The Ohio State basketball program made some bad decisions regarding the transfer portal last offseason. They brought in players who were supposed to make a difference this year. They brought in five players from the portal, and only one of them ended up helping the team.
Ohio State's biggest mistake in the transfer portal was bringing in Meechie Johnson. Johnson had previously been with the Buckeyes to start out his career. His first two years in college were with the Buckeyes. He then transferred to South Carolina for the next two years.
The Ohio State Buckeyes only got ten games out of Johnson. He left the program with what now he has said were mental health issues. He stopped playing just one game short of playing a third of the season, which is usually grounds for him getting another season of eligibility. Now, he has entered the transfer portal.
Ohio State basketball player Meechie Johnson enters the transfer portal again
For the second time in his career, Johnson has decided to enter the transfer portal to leave the Buckeyes. Johnson received NIL money from Ohio State to only play ten games and shoot just 35.6% from the field. It was by far the worst decision that they made this offseason.
Johnson is hoping to get another year of eligibility. It won't be with the Buckeyes, which is just fine with them. They played most of the season without him anyway. Ohio State will have Juni Mobley back to help them in the backcourt, and Taison Chapman should be back from his injury.
Jake Diebler clearly needs to be better at identifying talent in the portal. He can't make the same mistakes that he did this past offseason. If he doesn't, the Buckeyes might miss the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight time.