Ohio State men's basketball: Craft looking to score more as shots become available
“As long as the ball gets in the basket, I couldn’t really care less who is shooting it,” says OSU point guard Aaron Craft.
Way back in October, before practice had begun and the options were infinite for the Ohio State men’s basketball team, Aaron Craft spoke of working a lot in the offseason to become a more consistent perimeter shooter, one who opponents would have to account for and, theoretically, leave more room inside for Jared Sullinger to operate.
It’s one thing, though, for Craft to work on his shot in practice, and quite another for him to look for it in a game.
“He’s what everyone wants in a point guard,” Sullinger said. “Set up the offense, move the ball around, find the hot players. That’s what he’s been doing.
“But at the same time, there’s going to be times when he’s going to have to take those shots.”
How far the Buckeyes go this season could ride on it. They continue their bid for a third consecutive Big Ten championship, and fifth in seven seasons, tonight at Michigan.
“I say it all the time if I’m watching a game: There are opportunities where there’s a shot for him if he’ll just pull the trigger,” former Ohio State point guard Scoonie Penn said of Craft. “He’s a very unselfish player. He’s the ultimate team guy. But I’ve said from day one: In order for this team to be successful and to reach its goals, he’s going to have to be a guy who is going to have to knock some shots down to keep the defense honest.”
Craft has made 53.8 percent of his shots in Big Ten games, over 10 percent better than what he shot in conference play last season (43.3). He has made 40 percent of his three-point attempts, also better than last season. But his average of five shots per game is about one less than a year ago despite his percentage being second-best among the team’s starting five.
All of which matters little to him.
“If we have Will (Buford) and Jared and Deshaun (Thomas) making shots and doing their thing, I think the best thing I can do is find a way to get them the ball,” Craft said.
Coach Thad Matta said after the loss to Michigan State a week ago, in which Buford and Thomas missed a combined 20 of 24 shots, that Craft “passed up a couple shots he could have attempted.”
Matta said he likes Craft “seeing the basket and thinking score,” and that Craft is prepared before games, through scouting, for scoring opportunities.
“But I’ve never had the conversation of, ‘Hey, man, I want you hunting shots out there,’ ” Matta said. “He understands that, I think.”
Sullinger said Craft has been hunting more lately. The proof is in his free throws. Through 10 Big Ten games, Craft shot 25 free throws and averaged 7.5 points; the past three games, he shot 20 and averaged 11.3 points. His free-throw percentage also has increased from 60 percent the first 10 games to 90 percent the past three.
“I just think, in his mind, he’s doing what most point guards should do,” said former Ohio State point guard Ron Stokes, the team’s radio analyst. “The goal is to win the game, and whatever is necessary to help the team win, he’ll do it.
“That’s all he cares about, doing whatever it takes to win. I don’t think scoring is in (his) top five.”
Craft, a defensive dynamo, didn’t take a shot in the first half at Minnesota on Tuesday night but had five assists and three steals. He attempted only three shots from the field in the game — he made one — but he made four free throws in the final 1:13 to seal the victory.
“As long as the ball gets in the basket, I couldn’t really care less who is shooting it,” Craft said.
“Then we can go back and try to play more defense.”
bbaptist@dispatch.com
