The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Chardon’s Sulka will play at Muskingum
The News-Herald area’s leading scorer and a finalist for the first Clark Kellogg Award made his college decision.
Chardon forward Alex Sulka is headed to Muskingum.
When Sulka took a visit to the campus, he sent his highlight tape to the Fighting Muskies’ coaching staff. As he forged relationships with head coach Travis Schwab and his staff, Sulka liked the basketball program as well as the school’s size and distance from home.
“Everyone at Muskingum has a fantastic attitude, and the vibe I got was everyone treats each other with respect down there,” Sulka said. “The team and the coaching staff seemed very caring to me and unselfish, which immediately gave me a good feeling about the school. The campus isn’t too big, and that’s a bonus for me because I didn’t want to go to an overcrowded school.”
Sulka finished the 201718 regular season as the area’s leading scorer at 27.8 points per game. He averaged a double-double and his 10.1 rebounds per game were the area’s fourth-best average.
Sulka concluded his high school career with one of Ohio’s finest senior seasons. He set the Chardon single-game scoring record with a 45-point performance against Madison Jan. 20, a feat followed by his 41-point game in Chardon’s next contest Jan. 26.
Sulka cemented his place in Ohio basketball history Feb. 6 when he scored 51 points against North.
After Sulka averaged 20.7 points per game as a junior, he scored 32 points in the Hilltoppers’ season-opener against West Geauga to surpass the 1,000-point plateau. A month later, he became Chardon’s alltime leading scorer with a 25-point game in the Hilltoppers’ win against Hawken on Jan. 13.
Sulka departs Chardon as the Hilltoppers’ all-time leading scorer with 1,635 points.
He earned first team AllDistrict distinction and was a Division II third team AllOhio selection.
Sulka’s ultimate college choice came down to Muskingum and John Carroll. Between Sulka’s relationship with the Fighting Muskies coaches and his desire to attend school farther from home, Sulka found a fit at Muskingum.
“Both the assistant coach and head coach at Muskingum were fantastic,” Sulka said, “and the head coach Travis Schwab felt I could be a small piece they are missing in order to win some more games and possibly even get a tournament bid in the near future.”
Muskingum is located in eastern Ohio, 70 miles east of Columbus. The Fighting Muskies compete in Division III in the Ohio Athletic Conference. They were 9-16 last season.
Sulka profiles as a wing at the college level. He played on the interior for coach Chad Murawski where he overpowered smaller players, and was able to take bulkier, slower defenders out to the perimeter to beat them off the dribble. Although most of his scoring came from inside the paint or at the freethrow line, Sulka’s shooting stroke is sound and he is a reliable 3-point shooter.
At Chardon, Sulka helped transform the Hilltoppers program.
After Chardon finished with a losing record during his freshman and sophomore seasons, the Hilltoppers went .500 in his junior year and won 14 games his senior season. Lessons imparted from his winning experience and relationships with teammates will carry forth to college.
“Hating the feeling of losing more than loving the feeling of winning,” Sulka said. “Being able to be more of a leader than I was in high school. I’ve never been a vocal leader, but I try to be when I can. Also there’s so much respect between the teammates at Chardon and I know I’ll carry that to the next level.”