Transfer Tracker: Breaking down Ohio State portal activity
COLUMBUS — Ohio State missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016-17 this past season. The Buckeyes started the year 10-3, including 2-0 in Big Ten play, while earning a spot in the AP Top 25 four out of six weeks from Nov. 28 to Jan. 2.
Then came the turning point of the season: head coach Chris Holtmann’s squad lost 14 of its next 15 games, at one point dropping nine in a row, which marked the program’s longest losing streak since 1997-98.
But Ohio State finished on a high note, winning five of its last seven games. That stretch was particularly encouraging for the Buckeyes because most of it came with four freshmen starting, three of whom are expected back in Columbus next season. Ohio State became the lowest seed in Big Ten Tournament history to make the conference semifinals.
Now, the goal is to make a run of that caliber in the NCAA Tournament, something Holtmann has been unable to accomplish at Ohio State. The Buckeyes will be driven by their back-to-back top-15 recruiting classes in 2023-24. But that’s not to say the transfer portal can’t be a difference-maker.
Here’s a rundown of the program’s portal activity this offseason.
Transfer Departures
Sr. G/F Eugene Brown III: Positional versatility earned Eugene Brown III a role, albeit a small one, in the Buckeyes’ rotation most of this past season. He had to carve out a spot for himself after missing the first 11 games with a concussion that he suffered during the preseason. The 6-foot-7, 195-pound wing was ranked the No. 20 shooting guard in the 2020 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, but he also has what Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann refers to as “switch-ability” from three through five. While with the Buckeyes, Brown’s length allowed him to defend smaller guards as well as frontcourt players. That was especially relevant this season when center Zed Key went down with a shoulder sprain against Purdue on Jan. 5. Brown gave it his best shot as a makeshift five and, on occasion, offered Ohio State a scoring lift, contributing five or more points three times in the final nine games of the season. He finished the year averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds while accounting for six 3-pointers, the eighth most on the team.
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Gr. G Tanner Holden: Tanner Holden entered the transfer portal after playing just one season with the Buckeyes. The Wheelersburg, Ohio, native spent the first three years of his career at Wright State. Holden arrived in Columbus last year after leading Wright State to the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22 while averaging a team and career-best 20.1 points per game. The 6-foot-6 guard also averaged north of seven rebounds for the second season in a row. Plus, he attempted 13.6 shots per game, not to mention 7.8 free throws per game. A drop in minutes was expected for Holden at Ohio State, but not such a significant drop that he’d be left out of the Buckeyes’ rotation late in the season. Holden was a “DNP” in eight games last season. As head coach Chris Holtmann’s rotation shrunk, Brown got the edge, and Holden played in just six games from Feb. 2 to March 11. After averaging 13.5 minutes and 3.6 points per game for the Buckeyes, Holden is looking elsewhere for his final season of eligibility.
Transfer Arrivals
Gr. F Jamison Battle (Minnesota): Jamison Battle is coming to Ohio State as a fifth-year grad transfer who spent the first two years of his career at George Washington and the last two years at Minnesota. Battle starred for the Golden Gophers in 2021-22, averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while posting a 36.6% clip from downtown. The All-Big Ten honorable mention’s numbers took a hit this past season, but injuries appear to have played a role in that — Battle missed the first four games of the year after having minor foot surgery, and then he played through back issues toward the end of the season. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward helps the Buckeyes at the wing spot after Brown entered the transfer portal, and Justice Sueing and Brice Sensabaugh declared for the NBA Draft. Battle has logged 2.5 makes per game from beyond the arc in his career. For reference, that’s more than Sensabaugh (1.8) and Sean McNeil (1.7) — Ohio State’s top-two 3-point shooters — averaged this past season.
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Gr. G Dale Bonner (Baylor): Dale Bonner is using his sixth and final year of eligibility at Ohio State, where he’ll join a young Buckeyes backcourt led by soon-to-be sophomores Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. Bonner spent the first three years of his career at Division II Fairmont State. He played two seasons there, leading FSU in scoring, assists and steals in each of them. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard averaged 19.3 minutes, 4.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game for Baylor last season. He shot 44.1% from the field, including 37.2% from long range. Bonner is one of five players in Baylor history with multiple six-plus steal games. He also led the Bears in assists eight times.
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Other players who Buckeyes contacted…
Note: Class years indicate players’ current status, as listed in the On3 transfer portal database, not their status for the 2023-24 season.
So. F Glenn Taylor Jr. (Oregon State): Taylor saw a jump in playing time during his second year at Oregon State, going from 22.3 minutes per game in 2021-22 to 30.1 minutes per game in 2022-23. This past season, the 6-foot-6 forward averaged 11.6 points per game while shooting 43.1% from the field, 30.8% from beyond the arc and 80.1% at the charity stripe. Taylor was visiting Ohio State on April 17, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
So. G Javon Small (East Carolina): Small averaged 15.8 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Pirates last season. He shot only 39.7% from the field, however, and played in just 18 games before suffering a season-ending leg injury.
Sr. G Joe Girard III (Syracuse): Girard was a major contributor each of his four seasons at Syracuse. But his production increased throughout his time with his Orange. He averaged a smidge over 34 minutes per game the last two seasons and notched a career-high 16.4 points per game while making 88 triples in 2022-23.
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*Sr. G El Ellis (Louisville): Ellis was the star on an utterly underwhelming Louisville team that went 4-28 this past season. He averaged 17.7 points per game. Although he also recorded 4.4 assists per game, his turnover count of 3.8 giveaways per game was a bit of an eyesore. The Cardinals were asking a lot of Ellis, though. His usage rate of 29.9% was at least 12 percentage points higher than that of every other Louisville player this past season, according to BartTorvik.
*COMMITTED TO ARKANSAS ON APRIL 17.
*So. G Ishmael Leggett (URI): Leggett practically doubled his scoring average from 2021-22 to 2022-23. He piled up 16.4 points per game for the Rams this past season. But, for the second year in a row, he shot sub-40% from the field. That said, he averaged 4.7 free throws per game and converted 84.5% of his attempts at the charity stripe.
*COMMITTED TO PITT ON APRIL 17.
*R-So. G Khalif Battle (Temple): Another Battle. Khalif is one of the most intriguing guards in the portal this cycle. He’s averaged north of 17 points per game back-to-back seasons for Temple. He’s coming off a year in which he shot 41% from the field, 35% from deep and 89.8% from the free throw line. Battle started his career at Butler yet spent the last three years at Temple.
*COMMITTED TO ARKANSAS ON APRIL 12.
Jr. F Chris Ledlum (Harvard): Ledlum hinted at what he could do in 2021-22, and then he ran with that potential this past season, emerging as a first-team All-Ivy representative to the tune of 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Ledlum registered eight double-doubles along the way.
Fr. G Keyshawn Hall (UNLV): Hall flashed offensive potential at UNLV, but it took him a while to carve out a role. He played in only 18 games this past season and averaged 5.4 points per game. The ball handling and scoring upside is there, however. Plus, at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, he offers unique size at the guard spot.
*C Sr. Jordan Minor (Merrimack): Because Merrimack was in the final year of a four-year transition from Division II to Division I, the Warriors were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, despite winning the NEC Tournament. We were robbed of seeing Minor in The Dance. He has been a staple of Merrimack’s recent success, averaging 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this past season. Minor has posted a plus-50% field goal percentage in three of his four years at the collegiate level.
*COMMITTED TO UVA ON APRIL 13.
*Jr. G DJ Horne (Arizona State): Horne started his career at Illinois State, where he used two years of his eligibility. Then he transferred to Arizona State, where he used two more years. He’s down to his final season, and he’s looking elsewhere as a grad transfer. Horne has averaged double-digit scoring figures each of the last three seasons, during which he’s posted at least 2.1 makes per game from deep.
*COMMITTED TO N.C. STATE ON APRIL 17.
