Everyone knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and analyzing the most (and least) important issues in the world of sports with your friends. So we invite you to share that in the pages of LGHL with our favorite face-to-face column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take a stand on an issue and passionately defend their opinions. In the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s crazy.
This week’s topic: What type of player should the Ohio State men’s basketball team target in the transfer portal?
Josh’s Point of View
Just when we thought the Ohio State With the men’s basketball roster nearly set or complete, the transfer portal has scooped up yet another Buckeye. Weeks after declaring he was 100 percent committed to OSU, Felix Okpara announced Sunday morning that he had changed his mind and was entering the portal, joining Roddy Gayle, Scotty Middleton, Zed Key and Bowen Hardman as part of a Scarlet and Gray exodus.
Okpara’s departure opens up a new roster spot for Ohio State and leaves just one member of the team’s acclaimed 2022 recruiting class. Bruce Thornton is the last man standing, as long as he stays in Columbus. But at this point, nothing would surprise me. NCAA basketball is just AAU now, and I for one hate it. I absolutely hate it with every fiber of my being. Good job, NCAA! You brought college sports to its knees and created a club environment/system with no rules… Awesome.
But while we’re at it, let’s talk about the status of Jake Diebler’s roster. The Buckeyes now have two open roster spots. And fortunately, there are still plenty of quality players available (in the portal). However, not all of those players are a perfect fit for/at OSU.
Diebler’s team is loaded with point guards, most of whom are in the small combo category. It’s not ideal, but it’s good. I’m happy to play with Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Taison Chatman and new recruit Juni Mobley. On the wing, Devin Royal, Evan Mahaffey and Micah Parrish offer scoring, defense and pass rushing, respectively. And Aaron Bradshaw is a top-tier big man. But beyond that, there are some glaring weaknesses and very specific holes in/on the roster that Ohio State needs to look to fill.
So what are these weaknesses, and who exactly will fill these gaps? Sorry, this has gotten awkward… But anyway, I’m glad you asked. Because Gene and I are here to answer in today’s edition of You are crazy.
In my opinion, the Buckeyes really need a big who can also shoot. I’m not talking about Kristaps Porzingis per se, but someone who can at least competently defend opposing forwards and/or centers, grab a handful of rebounds, and then score a shot or two outside the paint. These guys don’t grow on trees—and Ohio State hasn’t had this archetype since Kaleb Wesson—but they do exist. Even more so now, as modern basketball continues to evolve into a game of speed and space.
A big player who can shoot would be a “best of both worlds” deal for OSU, providing not one, but two things the team currently lacks: size and long-range shooting, as if my archetype description wasn’t obvious enough.
Bradshaw is the only “contributor” over 6-foot-6 for the Buckeyes, which screams rebound margin —and not in a good way for our beloved Scarlet and Gray. That essentially locks him (Bradshaw) into the center spot, with Austin Parks as the only backup currently available. Parks was a coveted center recruit coming out of high school, but only played 20 minutes as a freshman.
If Bradshaw and Parks were to both succumb to foul trouble or injury, who would Ohio State deploy at center? Mahaffey? Good luck against the next Zach Edey. So yes, size is a major need. No pun intended.
When it comes to shooting, OSU doesn’t have many snipers on its current roster. The departure of Jamison Battle leaves Thornton as the team’s most “efficient” outside shooter, and he made (just) 33.3 percent of his three-point attempts last season. Johnson and Parrish can make a few three-pointers here and there, but both are largely ineffective from distance. So where exactly did the three-point shot come from? This isn’t 1984 anymore, three or four three-pointers aren’t going to cut it.
Luckily, there is at least one player who fits the description of the “stretch four” perfectly. And he recently visited Ohio State! His name is Sam Walters, and he would be THE perfect fit for Diebler and company.
Walters was a top-100 player in the 2023 recruiting class who committed to Alabama over Florida, LSU, and several other P5 programs. He went on to play 37 games for the Tide, contributing 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in just over 12 minutes (played) per game. Not bad for a true freshman playing on/for a Final Four team. But I’m afraid I’m not burying the lead here…
Not only did Walters play a role for Bama, but he’s also 6’2″ and has a great shot! Which means he’s exactly what the Buckeyes are and have been missing. And we have a real sample size to evaluate, too. Because Walters attempted 99 three-pointers, making 39 of them. That’s right, guys. He also made 82.5 percent of his free throws, just for good measure.
Walters’ size and shooting prowess are/would be such a perfect fit for OSU. He could slot in perfectly at the four, flanked by Bradshaw and Royal, giving the Buckeyes one of the most talented forward lines in the Big Ten. And that’s before we even get to basketball’s holy triumvirate of Thornton, Johnson, and Chatman. I know I’m probably exaggerating a bit, but you get the point.
Ohio State lacks size and shooting, and Sam Walters checks both boxes. So make it happen, Diebs. I need to know that the Buckeyes aren’t going into next season with Evan Mahaffey as the big backup and Meechie Johnson as the sniper the team relies on… No offense to either of us. But go get Sam I Am!
Gene’s Point of View
Without even knowing what direction Josh was going to go in today’s edition of You’re Nuts, I had written in our LGHL Slack group last night that I was very intrigued by Walters after seeing that he was on campus last weekend. A 6-foot-10 sharpshooter is definitely appealing, especially considering Ohio State lost five of its top six three-point shooters from last season and only has two scholarship players listed over 6-foot-6 — not including Kentucky’s new 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw.
However, since the Buckeyes now have two spots to fill with Okpara in the portal, for the purposes of this exercise, I’m going to pretend that Josh’s selection of Walters takes one of the two spots. There’s certainly no guarantee that the Alabama transfer will ultimately choose Ohio State, but for my part of You’re Nuts, I’ll pretend that Walters is there, filling both the three-point shooting and size needs.
With that in mind, it opens the door for me to go in a variety of directions to fill that last roster spot. I’d definitely like to go after another three-point shooter, even if Walters is in the mix, because Diebler’s group has lost virtually all of its ability to stretch the floor. That was somewhat addressed with Micah Parrish, who shot over 35 percent from three-point range in 2021 and 2022, but his three-point shooting dropped to 29.2 percent last season. Respectable numbers, but certainly not the 43-plus percent from three-point range of guys like Battle and Middleton.
Tucker Anderson and Kasean Pryor are two interesting options still on the table, while Jalen Sullinger — son of JJ, nephew of Jared — is also still on the roster, but apparently without much interest from Ohio State. There’s also of course Trey Townsend, who at this point seems like the most likely candidate of all the remaining players in the transfer portal — Walters included.
Anderson, a freshman at Central Arkansas, averaged 14.5 points per game last season while shooting over 38 percent from three-point range. The 6-foot-10 forward was named ASUN Rookie of the Year, led the Bears in scoring and has three years of eligibility remaining. Pryor, meanwhile, is coming off his junior season at South Florida after two years at Boise State. A 6-foot-10 forward, Pryor averaged 13 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting over 35 percent from three-point range.
That being said, while the prospect of adding another prolific three-point shooter is enticing, I’m leaning toward the best overall candidate in my opinion: Oakland’s Trey Townsend.
Townsend makes up for his lack of shooting in nearly every other aspect of his game. The 2.08-meter wing led the Grizzlies last season in points and rebounds with 17.1 and 8.1, respectively. Townsend also posted team-bests in assists (3.1 per game) and steals (1.3), both good enough to earn him Horizon League Player of the Year honors. Townsend was even better when the lights were bright, posting double-doubles in each of Oakland’s NCAA Tournament games, including a 30-point, 13-rebound performance in a tough loss to NC State.
While Townsend doesn’t take many three-pointers, he has made over 37 percent of his attempts in each of the last two seasons. Perhaps what has impressed the Oxford, Michigan, native most has been his consistency. A starter in nearly 130 games over four seasons in Oakland, Townsend has shot 50 percent from the floor and is averaging 14.1 points per game. He would bring a ton of experience and leadership to an Ohio State team that will be largely comprised of freshmen.
After an official visit to Ohio State last weekend, rumors swirled that Townsend had canceled his planned visit to Louisville. With Diebler and former teammate Parrish both pushing for Townsend to come to Columbus, it seems like there’s a good chance the talented forward ends up in red and gray.
