Watch out, Aaron Craft, the "T" word has been dropped on you.
Craft, whose last-second shot enabled a Buckeyes victory against Iowa State on Sunday, has been known more for his lockdown defense than his workmanlike offensive prowess. But that may have changed on Sunday with his beautiful arcing three-pointer which took Ohio State to the Sweet Sixteen.
The dramatic performance has so affected observers that a Tim Tebow comparison has officially hit the media. Per the Tuscon Citizen and Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller:
“If he’s not one of your favorite players, then you don’t like college basketball,” Miller said Monday... “He has that Tim Tebow quality.”
“Tebow, at Florida, it wasn’t just his performance on the field, but who he was as a person, the leadership that he provided, the competitive spirit he embodied. It seemed to spread through Florida’s football team, and Aaron Craft does the same thing for Ohio State basketball.”
Miller's comments certainly won't help Craft among his detractors.
Still, the comparison is apt in a lot of ways. Like Tebow, Craft doesn't seem to fit the parameters of his position. He's not that quick, doesn't score a lot of points. But he performs in the clutch, steps up in big moments, and displays leadership qualities.
Like Tebow, Craft is also accumulating a mass of people who dislike him, and who might accuse the media of overhyping the Buckeye, whose pesky defense makes him very easy for opponents to hate.
He's also got fans with star quality.
Aaron Craft is easily one of my favorite players in the tourney all these tweets are FALSE. Kid has lockdown D& kept his team alive #respect
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) March 25, 2013
AARON CRAFT!!!! #GoBucks
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 24, 2013
To finalize the Tebow comparison, there are a lot of questions about Craft's ability to play at the next level.
But don't expect that to slow down the hype machine, particularly if Ohio State makes it into the Final Four. For better or worse, the world might have found its next Tebow.
- Barry
