77Legend wrote:
He is coming back!
I'd love that as much as anyone and there is precedence thanks to the Florida gang of a few years back, but he was talking earlier in the year about wanting to have a legacy at Ohio State...and I'd say he's done that. His ONLY blemish this year was going out in the Sweet 16 and, overall, his lack of REAL NCAA tournament team success is the only thing he's missing. On his list are things like this:
* Big 10 regular season co-champs (possibly considered just the champs since they got the #1 seed for the tournament...not sure how that works).
* Big 10 tournament champs
* Naismith Award, landslide AP PoY winner, All-American 1st team and many equal awards given by independent publications.
* Most triple-doubles in OSU history, both obtained this year.
It's safe to say that no one in Buckeye Land will forget Evan Turner and what he's done for the program. Regardless of what he chooses, he's an enduring legend in school history.
The only reasons he would come back is if he decides he can't exist without a national championship or if he loves the chemistry so much, he pulls a Florida and just says "what happens, happens" (which does feel like a possibility, no matter how slim, when you read things like Lighty and Lauderdale going to Indy to be there when he got an award...these guys do seem more tight-knit than most major programs). With all the acclaim and respect he's gained this year, it's hard to imagine an extra year to help his value and easy to imagine it hurting it. Especially considering that with this new class coming in, the Buckeyes have QUALITY depth now, which would take some of the load off his shoulders and diminish his stats (like from 20-10 to 18-7)
