Evan Turner, SG

Turner is a versatile athlete who can easily be either a smooth-shooting "two" guard or a cat-quick wing player at the small forward position. He also has seen considerable action at point guard -- he moved there initially out of necessity but developed in nearly two years playing that position -- ranking among the school's all-time leaders in scoring, assists, steals and rebounds.

The Big Ten Conference's Player of the Year and 2010 National Player of the Year earned that accolade due to his unselfishness and defensive presence. He has a keen scoring touch and great court vision. He was the first to finish first in scoring and second in both rebounds and assists in the conference (2009-10) and the first to finish in the top five in each category in the same season.

The two-time league scoring champion is an all-out hustler on the court who can impact the game without scoring in bunches. Turner is ranked 13th in school history with 682 rebounds and became the 15th Ohio State product to score over 1,500 points. He is just the 11th player in school annals to record over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.

Turner collected 159 steals for OSU, the third-best total by a Buckeye performer. He ranks seventh in school history with 414 assists and his 11 assists vs. Lipscomb last year is tied for fourth on Ohio State's game-record chart. He closed out his junior campaign with 185 assists, fourth on OSU's season-record list.

Turner had to overcome myriad health problems as a child. By the time he was one year old, he endured chicken pox, pneumonia, asthma and measles. The 1989 Chicago measles epidemic caused him to desperately need emergency room services.

He encountered severe breathing problems that required the removal of his adenoids and tonsils. At the age of three, he was hit by a car, resulting in a concussion and stitches. Oversized baby teeth and an overbite caused a speech impediment that necessitated speech therapy.

Turner was a star on the 2002-03 Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School's varsity basketball team that finished the season with a record of 23-2. He played in the Summer 2004 AAU Boys 15-under Basketball National Championship Tournament for the Illinois Knights.

Turner was a two-year starter for St. Joseph's High School, where he amassed a personal best 25 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals per game as a senior. That year, his team was listed second to present Chicago Bull, Derrick Rose's Simeon Career Academy in the preseason Chicago Tribune's area high school basketball team rankings.

Turner and Rose were both named to the first-team Associated Press 2006-07 Class AA all-state team, a day before Rose's Simeon eliminated Turner's St. Joseph in the Illinois Class AA super sectional. The St. Joseph's product finished third to Rose in the Illinois Mr. Basketball voting.

During his junior campaign, Turner averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He also was instrumental in helping the Chargers win regional and sectional champion-ships, earning first-team All-State and All-City honors. He also garnered East Suburban Catholic Conference MVP accolades and was named the Suburban Life Player of the Year.

As a prep sophomore, he helped lead St. Joseph's to a run in the Illinois AA Boys High School basketball tournament, which helped him get the attention of NCAA Division I basketball coaches. St. Joseph's, which also produce Isiah Thomas, saw Turner become a part of a Chicago area sophomore class that was considered to be the best in the history of the state of Illinois.

The class of 2007 was compared to the Chicago area class of 1979 that included Thomas, Terry Cummings, and Darrell Walker as well as the class of 1998 that included Quentin Richardson, Corey Maggette, Frank Williams, Bobby Simmons, Michael Wright.

During the summer of 2006, Turner committed to Ohio State. His decision was influenced by his relationship with his father, James Turner, who lived in Columbus, Ohio and whom Turner had visited every summer since he was 10 years old.

As a true freshman in 2007-08, Turner helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament championship by averaging 18.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals in the tournament's semifinal and final round at Madison Square Garden. He averaged 27.1 minutes, 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game over the course of the season and finished second on the team in assists and third in steals.

As a sophomore, Turner was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week three times during the 2008-09 season. He became the only conference player selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) as a Top 15 finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Splitting his time between both guard positions and small forward, he led his team in the following per-game statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

Turner also led the Big Ten in scoring as a sophomore (17.3 points per game). He and Michigan's Manny Harris became the fourth and fifth players in conference history to finish in the top 10 in the conference in points, rebounds and assists since assists became a statistic in 1983-84, following Steve Smith, Jim Jackson and Brian Evans. Those totals saw Turner earn All-American honorable mention All-American and he was selected as a member of the 2009 All-Big Ten Conference Tournament team.

Turner played for Bo Ryan and represented the United States at the World University Games over the summer of 2009 in Belgrade, Serbia, along with conference foes Robbie Hummel of Purdue and Talor Battle of Penn State. He helped them to the bronze medal and a 6-1 record, as Turner led the team in assists (18). He also averaged 4.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and shot 52 percent (12-23) from the field for Team USA. "There really isn't anything that Evan can't do well," said Team USA and Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan. "The best part of Evan Turner is all the parts."

Turner's junior season brought him numerous accolades. ESPN and Fox Sports named him to their All-American teams. He was also listed as a nominee for the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith College Player of the Year watch list. The 2010 National Player of the Year ranked 23rd in the nation in scoring, averaging a team-best 20.4 points per game, as his 632 points scored were the most by a Buckeye since Jim Jackson in 1992 (718).

The junior also finished sixth in the nation with an average of 6.0 assists per game. His 185 assists rank fourth on the school annual record chart. He totaled 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks and 9.2 rebounds per game, as he shot 36.4% from three-point range, 51.9% from the floor and 75.8% from the charity stripe. He was named Big Ten Player of the Week a league-record seven times, giving him ten of those weekly honors during his career, breaking Jim Jackson's school and conference record.

Positives: Turner's length and standing reach (8-feet-7 1/2) makes him a highly effective rebounder, especially playing on the wing … Plays with impressive court vision and the ability to vary his speed moving with the ball … Very creative with the ball in his hands, constantly getting the defender off-balance with his ability to stop, change gears and re-direct, using highly effective fakes and hesitation moves to force the opponent to over-commit … Shows good ball-handling skills operating as a point forward and despite his 6-6 frame, he plays with a low center of gravity and good body control to weave in and out of traffic … Very determined defender, with solid timing and proper hand placement, along with the above-average leaping ability to go up and challenge the shots along the perimeter … Has the speed to stay with backcourt types and the strength to bang heads with the bigger wings to defend at multiple positions … Plays with good court smarts, as he is not the type that will bite on a shooter's pump fakes … Unselfish passer who relishes his role at creating shots for others … Physical player when asked to crash the boards (especially on the defensive end) … Might not possess a great wing span, but he has the quick feet and good strength to be an efficient swing man who can play either the two-, three- or four-spot at the next level, but might be a better fit as a shooting guard in an up-tempo game … Has a smooth and effortless release when shooting and is an offensive-minded talent with good mid-range shooting ability (struggles when taking shots from the perimeter though) … Has an explosive first step and is quick turning the corner on screens, using his leaping ability to sail over smaller guards to put the ball in the basket … Very creative around the rim and is an excellent finisher in transition … Times his leaps well on lob passes and while he needs to improve the lift on his jump shot, he has good quickness in his release … Improved his ability to pass off the dribble and can pull up from mid-range to sink his jump shot, as he attacks the rim with impressive strength … Patient passer who won't force the ball into a crowd, but knows where the open man is … Knows how to use his frame to stay in front of the opponent and utilize his arm length to go up and block shots … Times his leaps well to also deflect shots along the perimeter … Strong maintaining position from the weak side of the rim and has the leg drive to take a charge … Draws a lot of fouls and uses his hands well to take his man off the dribble … Will not hesitate to bang the boards vs. centers and power forwards, getting great lift and elevation for rebounds or put-backs … Shows good courage trying to out-muscle the bigger opponents when driving to the basket, displaying the power to go inside and finish … Has strong one-on-one skills and the ability to create shots for himself off the dribble.

Negatives: Like many players converted to be point guards, he gets into a rut and tries to be too perfect creating shots, leading to high-volume turnover games … Has good court quickness, but is a bit deliberate with his release when trying to execute the three-point shot (reluctant to take chances when forced to shoot deeper than he wants) … Has good strength to compete for rebounds, but can be boxed out and pushed out of the paint when he doesn't gain leverage … Gets too fancy bringing the ball down the court … Better when creating his shot off isolation plays … Struggles when setting defenders up coming off screens.

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

Compares To: VINCE CARTER, Orlando -- Several analysts compare him to Brandon Roy, but Turner lacks confidence in his perimeter shooting. He is not a freakish athlete, but has the ability to defend multiple positions or could be used at point guard, shooting guard or small forward depending on where he lands in the NBA. He might be a bit turnover-prone and needs to improve his passing skills, but like Carter, he can light them up inside and shows good aggression and timing going for the rebound.

Consensus All-American was first Buckeye to earn unanimous All-Big Ten Conference first-team and league Player of the Year honors in consecutive seasons … By winning the Wooden, Naismith, Robertson, Fox Sports, NABC, TSN, and AP Player of the Year awards, he nearly swept all of the major player of the year awards (Kentucky's John Wall won the Adolph Rupp Trophy and Yahoo Sports Player of the Year and Sherron Collins of Kansas won the Lute Olson Award) … Led the team and ranked 20th in the nation with a 20.4-point average, totaling 632 points in 31 contests … Hit on 51.9 percent of his field goals (237-of-457), 36.4 percent of his 3-point tries (20-of-55) and 75.8 percent of his free throws (138-of-182) … Posted 284 rebounds (9.2 rebounds per game) and his average of 6.0 assists per game ranked sixth nationally, as his total of 185 assists rank fourth on the school season-record chart … Had 54 steals and blocked 28 shots … Placed second in the nation with a pair of triple-doubles and his 16 double-double performances ranked 20th at the Division I level … On December 5, in the fourth week of the season, he suffered transverse process fractures of the second and third lumbar vertebra in his back, which was expected to cause him to be inactive for two months. Turner returned early from his injury on Jan. 6, 2010, vs. Indiana. This occurred two days after Ohio State fell out of the top 25 in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings. With Turner back in the lineup, Ohio State returned to the top 25 on January 18th and the OSU product earned his fourth Big Ten Player of the Week award on the same day after leading his team to wins over two ranked conference foes.

Turner was an Associated Press All-American honorable mention and a 2009 Oscar Robertson Award Finalist … Member of the NABC All-District VII Team, ASBWA All-District V Team and Big Ten Conference All-Tournament Team … Unanimous All-Big Ten first-team pick and named the league's Player of the Week three times … Led the league in scoring with a 17.3-point average, as he made 193-of-384 field goals (50.3 percent), 11-of-25 three-pointers and 175-of-222 free throws (78.8 percent) … Finished third in the league with an average of 7.1 rebounds per game, as his 178 defensive boards also ranked third in the Big Ten … Was fourth in the conference with 58 steals and eighth with 131 assists … Led the team in scoring in 20 of the 33 games he started.

As a true freshman, Turner appeared in 37 games … Scored 313 points (8.5 points per game), as he hit on 47.0 percent of his field goals (109-of-232) that included 23-of-69 from three-point range (33.3 percent) … Also successful on 72-of-103 free throws … Recorded 164 rebounds (4.4 rebounds per game), as he amassed 98 assists (2.6 assists per game) to go with 47 steals (1.3 steals per game) and 19 blocked shots.

Turner was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week 10 times over his career, including the first three weeks and seven total on the 2009-10 season, surpassing Ohio State's Jim Jackson (seven) and Purdue's Glenn Robinson (seven) for league career POW honors … The seven awards this season also breaks Robinson's record of five in a single campaign … Became only the second Big Ten player to earn three consecutive player of the week honors, joining Purdue's Carl Landry (2008-2009) … Ranks 15th in school history in scoring with 1,517 points and his 632 points scored in 2009-10 were the most by a Buckeye in a season since Jim Jackson tallied 718 in 1991-92 … Ranked 13th in school history with 682 rebounds and is just the eleventh player in school annals to record over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career … Collected 159 steals for OSU, the third-best total by a Buckeye performer behind Jay Burson (204, 1986-89) and Dennis Hopson (164, 1984-87) … Ranks seventh in school history with 414 assists and his 11 assists vs. Lipscomb in 2009 is tied for fourth on Ohio State's game-record chart … Closed out his junior campaign with 185 assists, fourth on OSU's season-record list.

Attended St. Joseph's (Chicago, Ill.) High School … Two-year starter, as he amassed a personal best 25 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals per game as a senior … That year, his team was listed second to present Chicago Bull, Derrick Rose's Simeon Career Academy in the preseason Chicago Tribune's area high school basketball team rankings … Named to the first-team Associated Press 2006-07 Class AA all-state team, a day before Rose's Simeon eliminated Turner's St. Joseph in the Illinois Class AA super sectional … The St. Joseph's product finished third to Rose in the Illinois Mr. Basketball voting … During his junior campaign, Turner averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists … Also instrumental in helping the Chargers win regional and sectional championships, earning first-team All-State and All-City honors … Garnered East Suburban Catholic Conference MVP accolades and was named the Suburban Life Player of the Year that season … As a prep sophomore, he helped lead St. Joseph's to a run in the Illinois AA Boys High School basketball tournament, which helped him get the attention of NCAA Division I basketball coaches.

Pre-Family Resource Management major … Son of Iris and James Turner … Born 10/28/88 …

Resides in Chicago, Illinois.