labeled him the second best freshmen in the country behind Duke's Jahlil Okafor. 

Ford says Russell's play proves he could be an effective NBA point guard, if not a pure one. ("He reminds me of James Harden... just a guy who knows how to play the game." Ford also compared him favorably to Golden State's Stephen Curry as an effective, non-pure point guard.)

There's also this:

And this:

When Russell blew the cover on JaQuan Lyle commitment, he hinted he's coming back, but I refuse to believe that's true until I see him on the court next year.

CRAFT MAKING WAVES. Aaron Craft has yet to play a meaningful NBA minute, but that doesn't mean his ax still isn't on the grindstone.

From Keith Schossler of RidiculousUpside.com:

Having said that, one NBA scout insists that Santa Cruz Warriors' Aaron Craft happens to be the "most underrated" of them all. For big league teams looking for slick, smart, and savvy play-makers, this could certainly be true.

With regard to orchestrating an offense and taking command of his team, the Ohio State alum is certainly among the cream of the crop, if not at the top of it. He's as intelligent as they come, and his confidence appears to ooze out across his team whenever Santa Cruz is able to get it going offensively.

Dishing out 6.7 assists per game, Craft ranks sixth (fifth when only counting players who have appeared in twenty games or more this season) amongst league leaders. Perhaps even more impressively, the 22 year old is averaging fewer turnovers than the first twenty-seven players ranked amongst the D-League leaders in the assist category. Not only is that impressive mark quite an efficient one, but also further proof that Craft is head and shoulders above the rest.

It'd be cool to see Aaron Craft wake up one day with a consistent jumpshot. 

KARAGEORGE HONORED. I thought this was a super cool notion by the Wrestlebucks last night at their match:

From Jeff Valin of 10TV.com:

It was a bittersweet tradition at the Buckeyes final wrestling match of the season, as seniors walk to center mat with their Moms and Dads.

It was also an emotional night for wrestling coach Tom Ryan.  "Tonight had people you've known for five years and worked with, wrestling their last match; you had an amazing crowd, you had a family that's dealing with a terrible tragedy."

This night, they would culminate a season of much deeper emotion since the death in November of senior teammate Kosta Karageorge.  His parents would be escorted by the non-graduating wrestlers.

"Mr. and Mrs. Karageorge are great people,” said senior wrestler Logan Stieber.    “I saw them and said ‘hi’ to them.  It was great that we were able to remember him."

The No. 2 wrestling team went out and did the damn thing in Kosta's honor, defeating No. 3 Minnesota, 22-13.

By the way, Ohio State might be a wrestling school now:

THOSE WMDs. Netflix and Nintendo developing live-action Zelda series... Sure looks like expanded sports betting coming soon to US... The story behind that historical 2-0 high school boy's basketball game... Anthony Davis is stone cold.. Jared Sullinger got #bizzy last night.

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