Pro Buckeyes in Asia 2024 - Part One - Jared Sullinger

(Korea - A svelte looking Jared Sullinger in the KBL - Spring 2021)

 (Pro Buckeyes In Asia 2024 - From L To R  - Amir Williams - Malaysia - Evan Ravenel - Japan - Jared Sullinger - China - Sam Thompson - Mongolia) 

State of the Union - After what was just about a 10 year hiatus!..Buckeye Ballers Blogspot is back with the continued goal of providing as many updates, articles, videos ect..of former Ohio State Hoopers currently competing in the professional ranks around the world, coaching on various levels, in sports media and life after basketball in general. Details about this platform's rebranding including how we plan on moving forward will be outlined in near future posts. 

In addition to following Buckeyes during their current pro seasons, we also intend on revisiting notable & important stories from the past eight to ten years that we didn't get to cover, but are certainly worth documenting like retirements, championship victories, drafts nights, pro debuts ect..

We would like to extend a sincere thanks & gratitude to any & all readers who have enjoyed reading our stories through the years. 

How Firm Thy Friendship - It's always interesting to think about some of the unique circumstances & dynamics around being a diehard hoops head in the middle of a sports universe where football is the king that rules with an iron-fist. Simply put, Ohio State is home to a rich basketball history & tradition that doesn't have to take a backseat to most schools in the sport. Yet, because this institution also happens to have the number one football brand in the country, hoops fans are resigned to the fact that our first love in sports (#BallIsLife) can sometimes be an afterthought in Columbus. 

So what dynamics are exactly at play in a sports environment where football is heads & shoulders on top? Well, the cynicism in us believes there are way too many 'fair-weather' supporters. The stark difference in fan engagement & support when OSU Hoops plays well versus the opposite is sometimes embarrassingly noticeable. Real hoops heads do not require a top squad to have mere interest. And even when the Buckeyes are playing well, we'd argue there still isn't the amount of hype & fanfare one would expect from a school with Ohio State's resources, alumni base & brand power.  

(Image: Former Buckeye Terence Dials officially became a member of Ohio State's Basketball Staff in 2019 by assuming the position of Director of Professional Development. Dial's predecessor in this role was none other than another OSU great in Scoonie Penn) 

And this brings us to the over-arching theme of this post because, in light of Ohio State's recent, but in all actuality a gradual downturn in basketball, we are currently witnessing some of the worst aspects of fickle, fair-weather fandom.  It looks like another hardwood coaching staff is nearing the end of an era in Columbus. With that in mind, isn't in amazing how many casual fans (translation - football fans who decide to pay attention when the hoops team is either competing well or very poorly) have suddenly morphed into diehard hoops heads again? Well that's neither here or there..we're obviously not thrilled with the state of the Basketball program along with the constant pilling on by fans & pundits alike..but amidst the uptick of attention surrounding OSU Basketball.."chaos is a ladder" for some...That is to say we believe this was as good of a time as any to resume coverage for fans yearning for some positive Buckeye related news, and for those simply wondering where some of their favorite OSU hoopers are currently playing. 

(Our spotlight of Buckeyes playing overseas resumes with profiles of four veterans currently hooping on the Asian Continent.) 

The Sport of Basketball has enjoyed immense growth worldwide in the last twenty plus years. This ever-growing popularity has not been any more evident than in Asian markets where countries like China & The Philippines have become unlikely basketball hotbeds. 

Development of basketball infrastructure across regions in Africa, Asia, South America, Europe, ect not only benefits the sport in those native markets, but it also provides more opportunities for the tremendous amount of North American ballplayers looking to continue their basketball careers at the professional level. 

While domestic leagues in Europe are still thought of as the class of overseas basketball, the rest of the world continues to catch up to North America & Europe with Asia perhaps making the strongest push to be a destination where  North American imports can make a name for themselves exclusively playing in certain countries against legit competition. Former Ohio State Buckeyes who have had stints in Asia include Othello Hunter, JJ Sullinger, Terence Dials, Byron Mullens ect..

The pinnacle of Basketball in Asia is China's Chinese Basketball Assocation aka The CBA. China's top league gained initial global fame in the late 2000s/early 2010s as a popular new basketball market for NBA Stars like Tracy McGrady & Stehpon Marbury to continue playing at a high level while exposing/expanding their personal brands to the lucrative Chinese basketball economy. But in a relatively short period of time, the CBA has developed & evolved from a mildly-serious outfit competition wise into arguably a Top 10 Domestic league in the world featuring some of the best North American Imports in overseas basketball. 

(Image - Jared Sullinger meets with media during TBT prep - Summer 2022)

One of the top imports & players overall in Asia is Columbus, Ohio's own Jared Sullinger. North American fans have likely grown accustomed to seeing the former Buckeye star help lead Ohio State Alumni & Columbus area based Summer League squad Carmen's Crew as their head coach at the annual TBT Basketball Tournament. But when Sully isn't cutting his teeth as a coach on the sidelines for Carmen's Crew (we're going to have a whole separate post specifically detailing Jared & his Ohio State peers annual participation in the TBT), he's been nothing short of the familiar walking double-double machine that his fans are used to seeing in overseas league play.

Following a six year stint in the NBA, Jared Sullinger has found great stability playing ball in Asia, most notably with Shenzhen, a CBA club located in the Guangdong Pronvince in China. Shenzhen has been a second home for Sullinger in four out of his five playing stints in Asia. His lone season outside of China took place in Spring 2021 with Korean club Anyang of the (you guessed it) Korean Basketball League. Sully's participation in Korea was as a result of the worldwide Pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions in China. In what would prove to be a memorable run, Jared joined Anyang in February of 2021 and helped lead his new club to the first Domestic League Championship of his professional career. Sully was awarded with the KBL Finals MVP for his efforts in the Championship round!

(Videos - Clips from Sully's MVP Round in the KBL Finals, a podcast interview, some top plays of his 2021 regular season in Korea, clips from a 40 point game in China)

Sullinger returned to the familiar confines of the CBA in Winter 2021 by re-signing with home club Shenzhen, where he continues to play to this day. The completion of the 2023/2024 season will mark a three year consecutive run with Shenzhen (2021 to 2024) & five years overall with the club. As of mid February 2024, Sully is currently averaging 21 ppg along with 11 rebounds per game which is the sixth best average on the boards in the league.  He notched a season high of 42 points & 16 rebounds on December 3rd against Guangzhou!

Currently sitting as the 6th best team record wise in the CBA League Standings, Shenzhen is on pace to make the 12 team post-season playoff competition that will begin in April 2024. It's significantly much easier to follow players on these Asian basketball clubs today than some ten years ago. Fans can stay up to date on Sully & Shenzhen on English webpages such as ProBallers.com (Jared Sullinger) & Eurobasket (Jared Sullinger - China) . You can also follow Jared Sullinger directly on Twitter (X), CTGN Sports Scene Page and of course keep it locked to Buckeye Ballerss for updates on Sully's latter season run in China!

(Videos: More Highlights from the CBA - Clips from Jared Sullinger's career high 55 point game in his debut season in China - 11/3/2017 -- Plus a 28 point game performance late in the 2023 regular season) 

Article - Forbes (Mark Deeks - 7/31/2023 - The Late-Career Resurgence of Jared Sullinger

Article - Celtics Blog (Noa Dalzell - 12/22/2023 - Now A Basketball Star In China, former Celtic Jared Sullinger Still Bleeds Green