His old coach "invested in us kids."
"I'm forever grateful," Sutton said. "That man did so much for us. It was like teaching you life through basketball. It wasn't just about basketball. It was about life."
His appreciation of the game led him to coach inner-city youth basketball for years.
When his older son, Dorian, was bullied in high school, Sutton drew from that experience and his coaching background to start a youth mentoring and anti-bullying program. He held sessions in Columbus city schools and even made a few appearances on local news broadcasts, teaming up for a time with Cabot Rea, a now-retired anchor with WCMH-TV (Channel 4), who had started a Battle Against Bullying effort.