by Kent Sterling
College students who haven’t yet figured out who they are tend to hate those who do, and in the Big Ten, the poster boy for that is Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft.
One of the strangest relationships between a college athlete and a conference fan base exists between Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft and fans of all teams in the Big Ten not Ohio State.
Craft competes every possession, excels in the classroom, and is a supportive teammate and leader. Well, if that doesn’t drive fans nuts, what will?
While a kid like Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart shoves a moron in Lubbock for giving him grief, Craft has endured ridiculous taunts for four years by working hard and earning the ultimate revenge – winning.
Click here to follow Kent on Twitter
And this morning, Craft earned yet another honor that will make him even less popular. The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Craft to the five-man NCAA Division One 2014 Allstate Good Works Team that honors college basketball players who have made a commitment to improving their communities and the lives of others.
Oh no! Craft not only gets straight A’s at Ohio State, finds clever ways to win games for the Buckeyes, is engaged to a hottie, and serves as a role model for kids – he improves his community. The audacity of this young man knows no limits!
There are dozens of ways to find success, but Craft seems to have been able to find a clear path to all of them. Evidently, a significant percentage of college students can’t handle watching a peer succeed on so many levels when he wears the jersey of an opposing player.
Few players in the history of the Big Ten has been so universally reviled in rival arenas while being deserving of the opposite.
Last week, Craft was interviewed by Dan Dakich on Indianapolis sportstalk leader 1070 the Fan, and if he is a closeted bad guy, Craft did a great job of concealing it. He sounded like a very mature, respectful, and decent guy with a bright future – the kind of kid you would be proud of if he was your son.
Maybe the hatred for Craft is fueled by jealousy for his athletic gifts. He looks like the the typical Sig Ep or Phi Delt, but can play basketball at the highest level. That bothers the less evolved Sig Ep or Phi Delt.
What the jealous don’t understand is that grades and honors like that which Craft earned this morning are about attitude and diligence, not success in sports. They can be like Craft, just without the basketball.
Sure, they can’t compete for chicks with a guy who plays point guard in front of thousands of women twice a week from November thru March. And they probably don’t have his rosy cheeks, but nothing keeps them from being the best they can be but their own poor focus.
Shaking a fist at Craft and telling him “YOU SUCK!” isn’t going to help students in the stands win, but they do it anyway – giving Craft yet another victory.
Here is the list of athletes who were honored, and a potential raft of additional good kids worthy of hate from the jealous:
NCAA Division I
(Name, Class, Position, School, Hometown)
Danny Berger, Junior, Forward, Utah State, Medford, Ore.
Aaron Craft, Senior, Guard, Ohio State, Findlay, Ohio
Joe Harris, Senior, Guard, Virginia, Chelan, Wash.
Dau Jok, Senior, Guard, Pennsylvania, Des Moines, Iowa
Jordan Morgan, Graduate, Forward, Michigan, Detroit, Mich.
NCAA Division II, III and NAIA
(Name, Class, Position, School, Hometown)
Peter Kazickas, Junior, Forward, Hamilton, Amagansett, N.Y.
Grant Neil, Senior, Forward, Hope, Holland, Mich.
Aaron Patrick, Senior, Guard, Mount Aloysius, Johnsonburg, Pa.
Tanner Sutton, Junior, Guard, Columbia (Mo.), Harrisonville, Mo.
Nick LaGuerre, Junior, Guard, St. Mary’s of Maryland, Baltimore, Md.
The following players have been named to the 2014 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team®:
NCAA Division I
(Name, Class, Position, School, Hometown)
Kastine Evans, Senior, Guard, Kentucky, Salem, Conn.
Alyssa Englert, Senior, Guard, Hartford, Dansville, N.Y.
NeTanya Jones, Senior, Center, McNeese State, Oakdale, La.
Courtney Moses, Senior, Guard, Purdue , Sweetser, Ind.
Shayla Bivins, Senior, Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Jacksonville, Fla.
NCAA Division II, III and NAIA
(Name, Class, Position, School, Hometown)
Jasmine Brewer, Senior, Guard, Loyola (New Orleans), Houston, Texas
Amy Loya, Senior, Guard, Union , Bethel, Conn.
Michel’le St. Pierre, Senior, Guard, Worcester State, Seekonk, Mass.
Alexandra Wilkinson, Senior, Forward, Minnesota State (Mankato), Blue Mounds, Wis.
Alexa Baltes, Senior, Guard, Illinois Wesleyan, St. Charles, Ill.
“Few players in the history of the Big Ten has been so universally reviled in rival arenas while being deserving of the opposite.”
Huh? I don’t by that or the entire premise at all. I think there’s some frustration that he gets calls (or more typically no-calls) that others don’t, but from first time I saw him play as a freshman, my comments were: “This guy is going to kill us for a long time” and “I wish he were a Badger.” He’s a great player, a tremendous competitor & the kind of rival you just respect the hell out of.
You are thinking the right way. You think like I think. I love the way Craft plays. You ask students at Wisconsin games which opponent they most despise, and I’ll bet 80% say Aaron Craft.