Ohio State Buckeyes' Guard Scotty Middleton Enters Transfer Portal

The Ohio State Buckeyes lose yet another guard to the portal.

Mar 3, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Scotty Middleton (0) dribbles the ball / Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes lost a second player to the transfer portal Monday.

Ohio State guard Scotty Middleton announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, he is leaving the program after one season:

Ephesians 2:8#LLDON pic.twitter.com/7lnfaj3Dj8

— Scotty Middleton (@ScottyMiddleto9) April 1, 2024

Middleton, who played more than half the season under former head coach Chris Holtmann before interim Jake Diebler took over, thanked the Ohio State community for his one season.

"I will cherish the memories and relationships I've built forever. I have decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal and go through the NBA Draft process while maintaining my college [eligibility]," Middleton said.

The announcement comes just three days after sophomore guard Bowen Hardman entered the portal, making Middleton the second Buckeye to transfer this offseason.

Middleton attended Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas, before being recruited by Diebler to the Buckeyes. The former 4-star recruit received offers to stay in the state to play at Kansas State and Kansas coming out of high school; he also was offered to play at reigning national champion UConn, Michigan State, Texas A&M, and Nebraska before choosing Ohio State.

The freshman guard played 30 games this season, missing one due to a suspension due to a violation of team rules, two due to nursing a foot injury, and all three of the Buckeyes' NIT games dealing with a family situation.

In those 30 games, Middleton averaged 4.4 points on 39.8 percent shooting from the field and 45.2 percent from beyond the arc in 15.3 minutes. Despite those numbers, the Miami, Florida, native was an offensive firestarter down the stretch of the season, finishing 13-20 from beyond the arc and providing Diebler with solid perimeter defense.

However, Middleton looks in his own best interest for the future, as he would have likely continued to play behind the sophomore backcourt of Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr., as well as incoming Ohio Mr. Basketball guard Colin White.