First-year forward Scotty Middleton (0) looks to make a play on the wing. Ohio State defeated Michigan 84-61 Sunday at the Schottenstein Center. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Ohio State freshman guard Scotty Middleton will not return to the Buckeyes next season.
Instead, Middleton will enter the NCAA transfer portal and go through the NBA draft process while maintaining his college eligibility, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“It has been an honor to suit up for Ohio State for this past season,” Middleton said in the post. “I will cherish the memories and relationships I’ve built forever.”
In 30 games as a freshman, Middleton averaged 4.4 points in 15.3 minutes per game. Middleton could never quite get it going on the court during the regular season. On January 20, he missed the Buckeyes’ game against Penn State after being suspended by the program due to a “violation of team rules.”
Middleton also missed one game because of a foot injury.
After scoring a season-high 13 points in the regular season opener, Middleton failed to score in double figures for the following 27 games. In the first round of the Big Ten Tournament against the Iowa Hawkeyes, he scored 11 on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, going 3-of-3 from 3-point range.
Coming into Ohio State, Middleton was a five-star prospect who was ranked 34th nationally according to ESPN. He’ll now explore his opportunities for next season.
