The Quiet Storm – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2007
by Emily Meyer Ohio State Athletics Communications
Silence. A strange phenomenon occurs just before severe storms break across the earth’s horizon. The sounds of nature hush and the world almost seems still. Nature recognizes and listens to the authority of the arriving inhospitable weather. For Ohio State men’s basketball, Jamar Bulter is the quiet before the storm. He is now faced with the challenge of leading the team’s thunder and lighting.
After graduating four charismatic seniors in 2006, the introverted junior finds himself thrust to the forefront of a young but immensely talented team featuring four standout freshmen including No. 1 high school recruit Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook and David Lighty along with junior college transfer Othello Hunter. Butler knows he must be the frontman for the 2006-07 squad early in the season and is ready to step out of character to make this Ohio State team his own.
“This is the first time for me to be in a situation where I have to talk and lead guys,” Butler said. “Normally, I’m not the vocal guy on the court, so this year I have to step out of my comfort zone for the team.”
The Lima, Ohio, native’s lead position on the court is unquestionable as Butler ended the 2005-06 season as one of the premiere Big Ten point guards. Last year, he scored 314 points and was credited with 101 rebounds and 144 assists. Butler’s dynamic sophomore campaign made him the first Buckeye to break 100 in all three categories in the same season since Brent Darby did as a senior (2002-03). In addition, Butler’s high marks made him only the second Ohio State sophomore to dish out more than 140 assists in a season since 1974. When Thad Matta, Ohio State’s third-year head coach, looked at his team and no longer saw the familiar faces of former-Buckeye leaders Je’Kel Foster and J.J. Sullinger on the practice court he knew with confidence Butler and senior Ron Lewis could lead the inexperienced squad.
“Jamar wants to win and he is the type of guy willing do whatever he has to in order to win,” Matta said. “I’ve seen that quality in him before and that’s why I feel comfortable with him and Ron leading the team.
“Jamar has been in our program for two years and has proven himself as a player at Ohio State. He’s one of our hardest workers and has done a tremendous job making that value contagious to his teammates.”
Butler’s diligent work has been recognized as a third team All-Big Ten selection and All-Big Ten tournament selection last year after the talented guard posted a +2.53 assist-to-turnover ratio, averaged 4.65 assists and shot 80 percent from the foul line.
Yet Butler remains humble and attributes his success to the veteran team’s work.
“I had the success I had last year because of my teammates,” Butler said. “Without them I wouldn’t be where I’m at now.”
Already this season the junior has earned 2006-07 preseason first team All-Big Ten selection nominations from Lindy’s and Sporting News.
Butler knows better than anyone it takes teamwork and dedication to win – a lesson he learned that from his former teammates.
“I learned a lot from the senior class last year, especially Je’Kel Foster,” Butler said. “He was a great team leader. Je’Kel took me under his wing last year and gave me a lot of direction.
“Je’Kel led the team vocally in the game and by example on the court and made sure everybody was ready to go before practices so we could go out and get better. As I watched him, I saw what a leader does for a team.”
Utilizing experience at the helm of a group containing four McDonald’s All-Americans (Oden, Conley Jr., Cook and Ivan Harris), the soft-spoken, deep-voiced junior must find a way to motivate his teammates to work as a unit and by-pass media hype surrounding the electric freshman class as the Buckeyes look to notch a third 20-win season and defend their 2006 Big Ten regular-season outright championship in 2006-07.
