Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Ohio State (Projected: 6th in B1G)
It’s a new era for Ohio State basketball, as Jake Diebler takes over the program after a successful 8-3 stint as interim head coach to end last season. An in-program hire, Diebler was able to retain a handful of players while also adding to the roster in the transfer portal. The Buckeyes should have the talent to compete at the top of the Big Ten in year one under Diebler.
Six players return to the program after the departure of Chris Holtmann, including three players heavily involved in the rotation last season. Bruce Thornton (16 ppg, 4 rpg, 5 apg) is the headline returner, returning after a standout sophomore campaign. Thornton does a bit of everything at point guard, a three-level scorer and great playmaker. With Thornton back, the Buckeyes have a clear leader in the backcourt, something necessary for a deep tournament run.
Devin Royal (5 ppg) should be another impact returner for the Buckeyes, coming back after a strong finish to his freshman season. Even at just 6-6, Royal’s big frame allows him to compete at the four in the Big Ten, and with another offseason under his belt could be ready for a breakout year. Evan Mahaffey (4 ppg, 4 rpg) will be another guy who can help out at the three or the four, starting 35 games last season as a sophomore for the Buckeyes. Bench forwards Austin Parks (1 rpg) and Kalen Etzler (1 ppg) will also return, looking for more minutes with another year under their belts. Taison Chatman (1 ppg) is the final returner for the Buckeyes but will miss all of 2024-25 due to injury.
Seven players followed Chris Holtmann out the door this offseason. In the frontcourt, the Buckeyes lost Jamison Battle (15 ppg, 5 rpg), Zed Key (7 ppg, 4 rpg), and Felix Okpara (6 ppg, 6 rpg). In the backcourt, the Buckeyes lost Roddy Gayle Jr. (14 ppg, 5 rpg), Dale Bonner (5 ppg), Scotty Middleton (4 ppg), and Bowen Hardman (2 ppg).
Jake Diebler made sure to use the transfer portal to recoup from a handful of key players and did a great job landing high-major talents. The pair of incoming sophomore forwards, Aaron Bradshaw (5 ppg at Kentucky) and Sean Stewart (3 ppg at Duke), both have a year of high-major basketball under their belt and should slide into the frontcourt rotation. Standing at 7-1, Bradshaw is very athletic for his height and should give the Buckeyes’ frontcourt a boost on both ends. Sean Stewart is another athletic guy for the frontcourt, showing off his elite rebounding ability during his freshman year at Duke.
Three guards transfer in as well, perhaps none more exciting than former Ohio State guard and South Carolina transfer Meechie Johnson (14 ppg, 4 rpg at South Carolina). Johnson spent his first two seasons at Ohio State but struggled to see many minutes and wound up at South Carolina. There, he broke out as a star for the Gamecocks, averaging 12+ ppg in each of two seasons. Johnson’s return lines him up to start next to Thornton in the backcourt, creating one of the more dynamic backcourts in the country. Micah Parrish (9 ppg, 4 rpg at San Diego State) will be another important player in the Buckeyes’ backcourt, providing a defensive presence that can cover the gaps left by Thornton and Johnson. Ques Glover (15 ppg at Samford in 2022-23) is the final transfer portal addition by Diebler, joining the Buckeyes after spending a year out due to injury at Kansas State. Glover didn’t see many minutes during two years at Florida but looks ready to make an impact at the power conference level after two years of elite scoring numbers at Samford, provided the injury didn’t set him back.
Three high school recruits round out Jake Diebler’s first roster as head coach at Ohio State. John Mobley (4*, NAT 53) is the big one, an elite ranged shooter that will provide another scoring spark in the backcourt next to Thornton, Johnson, and Glover. Colin White (3*, NAT 136) could give the Buckeyes more depth on the wing during his freshman season as an all-around player. Ivan Njegovan (Croatia) was the final addition to the Buckeyes’ roster, coming across the Atlantic after impressing at the U20 European Championships this summer for Croatia.
Jake Diebler has a lot to prove to people going into his first year as the head coach at Ohio State, even after he engineered a great late season turnaround from the Buckeyes. In my eyes, I’ll always respect a school keeping the head coaching hire within the program, but after a couple of disappointing years from Christ Holtmann, how much will really change under his former assistant. This is where Diebler, a first-year head coach will have to answer the call, especially with a roster talented enough to compete at the top of the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes’ backcourt could be one of the most exciting in the country this offseason, full of talented scorers and veteran guys. With Meechie Johnson and Bruce Thornton next to each other, there should be no doubt about this team’s offensive firepower. The guy I’ve picked to be the X-factor for this team is Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw. The entire Buckeyes’ frontcourt this season will be young, and I think the most important guy in it will be the one that competed at the highest level last season. If Bradshaw can step into a bigger role at Ohio State and help mold the guys around him, this frontcourt could match the backcourt in excitement.
The Big Ten is insanely even across the board in my eyes, and maybe even more so with the conference’s top seven teams. I think the Buckeyes’ biggest question marks will be the inexperienced frontcourt and their first-year head coach Jake Diebler. There’s no doubt in my mind this team doesn’t have the talent to compete, but the sustainability over a full season could be questionable. I’ve got the Buckeyes to finish 6th in the Big Ten this season, right around Illinois, UCLA, and Michigan State.