Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history, or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
Since this week is all about “Buckeye Heroes” here at Land-Grant Holy Land, today we are going to dive into our favorite Ohio State athletes. With so many different sports teams fielded at Ohio State, there are plenty of deserving options that have passed through Columbus over the years. Even though football takes top billing in Ohio’s capital city, other sports such as basketball, wrestling, and swimming have produced talented athletes who have become fan favorites while they were representing the scarlet and gray.
What we are asking you to do today is let us know who your favorite Ohio State athlete is. Maybe your choice was a monster when they suited up for the Buckeyes. Or maybe your favorite Ohio State athlete was just as impactful off the field as they were on the field. Some might choose a Buckeye who has recently energized the fan base, much like Jack Sawyer did in Ohio State football’s title run. While others could look to the past and recognize an athlete who showcased bravery, with Jesse Owens being an option that comes to mind instantly.
Today’s question: Which Buckeye hero is your all-time favorite?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Mike Conley
Even though Mike Conley wasn’t at Ohio State for a long time, he was here for a good time. The point guard from Indianapolis arrived in Columbus with Greg Oden during my second year at Ohio State. Despite Oden getting top billing as the next big thing in basketball, Conley ended up as the player who has made the most of his career. Not only did Conley earn First Team All-Big Ten honors, but he was also a key part of the Buckeye basketball team that would go on to make it to college basketball’s title game in 2007, which saw Florida beat Ohio State 84-75.
Following his one year with the Buckeyes, Conley would declare for the 2007 NBA Draft, where he would be drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick. I loved Memphis selecting Conley since the Grizzlies are my favorite NBA team. How did I become a Grizzlies fan? My aunt lives in Memphis, so I have spent a number of holidays down there, one of which included going to a Grizzlies game while Conley was a member of the team. Conley would go on to be the leading scorer in franchise history before he was traded to Utah before the 2019-20 season.
What I love about Mike Conley is that he plays the game the right way. One of the biggest feats of Conley’s career is that he has never been called for a technical foul (that wasn’t overturned by the NBA). Conley has played over 1,200 games during the regular season and playoffs during his career. Draymond Green can barely go a whole game without being hit with a technical, while Conley is able to stay on the good side of referees. For his attitude on the court, Conley has won the NBA Sportsmanship Award four times, which is the most by any player in history.
The only thing left for Conley to accomplish is to be part of a team that wins a championship, since he fell just short of a title in his one season at Ohio State, followed by years of heartbreak in the playoffs in the NBA. Conley and the Minnesota Timberwolves are still alive in this year’s NBA Playoffs, so it could be this could be the year for the respected veteran and the rest of the Timberwolves. Even if Conley isn’t able to win an NBA title, he’ll still be looked at as one of the best players to come from Ohio State in any sport.
Matt’s answer: Jae’Sean Tate
I’m going to follow Brett’s lead on this one and stick with a basketball player. Now, I might be a bit biased because my selection graduated from the same high school that I did, but (as of this writing), I think Jae’Sean Tate is my favorite Buckeye of all-time.
Obviously, for life-long Ohio State fans like myself (and very likely you), it is incredibly difficult to pick just one player as your all-time favorite, but there is a certain scrappiness and underdog quality that I have always gravitated to, and is honestly fairly difficult to find from blueblood Buckeyes.
But Jae’Sean is the type of player that you can’t help but root for. At 6-foot-4, he’s got the body of a shooting guard or a small forward, but as his career progressed, he essentially played power forward for the Buckeyes, and even ended up at the 5 at times, banging around with some of the bigger guys in the Big Ten.
In four seasons as a Buckeye, Tate averaged 11.7 points per game, while throwing in 6 boards, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and half a block. Jae’Sean was a do-everything type of player who always seemed to be at the center of whatever the Buckeyes needed. When you needed a big play, Tate was the one who always seemed to come up big, even if he was playing hurt.
Jae’Sean Tate is clearly not the best player in Ohio State men’s basketball history, but he is my favorite, because of his grit and tenacity, and the fact that he is a fellow Pickerington (Centeral) Tiger!