Sophomore forward Emma Shummate (5) gets loose in warmups before No. 2 Ohio State’s 80-57 win over No. 15 Maine in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Emma Shumate, a second-year Buckeye guard, entered the transfer portal Wednesday, according to an Instagram post, after the window opened Monday for all college basketball players.
Shumate is the first Ohio State women’s basketball player to decide to leave after its 26-6 season concluded Sunday in the Round of 32 against Duke. Shumate played the first round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring a mere 5 points, as No. 2-seeded Ohio State faced Maine. The Buckeyes won 80-57 at home at Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center.
When the No. 7-seeded Blue Devils took the upper hand in the second round 75-63, Shumate did not check into the game, finalizing her season and career on the court for the Buckeyes.
Shumate averaged 4 points and one rebound per game, shooting 43.7% from field-goal range for the 2023-24 term. Also this season, Shumate was featured in 27 games, with an average of 9.6 minutes per game, 62.5% shot from the free-throw line.
As a young player, Shumate improved from just a season prior, averaging almost 2.5 points more than last year, as well as an increase in her 3-point average and free throw percentage.
Likely the biggest moment of her basketball career was when the Buckeyes faced the then-No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes Jan. 21, where she went 2-2 behind the arc in only the first six minutes. Ohio State ultimately came out on top in overtime 100-92.
This change marks the second transfer for Shumate, who entered the portal last season after just one semester with West Virginia, anticipating the start of her freshman season with the Mountaineers.
“I am taking some truly invaluable memories and friendships with me,” Shumate said in her Instagram post. “I have decided it is in my best interest to enter the transfer portal.”
