Team manager earns spot on the floor with top-ranked Buckeyes
By Brent Glasgow
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon, Ind.)
AVON, Ind. ? While ?Rudy? has found a place as America?s feel-good story about a man achieving an improbable athletic dream, filmmakers may one day want to take a look at the ongoing story of former Brownsburg High School standout Mark Titus.
In a matter of a few weeks in his first semester at Ohio State University, Titus has gone from student, to basketball team manager, to earning a roster spot on the No. 1 team in the country.
?It?s been unbelievable,? Titus said. ?I?m just now starting to get over the awe of everything ? walking into the gym and looking around at all of the banners ? and just starting to play basketball. It?s been a wild ride and a lot of fun.?
While he didn?t have to toil in a steel mill for years and go through junior college like Dan Ruettiger, Titus? tale is compelling nonetheless.
The former Bulldog left Brownsburg eighth on the school?s all-time scoring list and was selected to play in a couple of all-star games, including the ?Hoosiers? ceremonial event in Knightstown. While he wanted to play basketball in college, the right fit just wasn?t there.
?Some of the schools that were interested in me, I wasn?t interested in them, and the ones I was interested in weren?t interested in me,? Titus said. ?It was kind of a mismatched thing. I didn?t want it to turn into me going to a school just to play basketball ? where I?m not happy and feel trapped. I wanted to make sure I picked a school that I liked.?
An honors student, Titus said he has always taken academics more seriously than athletics. When Ohio State came to him with a substantial amount of academic aid, the choice was made and his playing career seemingly ended.
Sweetening the deal in Columbus, Titus thought it would be fun to watch long-time friends Greg Oden and Mike Conley ? part of the Buckeyes? top-rated recruiting class ? first-hand. He said they?ve all known one another and played together in AAU ball since junior high.
Accepting that his playing days were history, Titus worked full-time during the summer at Clarian Hospital, playing just a few times in pickup games. But when he got to Columbus in late September, he realized he still had a jones for hoops. Subsequently, he paid a visit to Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and became one of the team?s 13 student managers, fulfilling such tasks as keeping water bottles full, filming practices, and taking stats. But because of his skill, he ran through drills and jumped in on scout team duty when called upon. He also took advantage of the team?s facilities, working out on his own after players had hit the showers.
?I wasn?t getting the fix I needed,? Titus said. ?Maybe if I hadn?t even been around it, I might?ve accepted it and moved on. But when I got a taste of it, I wanted more.?
Titus approached Matta about possibly walking on because he felt he could help the Buckeyes, who were short on manpower. Because Matta had seen him play in the AAU circuit while recruiting Oden and Conley, the coach knew what he had in Titus and promptly called to tell him he?d soon be wearing his familiar No. 34.
?When we?re looking to add players to our team, the No. 1 thing I?m looking at is who they are as a person, and Mark is an incredible young man,? Matta said. ?He?s an incredible student, he?s very focused in what he wants out of his time at Ohio State academically, and we were happy with what he brought to the table every day for us.?
While team workouts began Oct. 13, Titus practiced for the first time on Nov. 9. He played the very next night in Ohio State?s 107-69 season-opening win over VMI, hitting two free throws and pulling down a rebound in three minutes of action.
?I wasn?t in shape, and to be thrown out there the first week of practice was pretty tough,? Titus said. ?I wasn?t in shape to play top-notch Division I basketball. I was joking that first week that I wasn?t in shape to play high school basketball. But I?ve adjusted so far and I?m doing all right now.?
Titus has seen the floor in all but one game going into last night?s contest with No. 6 North Carolina. His highlight so far was a three-pointer in the closing minute of last Friday?s 91-57 victory over Youngstown State ? a shot that drew smiles from Titus and the rest of his teammates.
Matta said, ?I know Mark was very excited when I called him and said, ?Hey, we need you.? We?re grateful for his efforts and contribution. The guys have great respect and admiration for the job that he does for us, and he?s such a likable guy and a great teammate that they?re really happy for him when he gets that opportunity (to play).?
Though he has become more accustomed to his good fortune, Titus is still taken aback when he steps on the hardwood in the Buckeyes? scarlet and gray. The week before getting the call from Matta, he said he was lying on his parents? couch in Brownsburg watching NFL games. The next week, he was living a dream.
?I was planning on coming back for a visit again the next week,? Titus said. ?My mom asked if I needed to take everything and I said, ?No, I?ll be back next week, I?ll get it then.? Then I get put on the team, I?m playing in a game ? it was a whirlwind. I honestly found myself at halftime not believing what was going on. It felt like a dream come true.?
Titus, a math major focusing on pre-med with the goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon, is taking 17 credit hours this semester and 19 next.
?Just to be involved at all ? I have a front-row seat to one of the best shows in the country, the atmosphere is amazing,? Titus said. ?It?s a time crunch, but I?ve accepted it. You don?t get an opportunity to be a part of something like this and turn it down.?
Brent Glasgow writes for the Hendricks County Flyer in Avon, Ind.
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