Halloween. The one time of the year when the greatest basketball player on earth can dress up as the scariest clown on earth—and pull it off!
Past and present Buckeyes were no different, taking the opportunity to show their lighter sides. Today, we're going to rate the handful we saw appear on social media.
Ohio State Assistant Basketball Coach Ryan Pedon
We'll start it off with a gem: Ohio State assistant basketball coach Ryan Pedon and his family dressed up as Mario characters.
Had some fun with the fam tonight.....Happy Halloween! pic.twitter.com/ZjCvc88fza
— Ryan Pedon (@ryanpedon) November 1, 2017
This is just wonderful. Both the Mario and Luigi costumes feature the proper mustache size and the pants are the correct shade of blue.
What gets this a gold star (or a "shine sprite" in Mario terms) is the Toad hat on the dog. Despite his miniature stature, Toad is by far the best character to use in any version of Mario Kart. Including him in this costume collective speaks volumes to the thought put into this.
Rating: 9/10
Memphies Grizzlies Point Guard Mike Conley
Continuing with the Nintendo theme, former Buckeye star and current Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley elected to dress up as Mario as well.
Its a Mario Party. Happy Halloween ! pic.twitter.com/71xFy3nnQb
— Mike Conley (@mconley11) November 1, 2017
First off, the caption is good. Mario Party is an underrated franchise of Mario games. Conley did a good job with the garb. Once again, the pants are the right shade and the mustache is the proper size.
The one issue I have with this is that Mario Chalmers should obviously be Mario. He's been the cartoon plumber before and even has a tattoo sleeve of the hero. Next time just stick to being Luigi, Mike. Or Wario. Or Yoshi. You can't go wrong. Bonus point for Marc Gasol as Cousin Itt.
Rating: 7/10
Ohio State Basketball Guard Joey Lane
Next up: Ohio State basketball walk-on Joey Lane. Despite being a noted humorist, he underwhelmed me with his impersonation of an impersonator as he decided to dress up as YouTube personality Brandon Armstrong.
I was @BdotAdot5 for Halloween. pic.twitter.com/aFxOzodXmd
— Joey Lane (@JoeySmoke11) November 1, 2017
See, isn't it underwhelming? Like when I was 11, I dressed up as a hamburger. My grandma and I made buns out of foam and then cut the toppings out of paper, while using red/yellow paint for the condiments. This is just a hoodie and flip-up sunglasses.
I'm not saying I want to see Joey Lane in hamburger form, but I certainly wouldn't be opposed to it. At least Armstrong liked it.
Legendary! https://t.co/C7Vcz9njyS
— B.A. (@BdotAdot5) November 1, 2017
Rating: 5/10
Pittsburgh Steeler Defensive Lineman Cam Heyward
Back to the good stuff which includes former Ohio State defensive end and current Pittsburgh Steeler Cam Heyward and his family dressed up in Sesame Street attire.
With three sisters between the ages of 1-7, Sesame Street has yet to escape my household so I am still quite familiar with all of the characters. Cam dressed up as Oscar the Grouch and his son as Cookie Monste earns full marks here.
My one issue is that Mrs. Heyward elected to go as Abby Cadabby, who wasn't instituted into the program until 2006. There are many other female options, such as Zoe and Rosita, who have been around much longer. The baby as the cookie earns a bonus point.
Rating: 9/10
Detroit Lions Offensive Tackle Taylor Decker
Next, we have Taylor Decker and his fiancée dressed up as Jack Skellington and Sally from The Night Before Christmas.
This one is pretty good overall. Sally is excellent. The ragtag dress, facial markings, and other accessories are all correct. Decker—or Jack I should say—has a few small inconsistencies, though.
Of course, Jack does not have a beard. I mean he's a skeleton, so he obviously does not have a beard. Decker does a nice job of covering it up, so I'm not gonna ding him too much for that. The bow tie (or whatever you want to call it) looks correct, but it appears to be too small when compared to a traditional Jack Skellington photo. Thus, a small deduction on the rating.
Rating: 8/10
Bonus: This Kid Dressed Up as Ezekiel Elliott
We see you, Baby Zeke! This tiny Cowboys fan is rocking the perfect Ezekiel Elliott outfit for Halloween https://t.co/rQQvUCUGIC pic.twitter.com/2YdKctyWeD
— SportsDay Cowboys (@dmn_cowboys) October 29, 2017
Simply amazing. The beard, the midriff, the abs – the hair. It's all so perfect.
Rating: 9/10
