Salley Added to Ohio State Men’s Basketball Roster – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2003
COLUMBUS, Ohio-Jim O’Brien, Ohio State men’s basketball coach, added freshman Nate Salley, a reserve safety for the Buckeyes’ 2002 National Championship-winning football team, to Ohio State basketball roster Tuesday.
Salley, a 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pound guard, practiced with the Buckeye basketball team for the first time Tuesday and will travel to the road game against Michigan State (7 p.m., Thursday/ESPN2).
As an Ohio State football player, Salley played in all 14 games this season, primarily on special teams. He recorded six tackles and three solo stops.
As a high school basketball player at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Salley averaged over 18 points a game.
O’Brien said it was no surprise to see Salley arrive for practice in a No. 21 scarlet basketball jersey Tuesday as the Buckeyes prepared for the Big Ten Conference opener against the Spartans.
“Nate spoke with us during the football recruiting process about playing both sports here at Ohio State,” O’Brien said. “It was something he was interested in trying and we agreed to give him a shot. That is what’s happening right now.”
