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He was rated as the number 2 player in the class of 2010 in the ESPNU 100 the number 4 player by Scout.com and the number 5 player by Rivals.com. In his senior year, Sullinger led Northland High School to a 21-0 season and a #1 national ranking. He averaged 24.5 points and 11.7 rebounds for the season.
Sullinger was selected to play in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game where he was named co-MVP. He also won the James A. Naismith Award, which goes to the boys basketball player of the year.
This year he has led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a 24-1 record and a #2 ranking. They were undefeated until last weekend and ranked #1.The only reason that he's even in college is because the NBA changed the rules after Lebron entered the league. It states that a kid has to wait a year after high school before entering the draft. With the talent that he possesses there is no reason for him to remain in school. Some people are born with something that very few have. It's like winning the genetic lottery. My instructions to him as a father would've been clear when he enrolled at Ohio State.
Son, I need you to take all of your classes pass/fail. Don't worry about getting a certain grade. You won't need them. Next, I need you to take classes in personal finance, interviewing and speech. Those types of classes will help you next year. Also during the spring semester just enroll in class but it won't be necessary to attend any of them because the draft is in June. This season is your final exam and the NCAA Tournament is your job interview. We'll get a personal trainer to work with you during the day to keep your body in the best shape possible so that you'll be ready for the draft.
I know that there are people cringing at what I just said because they believe that everyone should go to college to get a degree. Well that's simply not true. Most people that go to college go because they don't have other options at the time. If I had an option to make several million dollars at 18 or 19 years old. I wouldn't have a degree today. Do you realize that orthopedic surgeons make $250K per year and over the course of a career will only make about $8 million?
I wrote an article entitled, "Educated Idiot" about why Andrew Luck from Stanford was crazy for staying in school. What folks don't realize is that the money in the NBA is all guaranteed. That means if a kid gets hurt, they'll have to pay him the balance of his contract. There is no risk for leaving school early if he's one of the lottery picks. All lottery picks sign a 3 year deal worth $10 million. That's not to mention the $50 to $60 million he'll get in endorsements right from the start. There isn't a degree in the world that pays that type of money. If he gets hurt he can always go back to school with the $50 million that he just made.
Lebron hadn't even graduated from high school when he signed a 6 year/ $90 million deal with Nike and then a month later he was drafted into the NBA. Now this arguement only applies to about 10 people in the world. I'm not talking about some kid that's just playing college basketball and thinks that he's good. I'm talking about Jared Sulinger and kids like him.
I had this same argument with friends when Greg Oden was in high school here in Indy. They said I wasn't making sense when I told them about my instructions. Oden hasn't played in the NBA yet because of knee injuries. Had he listened to them, he'd still be at Ohio State, broke, with a knee injury, trying to get to the league with very little chance of it. It's a good thing he listened to someone like me. What's your opinion?
Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
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