COLUMBUS — Attrition was always on the table for the Ohio State men’s basketball team after it made a coaching change in the middle of the season, and now it’s lost its first significant piece.
Scotty Middleton was among the multiple reasons why the Buckeyes were excited about their 2023 recruiting class, as he was the No. 50 player and No. 10 small forward in the nation. He wasn’t going to be asked to be a go-to guy right away but had a chance to have a role off the bench that could grow into more in the coming seasons.
The first year went according to plan. He averaged 4.4 points per game off the bench while shooting 45.2% from 3-point range, though he was in and out the lineup for most of the NIT because of personal issues.
But one year is all he would last in Columbus as OSU transitions from Chris Holtmann — now at DePaul — to having Jake Diebler lead the program. Middleton is the second transfer portal loss this offseason, with Bowen Hardman doing so last week. But the Middleton loss hits harder as a former highly rated player expected to be a significant part of the Buckeyes’ future.
His and Hardman’s departure leaves two open spots on Ohio State’s 2024-25 roster.
