During the 2006-2007 the Ohio State Buckeyes garnered a lot of attention due to the recruiting of the Thad 5. The Thad 5 consisted of Daequan Cook, Othello Hunter, David Lighty, Greg Oden, and Mike Conley Jr. All members of the Thad 5 made it to the NBA in some capacity, which is a rare feat for a recruiting class. With having the best recruiting class in the country the Bucks had a bulls-eye on them prior to the season starting.
Despite all of the attention that the Thad 5 received the Buckeyes had a few quality upper class men that made the team gel. One of those players was Ron Lewis out of Columbus, Ohio. Lewis was a big time player when the game mattered the most. Lewis played with a chip on his shoulder due to being over looked. Being that it he was coming off of a stellar junior season, and going into his senior year some expected big things of him.
In the early part of the season Lewis refreshened fans memories as he went to Chapel Hill and dropped a 30 point game against the North Carolina. The Buckeyes did lose the game, but it left fans wondering how great this team could be when Oden retuned from injury. A few games later Oden returned and the rest was history. Even with Oden & Co in the fold the go to guy when the Buckeyes needed a bucket or a big play was Ron Lewis.
During that season Lewis altered his game as Oden and the rest of the Buckeyes improved. One game that sticks out vividly was senior day against Wisconsin. The game was a slugfest and the Buckeyes seeked revenge after losing in Madison earlier in the season. During that game Lewis possibly had the best defensive game of his career. Lewis helped hold All-American Alando Tucker to 12 points and had the game winning block of the game against Kam Taylor. It was a testament to show Lewis was willing to take on any role to help his team, and it also showed that he can be clutch at any given moment. As the games went on Lewis became more of a clutch performer, and that carried on in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to chat with Ron Lewis about the memories of March Madness.
RH: What are your fondest March Madness Memories during your senior year at OSU?
RL: “My greatest memories all come from on the court, just different situation and scenarios in the game. Xavier game being down 9 with 1min to go in the game and me tying the game up to send it to overtime.
Also playing Tennessee in the sweet 16 and being down 20 wit 15mins left in the game and coming back to win. And last but not least just making it to the championship game and having all my family there to support me.
Wonderful experience because you never know what can happen.”
We would like to thank Ron Lewis for sharing his March Madness memories. Follow Ron Lewis on Twitter @Lew_100 to keep with up his basketball endeavors overseas. Go Bucks!
