The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team had one scholarship available heading into the 2022-2023 season. Now that spot has been filled with the news that Oklahoma State transfer Isaac Likekele is coming to Columbus.
The 6’5″ guard announced his decision on Twitter Wednesday.
My next chapter.. THE Ohio State University & Team 124⭕️‼️ pic.twitter.com/QcT567e4AI
— B1G IC3💙🏁 (@_Issaaac) May 4, 2022
Likekele, who was a 3-star recruit and the No. 156 player in the class of 2018, averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists in 114 games for the Cowboys over the last four years. This past season, he averaged 7.1 points, 3.4 assists, and 5.5 rebounds, good for fifth on the team in scoring.
Garnering All-Big 12 honorable mention in his sophomore and junior seasons, Likekele is the only player in Oklahoma State history with 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, and 400 assists.
Isaac is the third guard transfer to arrive at Ohio State this offseason, which includes Wright State’s Tanner Holden and West Virginia’s Sean McNeil. They join true freshman Bruce Thornton, who was the only point guard on the Buckeye roster beforehand.
The news that Likekele was trading one OSU for another certainly led to some strong reactions around the college basketball world.
Early prediction on Ohio State's 22-23 starting five:
Isaac Likekele, Sean McNeil, Tanner Holden, Justice Sueing, Zed Key https://t.co/cAQv9BfHXP
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 4, 2022
Raise your hand if you’re happy that Likekele is no longer in the big 12 terrorizing your team! 🙋🏽♂️ https://t.co/UqIc4qpzwC
— GrantTheRecruiter (@GrantKawata) May 4, 2022
Chris Holtmann continues to rebuild his roster https://t.co/PFIOGpa867
— Alex Gleitman (@alexgleitman) May 4, 2022
A big addition for Ohio State men’s basketball. https://t.co/zX4qFI8xR9
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) May 4, 2022
The Buckeyes are coming off a what has been a usual year for them under Chris Holtmann, finishing the regular season 20-12 and losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed. Heading into his sixth year at the helm, Holtmann has to be hoping that arrivals like Likekele will help them get back to the glory days of the Thad Matta era.