Scarlet Sunrise: Guard Rikki Harris puts name in transfer portal after five years at Ohio State

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Guard Rikki Harris puts name in transfer portal after five years at Ohio State

Rikki Harris became the third Ohio State women’s basketball player to enter the transfer portal this offseason, joining redshirt sophomore guard Emma Shumate and freshman guard Diana Collins.

Harris spent five years with the Buckeyes, including four as a go-to backcourt bench option for head coach Kevin McGuff.

“These last five years have been nothing less than a dream come true,” Harris said in a statement posted to social media. “Everything we have accomplished as a team and program will be held close to my heart and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to be a Buckeye.

“With that being said, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. Closing a chapter is never easy, but with this being my final year of eligibility, my goal is to have the opportunity to play at my fullest potential.”

After receiving a medical redshirt in 2019-20, the Indianapolis native went on to play in 117 games at Ohio State, starting 39 of them between 2020-23. Harris saw her most action in her redshirt sophomore and redshirt junior seasons. She averaged north of 25 minutes per game in both of those seasons, most notably scoring 7.1 points per game during the 2021-22 campaign.

She also averaged 6.6 points per game the following year as Ohio State made its first run to the Elite Eight since 1993. For the second season in a row, Harris ranked third on the team in 3-pointers, that year knocking down 30 of them.

Harris drilled 25 more triples this time around despite averaging only 17.3 minutes in her fifth and final year with the program, during which she averaged at least one steal per game for the third consecutive season.

With the departure of Harris, a 5-foot-10 guard from North Central High School, the Buckeyes are now down another backcourt option. Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor both graduated, and Shumate and Collins hit the portal as well. On the other hand, Ohio State is bringing back redshirt sophomore Kennedy Cambridge, junior Kaia Henderson and sixth-year Madison Greene at the guard position.

Plus, it’s important to note that McGuff and the Buckeyes are welcoming in highly-touted 2024 guards Ava Watson and Jaloni Cambridge this offseason.

Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle Jr. hits transfer portal after breakout season

On the men’s side of things, the Buckeyes took a hit, too. Sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. entered the transfer portal after a breakout season.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard from Niagara Falls, New York, averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 2023-24. As a freshman, he averaged only 4.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in nearly half the minutes (30.9 per game in 2023-24 and 16.3 per game in 2022-23).

Gayle burst onto the scene in last year’s Big Ten Tournament. Then he went on to start 35 games this season and form a dynamic backcourt connection with star point guard and two-time captain Bruce Thornton.

Thornton’s returning for the 2024-25 season, as is center Felix Okpara. Their classmate Gayle, however, is looking elsewhere.

For more on him entering the portal, go here.

Ohio State assistant Brandon Bailey reportedly leaving for DePaul

Another Ohio State assistant is reportedly following Chris Holtmann to DePaul. Brandon Bailey is taking a job with the former Buckeyes head coach, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Holtmann hired Bailey ahead of the 2023-24 season to help improve the Ohio State defense, along with fellow defensive assistant Jack Owens.

Owens joined Holtmann at DePaul prior to the Buckeyes’ starting up NIT play.

Bailey is from Chicago and is a DePaul alum who began his coaching career with the Blue Demons.

For more on his reported departure, head on over here.

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