The Ohio State men’s basketball team stands for the national anthem before the Ohio State-Penn State game Feb. 23 in Columbus. Ohio State lost 75-71. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Junior forward Jamison Battle announced on Instagram Thursday that he will take his talents east from Minnesota to Columbus, Ohio, to play for the Buckeyes.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team will receive a dynamic 3-point shooter from the Big Ten Conference in Battle, who stands 6-foot-7 and also contributes on the glass.
This season, Battle appeared in 27 of the 31 Minnesota games, averaging 12.4 points per contest which ranked second on the team in scoring. The Minnesota native shot 37 percent from the field and hit a team-high 59 3s this season for the Golden Gophers.
Battle logged 960 minutes of game time this season, despite playing his first game of the season on Nov. 21, 2022, against California Baptist after having foot surgery just 10 days before the season started.
Against Ohio State, Battle put up 11 points and grabbed four rebounds in the win at the Schottenstein Center Jan. 12. He dropped a season-high 31 points in the game at Illinois Feb. 20 while shooting 4-of-9 from 3-point range.
Battle’s shooting from distance will add a weapon from deep for the Buckeyes, whose 6.8 3s per game sat out of the top-100 in Division I basketball. Despite Battle’s sharp shooting, Minnesota finished the season with a 9-22 overall record, and went 2-19 in Big Ten play.
Prior to Minnesota, Battle spent two seasons at George Washington University, in which he averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He set a George Washington single-season record for 3-pointers with 89 in 2019-20, leading him to be named all-conference Third Team and to the Atlantic-10 All-Rookie Team.
Battle’s commitment to Ohio State is the first new addition to the Buckeyes since their season ended in March. Former guard Eugene Brown III announced his entry into the transfer portal March 30.
