Big Ten Offseason Evaluation: Ohio State Buckeyes

In our Big Ten Offseason Evaluation series, we’ll break down the roster changes and outlook for all 18 Big Ten basketball teams heading into the 2024-25 season. Next up is Ohio State, which enters its first season with coach Jake Diebler.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler uses pads to defend forward Aaron Bradshaw during a summer workout in the practice gym at the Schottenstein Center. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Ohio State basketball begins a new era in 2024-25 under coach Jake Diebler, who replaced Chris Holtmann in February after a 14-11 start to the season. The Buckeyes had a late-season resurgence with Diebler, going 8-3 down the stretch and reaching the NIT Elite Eight.

Following the season, Ohio State lost five players to the transfer portal but made a few intriguing additions and retained its All-Big Ten point guard, Bruce Thornton. 

Here’s a full breakdown of Ohio State’s offseason roster changes, plus its outlook for the 2024-25 season.

Who they lost

• Transfers: Roddy Gayle Jr. (13.5 ppg, Michigan), Zed Key (6.6 ppg, Dayton), Felix Okpara (6.6 ppg, Tennessee), Scotty Middleton (4.4 ppg, Seton Hall), Bowen Hardman (1.8 ppg, Akron)
• NBA/graduation: Jamison Battle (15.3 ppg), Dale Bonner (4.9 ppg)

Who they gained

• Transfers: Meechie Johnson (14.1 ppg, South Carolina), Micah Parrish (9.3 ppg, San Diego State), Aaron Bradshaw (4.9 ppg, Kentucky), Sean Stewart (2.6 ppg, Duke)
• Freshmen: John Mobley (No. 51 in 247Sports Composite), Colin White (No. 153)

Returning

• Bruce Thornton (15.7 ppg), Devin Royal (4.7 ppg), Evan Mahaffey (4.3 ppg), Taison Chatman (1.0 ppg, out for 2024-25 season with injury), Austin Parks (0.3 ppg), Kalen Etzler

Reasons for optimism

Bruce Thornton will be one of the best point guards in the conference after earning All-Big Ten third-team honors. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.7 points and turned the ball over just 1.2 times per game, which matched the lowest turnover rate of any All-Big Ten guard last season. 

Thornton’s running mate was Roddy Gayle Jr. last season, but he transferred to Michigan and was replaced by South Carolina transfer Meechie Johnson. Averaging 14.1 points per game, Johnson was a major reason why the Gamecocks peaked at No. 11 and made the final eight top-25 polls last year. Johnson and Thornton create a dangerous backcourt duo, especially if they can improve upon their 32.1% and 33.3% 3-point shooting numbers from last season, respectively.

Diebler also landed fifth-year senior Micah Parrish out of the transfer portal from San Diego State. The 6-foot-6 wing was part of the Aztecs’ Final Four run in 2023, and he’ll provide a veteran, defensive-minded presence. Sophomore Devin Royal, also a 6-foot-6 wing, played a bigger role after Diebler took over, and he’s a breakout candidate this year

Biggest concerns

Ohio State’s success depends upon whether transfer big men Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart are ready to contribute at the college level. And that could be a big gamble. Both were highly ranked prospects out of high school, with Bradshaw at No. 4 overall and Stewart at No. 22, but their freshmen seasons did not go well.

At Kentucky, the 7-foot-1 Bradshaw dealt with a preseason foot injury and played just 13.7 minutes per game in 26 appearances. He averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, scoring efficiently inside but struggling at the free throw line and 3-point line. Not many 7-footers can move like Bradshaw, but it remains uncertain if he can put it all together as a Big Ten starter. Stewart committed to Duke out of Montverde Academy, but he played just 8.3 minutes per game in 33 appearances off the bench. He should make a positive impact for Ohio State with defense and rebounding, but his offensive game is a work in progress. 

If Ohio State gets the most out of Bradshaw and Stewart – or even one of them – it has a chance to finish near the top of the Big Ten. But that’s far from a guarantee, and the frontcourt depth isn’t promising, either, after losing Felix Okpara and Zed Key.

The bottom line

Few expected Diebler to become the permanent head coach when he took over as the interim, but he got a struggling team to finish strong and come close to an NCAA Tournament appearance when that looked impossible. Now he has a full offseason to work with his team. Thornton and Johnson will key Ohio State’s success. While Bradshaw, Stewart and Royal have a lot of upside, they haven’t proven much at the college level yet. Yet Ohio State still looks like a team that should finish in the upper half of the Big Ten and reach the NCAA Tournament around a 7-to-10 seed.

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