Jared Sullinger will trade in his clipboard for a uniform this summer.
The head coach of Ohio State’s TBT alumni team for the past four tournaments, Sullinger is back on Carmen's Crew's roster as a player for the first time since 2018. The two-time consensus All-American forward is one of five former Buckeyes on the team along with Keyshawn Woods, Andre Wesson, Kaleb Wesson and Kyle Young.
BREAKING NEWS: After coaching for the past few TBTs (including the 2019 Championship), Jared Sullinger WILL MAKE HIS TBT PLAYING RETURN with Carmens Crew@Jared_Sully0 is an @OhioStateHoops LEGEND!
— TBT (@thetournament) July 16, 2024
TBT Tickets: https://t.co/qFJbGhryeF
Carmens Crews FINAL TBT Roster pic.twitter.com/tLpxIpKmsw
A Columbus native and Northland High School graduate, Sullinger came to Ohio State as the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2010 class. His classmates included Aaron Craft, Deshaun Thomas, Lenzelle Smith Jr., Jordan Sibert and J.D. Weatherspoon.
Sullinger made an immediate impact as a freshman for the Buckeyes, starting in 36 of 37 games and collecting 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest. He earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten and consensus first-team All-American honors for his performance.
That offseason, Sullinger surprised the college and professional basketball world when he announced he would return for another year at Ohio State. The Buckeyes benefited tremendously from his decision as the 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward averaged 17.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game and led Ohio State to its second Final Four in six seasons. Sullinger earned a second round of first-team All-Big Ten and consensus first-team All-American honors for his efforts.
SULLY IS PLAYING IN TBT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Carens Crew - THE Ohio States TBT Team (@CarmensCrew) July 16, 2024
Come see @Jared_Sully0 and the rest of our @OhioStateHoops alumni team: https://t.co/kz5dMfU90v https://t.co/b1WpOvBZSJ pic.twitter.com/NzSTJnKYP0
Following his second college season, Sullinger entered the 2012 NBA draft, and the Boston Celtics selected the Ohio State product with the No. 21 overall pick. Sullinger spent the next five seasons in the league, including four with the Celtics and one with the Toronto Raptors.
Over the past seven years, Sullinger has played professional basketball overseas in China, Korea and Puerto Rico, recording over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game each season. Earlier this year, Sullinger was named the International MVP of the Chinese Basketball Association after collecting 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and four assists per contest for the Aviators (Shenzen, China). This summer, he has averaged 20.7 points, 15.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game for Cangrejeros (Santurce, Puerto Rico), becoming a nominee for the league’s MVP and defensive player of the year awards.
Carmen’s Crew will open this year’s TBT against Purple Hearts on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network. If Carmen’s Crew advances to the second round, the Ohio State alumni team will face the winner of Red Scare (Dayton Alumni) and DaGuys STL on Monday at 8 p.m. on FS2.
