Ohio State basketball team fighting Michigan for transfer recruit

The Ohio State basketball program has had a lot of work to do in the transfer portal. Every team goes through this following every season, so it’s not entirely unexpected. The Buckeyes have had five players leave for the portal this offseason. With Ohio State making the move to fire Chris Holtmann midseason, this isn’t surprising.

Two starters decided to leave via the portal. Roddy Gayle left for Michigan while Felix Okpara decided to enter the portal after initially saying he was staying put. Ohio State has brought in three guys to replace the ones who have left. They grabbed Aaron Bradshaw from Kentucky, Micah Parrish from San Deigo State, and brought back Meechie Johnson from South Carolina. They aren’t done.

Ohio State basketball team is trying to land Trey Townsend

Trey Townsend, the forward from Oakland, is Ohio State’s next target. He played a big part in the Golden Grizzlies’ upset over Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 17.3 points and 8.1 rebounds a game last season. Townsend also shot 45.5% from the floor and 37.5% from three last season.

According to various reports, Townsend is down to three schools. He has Ohio State, Michigan, and Arizona as his final three. Townsend decided to cancel a visit he had scheduled with Michigan State, so a commitment should be coming shortly. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Landing Townsend would be a good sign for the Buckeyes. They need wings who can score and that’s exactly what he does. He also offers them some switchability on the defensive side of the court. It would also be nice to keep him away from Michigan if possible. The fewer wins that program gets, the better.

Jake Diebler has had a pretty solid offseason so far as a first-time head coach. Let’s see if he can keep that rolling by bringing in Townsend.