After losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the Ohio State Buckeyes started to figure out what went wrong. While it was the first time that the Buckeyes had made the NCAA Tournament in four years, Jake Diebler knew that expectations were higher than that.
Since that loss, Diebler has been very active with the roster. He was able to get L.J. Smith to reclassify to this season, so Ohio State will ahve two five-star freshmen on the roster this year. Now, he has added one of the best young players in Europe to round out the roster.
Ohio State basketball team adds Lee Aaliya to the roster
Diebler announced the addition of Aaliya to the roster. Aaliya is 21 years old and is an Argentinian native. Aaliya is a 6'9 forward who has played professional basketball in Spain in the top league, which is the ACB Liga. While playing for UCAM Murcia, he averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and shot close to 60 percent from the field.
Aaliya has also played for the Argentinian National Team, so he has plenty of great experience. It's crazy that professional basketball players overseas can now play at the collegiate level, but that's besides the point. Ohio State is just taking advantage of the rules.
Diebler believes that Aaliya can provide some help right away for the Buckeyes at the power forward spot.
“Lee is an energetic big who I am excited to have join our Buckeye family. His experience, athleticism, and physicality make him a valuable addition to our program.”
Diebler is now flush with wings, which has been a sore spot for Ohio State in his tenure. Aaliya has a chance to compete for the starting power forward spot. He will likely play next to Anthony Thompson, who will likely start at the small forward spot as a five-star freshman.
Ohio State could be a contender this season
With the talent that Diebler has been able to assemble in the offseason, the Buckeyes could be a scary team in the Big Ten. There are already expectations for them to make the NCAA Tournament again, but they could end up finishing in the top four in the Big Ten.
A challenging non-conference schedule will certainly test how good the Buckeyes are early. That is going to allow them to figure out the rotation when it comes to the Big Ten portion of the schedule. This might be the deepest team that Diebler has had since becoming the head coach.
John Mobley Jr. is the player who has the most returning production from last year's team, but he won't have to carry the entire offensive load. Diebler has done a good job of taking some of the pressure off his shoulders heading into what will likely be his final year in college.
With the addition of Aalyia, Ohio State's roster is now full heading into this season. Now, it's just about getting chemistry with all of the new pieces.
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