Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.
Suggs made the right move
Saturday night provided us with one of the greatest college basketball games in the history of the sport. You could say that in the immediate aftermath of Jalen Suggs' incredible shot banking through the net and it wouldn't be hyperbolic.
Suggs' shot is one of the top three shots in the sport's history, right up there with Kris Jenkins' buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the title game and the Christian Laettner game winner against Kentucky in 1992.
JALEN SUGGS. UNBELIEVABLE! @ZagMBB #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/QeEAjENYmG
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 4, 2021
Suggs was once a top-15 dual-threat quarterback in the 2018 recruiting class out of Minnesota, and Urban Meyer came calling with an Ohio State offer in May 2018 that Suggs detailed to Eleven Warriors shortly after.
Clearly, Suggs picked the right sport, and he proved that once again on Saturday night.
Herbstreit vs. Orlovsky
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know fully well that Dan Orlovsky set a lot of people off with his recent comments that he had "heard that there are issues with Justin Fields’ work ethic."
One of those people was his ESPN colleague and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, who took to Twitter to sound off on Orlosvky bringing those things he had heard to the forefront.
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) April 1, 2021
Absolutely RIDICULOUS.
Even if YOU arent saying it...
to pass that along from people in the know is reckless and absurd!! Embarrassing!! https://t.co/r0RFSr1B6y
Jackson-Davis takes parting shots
Indiana star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis surprised a lot of people when he announced he is returning to the Hoosiers for another season under new head coach Mike Woodson.
And in his first media availability since that announcement, Jackson-Davis talked at length about why he's so excited to come back and learn under the tutelage of Woodson – and he took some parting shots at former Hoosiers coach Archie Miller in the process, even if he didn't mention Miller by name.
“I felt like we were more robotic than basketball players,” Jackson-Davis said. “I feel like Coach Woodson’s really going to let the leashes off and let us actually play.”
ICYMI
In addition to Tommy Togiai raising money for Ohio State's LiFEsports initiative with his bench press reps at the Buckeyes' Pro Day, former running back Trey Sermon was also using his performance to raise money for charity.
For every inch he leapt in the vertical jump on Tuesday, Sermon was raising money for his mother’s foundation, Arise by Faith, a nonprofit organization that “will offer comprehensive educational and referral resources for our clients which includes domestic violence victims and people who need bereavement assistance services,” according to its website.
Sermon wound up raising nearly $8,000 with a 37-inch vertical leap, and Togiai raised a little more than $3,100.
Position Changes? Gee Scott Jr. Learning Tight End, Demario McCall Spending Time at Cornerback
Ohio State is running on six years now that it has been searching for a role for Demario McCall. If you had a nickel for every time a coach talked about that during a press conference you'd have, like, a ton of nickels.
But, hey, maybe they actually found a spot for him now. During the Buckeyes' first open practice of the spring on Friday, Demario McCall was spotted wearing a white jersey given to defensive players and was participating in defensive back drills. Afterward, Ryan Day said that the team was, in fact, looking for McCall to help out at cornerback. Demario McCall, the Buckeyes' new utility man.
And speaking of position changes, Gee Scott Jr. is apparently making a switch from receiver to tight end. We've talked often about Scott having an NFL body already, so maybe he'll fit in seamlessly in the tight ends room.
Transfers and early entrants
As Colin Hass-Hill detailed this week, college basketball's transfer rate is hitting an absurd number already, and the season isn't even over yet.
The Buckeyes were the beneficiary of the transfer portal this week by landing former Penn State guard Jamari Wheeler, who puts the final touches on the Buckeyes' backcourt, and they had one player leave with Musa Jallow announcing his departure.
And then there's the early entrants into the NBA draft, as Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell, who had a breakout sophomore season, announced that he is entering his name into the draft. Liddell is retaining his collegiate eligibility, however, and could still return to the Buckeyes next season.
Up next
- Monday-Friday, April 5-9: Ohio State football continues spring practice with sessions Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and media availability Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
- Thursday, September 2: Ryan Day's Buckeyes travel to Minnesota for the season-opener.
- Saturday, November 27: The Game. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
