FINDLAY — A decade has passed since Aaron Craft played his last basketball game at Ohio State. But it hasn’t lessened his popularity with legions of fans.
The Findlay native and Liberty-Benton graduate remains one of the most-liked players in program history thanks to a tenacity, effort level, and winner’s mentality that carried the Buckeyes through four seasons of enormous success.
Craft’s career coincided with the golden age of modern Ohio State basketball, a 10-year stretch when head coach Thad Matta made winters relevant in Columbus. Craft’s teams won two Big Ten championships, two conference tournaments, and advanced to the 2012 Final Four.
He nearly made the roster of the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, spending the season with their G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, where he was named the league’s defensive player of the year while guiding them to a championship. Craft also played professionally in Hungary, Italy, Monaco, and Montenegro. In 2019, he helped lead Carmen’s Crew, a team of mostly Ohio State alums, to the TBT title.
The former point guard is now 32 and married with two young kids. But Craft’s boyish looks remain. The Blade recently caught up with the soon-to-be ear, nose, and throat doctor at the Buckeye Legends Golf Classic at Hillcrest Golf Club in Findlay.
The Blade: Are you still in medical school?
Craft: I have around seven months left. I’ll graduate in May. The big milestones for me, I’ll send my residency application out in about a month. Hopefully, I’ll interview in December and January, and then, fingers crossed, match somewhere in March.
The Blade: Why ear, nose, and throat?
Craft: I fell in love with the anatomy of the head and neck. There’s just a lot of important structures, attention to detail, the centimeters matter kind of thing. I think that’s feeding my athlete background a little bit, my competitive side. And more personally, both of my children had some run-ins with ENTs. My daughter wasn’t talking at 1. We went to an ENT and found out she had some fluid behind her ears so she couldn’t hear. They put in ear tubes, which is a 10-minute procedure. A month later she was talking and mimicking everything. Going through that with her continued to push me in that direction.
The Blade: What’s it been like being back at Ohio State these last few years, and not being the basketball player Aaron Craft?
Craft: It’s been fun. You forget the campus and Ohio State in general, how great an institution it is. It’s a great environment and great atmosphere to be a part of. I’ve loved being in the same time zone to watch the sporting events, especially the basketball games. Overseas, it’s very rare to watch them. It’s been fun to be around the program and see the guys and the coaching staff.
The Blade: Are you still recognized at Ohio State and in Columbus?
Craft: In the hospital, it happens probably a little more. I think there are people who have longer tenures at OSU, so they were around when I was in school. Those are really fun interactions. With patients, it’s hit or miss. Sometimes I have a mask on and I’m dressed in nicer clothes. I tend to blend in, but my name tag gives me away. Interactions with fans are awesome.
The Blade: A lot has changed in college sports since you’ve been out. Does it seem unrecognizable to you?
Craft: A little bit. One of the greatest things that I experienced while I was in school was the fraternity and the brotherhood that was playing at Ohio State. That really was created because people were staying at the same school. That’s just a little different now. But I think coach [Chris] Holtmann has done a great job of recruiting really good guys and really good people, so when I go to the gym now, even though I may not know everyone by name, it’s very easy to start getting to know them. They all really appreciate what Ohio State is and what it has to offer. But it’s definitely a different animal, and I’m glad I’m not coaching college right now.
The Blade: You would’ve been an NIL star. Do you ever wish that would’ve been a thing? What are your thoughts on how it’s progressed?
Craft: It makes sense that athletes are able to capitalize on their image. It is a business. It’s a lot harder to say that college athletes can’t with the amount of money that coaches are making. I understand the purpose of it. I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t think about what it would’ve been like when I was in school. The greatest part about it would’ve been to see who you could partner with and see what kind of causes you could get behind. But honestly, I would go back and play with the rules how they were when I played in a heartbeat. The best part of college basketball is the memories you make with the team and playing in big games.
The Blade: You were this incredibly popular player. It was the golden age of modern Ohio State basketball. When you look back, how fondly do you remember that time in your life?
Craft: I definitely appreciate it now more than going through it. I was so fortunate coming in with guys like Jon [Diebler], they had already established something that was pretty great. Unfortunately, you think it’s normal. Then you leave and talk to other people and you realize it was a really uncommon thing to be a part of. Looking back, it’s a lot of fun. We got to play in a lot of big games. We played against great, great players, especially at the guard position in the Big Ten. It was insane. Those are great memories and great things to talk about with fans.
First Published August 27, 2023, 2:30 p.m.
