The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team had a pretty disappointing performance during the 2022-23 season, finishing second-to-last in the Big Ten and missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time under head coach Chris Holtmann. But it looks like the Buckeyes are getting a major boost from the transfer portal.
On Thursday afternoon, Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Jamison Battle announced on his Instagram page that he will be transferring to Ohio State to continue his basketball career with the Buckeyes.
Battle will provide the Buckeyes with some much-needed offensive production and he’s also a threat on the boards, as well. The 6-foot-7 forward led the Gophers with 17.5 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game during his first season with the team in 2021-22. He’s also a strong three-point shooter, knocking down 36.6% of his 3-point attempts and averaging more than seven three-point attempts per game that season.
Battle’s production dipped a little bit this past season, scoring just 12.4 points per game with an average of 3.8 rebounds, but he also dealt with injuries throughout the season that kept him out of four games.
It’s a big pickup for Holtmann and the Buckeyes, and the sports world had plenty to say about it.
6-7 Forward/15 pts game https://t.co/lABPAuOShn
— Clay Hall (@claywsyx6) April 6, 2023
Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle has committed to your Ohio State Buckeyes!! #GoBucks
Averaged 12.4 points this season and 17.5 points last season. He spent the first two seasons of his career at George Washington where he averaged 17.3.
pic.twitter.com/uR4DvDNVDc— The Ohio State Hoops Insider (@OSUHoopsInsider) April 6, 2023
We’ll have to see how Battle performs at his new school.