The Buckeyes have acquired promises on consecutive days to fill out the roster during an offseason in which many players have departed the club via the transfer portal.
Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 forward from Kentucky, has pledged to the Buckeyes, adding coach Jake Diebler’s second portal addition in a busy start to the offseason. As a sophomore for the Wildcats this past season, Jelavic averaged 5. 5 points and four rebounds in 15. 6 minutes per game, starting 20 of 32 games while shooting 47. 7% from the field. Earlier this week, he declared that he would join the transfer portal.
Jelavic adds frontcourt length and floor-spacing ability to an Ohio State club that is experiencing considerable roster change after finishing 21-12 overall and 12-8 in Big Ten play last season. The Buckeyes qualified for the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed, but lost to TCU in the first round.
Ohio State’s transfer activity has already changed the roster. Guard Justin Pippen, the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and a former Michigan and Cal guard, committed to the Buckeyes on Friday after averaging 14. 2 points, 4. 6 assists, and 3. 9 rebounds per game for Cal. The Buckeyes have also lost many players to the portal, including Devin Royal, Taison Chatman, Gabe Cupps, and Colin White.
Jelavić has provided Diebler with another component for his roster next season as the Buckeyes program seeks to aggressively improve, particularly after their arch-rival, the Michigan Wolverines, won the national championship.
