Every Player from Ohio in the 2023 NCAA Tournament

By Garrick Hodge on March 12, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Jalen Sullinger
Photo of Jalen Sullinger, credit: Nicholas McLaughlin / USA TODAY NETWORK
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To put it bluntly, the 2022-2023 season wasn't Ohio State's year.

Despite an impressive late-season run that saw the Buckeyes become the first-ever 13 seed in the Big Ten Tournament to make the conference semifinals, the Buckeyes finished the year with the program’s worst single-season winning percentage (16-19 overall) since 1997-98.

But that doesn't mean Ohio State fans or fellow Ohioans can't find secondary interests to cheer for in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. There are no shortage of players across the country on NCAA Tournament rosters with Ohio ties, and we've taken the liberty of finding them all to create a "players from Ohio rooting guide," if you will.

With assistance from Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge, I compiled a list of all the Ohioans playing in this year’s NCAA Tournament. If any team in the entire tournament has even a single player from Ohio, whether they’re a superstar or benchwarmer, they’ll be listed here. In total, 39 players from 20 schools in the tournament hail from the Buckeye State. That's an upgrade over 32 players from 11 schools when we did this piece a year ago, and that was with Ohio State in the tournament.

To get this out of the way, here are all the participants in the 68-team field that do NOT have a player on their roster from Ohio: Kennesaw State, UNC Asheville, Drake, Southeast Missouri State, Kansas, Alabama, Memphis, Miami, San Diego State, Maryland, Florida Atlantic, Iowa State, Creighton, Kansas State, Northwestern, USC, Arizona, UCLA, Providence, Boise State, TCU, Purdue, Houston, Arkansas, Saint Mary’s, UConn, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Duke, Tennessee, Iowa, Texas, Louisiana, Oral Roberts, Montana State, Colgate, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Mississippi State, Howard, Texas Southern, Iona, Nevada, Grand Canyon, UC Santa Barbara, Utah State, NC State, Auburn and Virginia.

Below, you’ll find the list of teams that do have players from Ohio, with each player listed along with their position, year of eligibility, hometown, high school and stats (games played, points per game and rebounds per game this season). Schools are listed in order of how many native Ohioans they have on their roster. We've also compiled a list of transfers from Ohio State and other Ohio schools who made the tournament, though players only counted toward the official count if they grew up in or played high school basketball in Ohio.

Kent State (8)

  • Sincere Carry: Guard, redshirt senior, Farrell, Pa. (Solon High School in Ohio), 34 games played, 17.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg
  • Miryne Thomas: Forward, senior, Cleveland (Central Catholic), 34 games played, 10.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg
  • Jalen Sullinger: Guard, sophomore, Columbus (Thomas Worthington), 34 games played, 8.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg
  • VonCameron Davis: Forward, sophomore, Columbus (Walnut Ridge), 33 games played, 6.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg
  • Cli'Ron Hornbeak: Center, sophomore, Toledo (St. France de Sales), 33 games played, 5.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg
  • Mike Bekelja: Guard, sophomore, Solon (Solon), 0 games played
  • London Maiden: Center, freshman, Cleveland (Richmond Heights), 0 games played
  • Magnus Entenmann: Forward, freshman, Columbus (Upper Arlington, International Sports Academy), 0 games played

It probably comes as no surprise that an in-state school boasts the most Ohio players on its roster, with five playing significant roles. In case you were wondering, Jalen Sullinger is the son of former Ohio State player J.J. Sullinger and the nephew of former Ohio State standout Jared Sullinger. His uncle, Julian Sullinger, is an assistant coach for Kent State. 

Baylor (3)

  • Dale Bonner: Guard, redshirt senior, Shaker Heights (Shaker Heights), 27 games played, 4.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg
  • Zach Loveday: Forward, junior, Gallipolis (Huntington Prep), 12 games played, 1.0 ppg, 0.6 rpg
  • Jake Younkin: Guard, junior, Loveland (Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy), 8 games played, 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

Bonner is the only member of the Ohio trio that is a regular member of the Bears' rotation, but Baylor boasts a deep enough roster that the Shaker Heights product is just the eighth-leading scorer on the team. But unlikely heroes arise daily in March, and perhaps Bonner has a moment like that in him.

Furman (3)

  • Mike Bothwell: Guard, senior, Cleveland Heights (Cornerstone Christian Academy), 34 games played, 18.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
  • Alex Williams: Forward, sophomore, Xenia (Archbishop Moeller), 27 games played, 6.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg
  • Tyrese Hughey: Forward, sophomore, Columbus (Thomas Worthington), 33 games played, 5.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg

Bothwell is the highest-scoring Ohio player in the tournament and his secondary stats are about what you'd expect for someone with his scoring average, as he's made 51 percent of his shots from the field and is a 33 percent 3-point shooter and converts 82 percent of his free throws.

West Virginia (3)

  • Seth Wilson: Guard, sophomore, Lorain (Lorain), 33 games played, 4.2 ppg, 0.9 rpg
  • Kobe Johnson: Guard, sophomore, Canton (McKinley), 29 games played, 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
  • Josiah Harris: Forward, freshman, Canton (Richmond Heights), 17 games played, 1.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg

Of the regular contributors on West Virginia, Wilson has the highest shooting clip from beyond the arc, converting 40 percent of his long-range shots.

Xavier (3)

  • Jerome Hunter: Forward, senior, Columbus (Pickerington), 34 games played, 7.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg
  • Bradley Colbert: Guard, sophomore, Loveland (Archbishop Moeller), 4 games played, 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
  • Ian Sabourin: Forward, freshman Hamilton (Badin), 2 games played, 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

Xavier has no shortage of scorers on its roster, with five players averaging double digits. Hunter slots in right below them, with the sixth-highest scoring average on the team with 7.3 ppg. Hunter is an efficient shooter, converting 56 percent of his field goals.

Arizona State (2)

  • Jamiya Neal: Forward, sophomore, Toledo (Phoenix Hillcrest Prep), 29 games played, 4.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg
  • Alonzo Gaffney: Center, senior, Cleveland (Brewster Academy), 34 games played, 3.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Neal is a solid role player for the Sun Devils, but Ohio State fans are far more likely to be familiar with Gaffney, seeing as he's a former Buckeye who now provides depth off the bench for the Sun Devils, who will face Nevada in the First Four on Wednesday in Dayton.

Indiana (2)

  • Logan Duncomb: Center, sophomore, Cincinnati (Archbishop Moeller), 9 games played, 2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg
  • Michael Shipp: Guard, junior, Cincinnati (Archbishop Moeller), 3 games played, 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

Neither Duncomb nor Shipp are likely to see minutes this week unless the Hoosiers race out to a large lead.

Kentucky (2)

  • CJ Fredrick: Guard, redshirt senior, Cincinnati (Covington), 25 games played, 6.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg
  • Chris Livingston: Forward, freshman, Akron (Buchtel, Oak Hill), 32 games played, 6.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Fredrick, a former Iowa Hawkeye, had a nice second season in Lexington after his first was hampered by injury. Both Fredrick and Livingston could play pivotal roles in helping the Wildcats advance in the tournament.

Penn State (2)

  • Kebba Njie: Forward, freshman, Centerville (La Lumiere), 34 games played, 3.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg
  • Evan Mahaffey: Guard/Forward, freshman, Cincinnati (Archbishop Moeller) 31 games played, 2.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg

Mahaffey is a 36 percent 3-point shooter for Penn State, while Njie started 23 of 34 games for the Nittany Lions.

College of Charleston (1)

  • Dalton Bolon: Guard, graduate student, Gnadenhutten (Indian Valley), 34 games played, 12.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg

Bolon, a seventh-year senior, is the leading scorer for the College of Charleston and shoots 41 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, he's an 86 percent free throw shooter. His journey to Charleston is a wild one, detailed best by Stadium's Jeff Goodman.

Fairleigh Dickinson (1)

  • Sean Moore: Forward, junior, Columbus (St. Thomas Aquinas), 32 games played, 6.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Moore is a solid all-around player for Fairleigh Dickinson with his scoring and rebounding contributions, but his team is going to need quite a bit of help to advance in this tournament.

Illinois (1)

  • Sencire Harris: Guard, freshman, Canton (St. Vincent-St. Mary), 32 games played, 3.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg

Harris isn't one of Illinois' top scoring options, but does serve as a key role player, appearing in 32 games. He has shot at a 43 percent clip from the field and a 31 percent rate from beyond the arc.

Marquette (1)

  • Sean Jones: Guard, freshman, Gahanna (Lincoln), 31 games played, 3.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg

A key bench piece for Marquette, Jones shoots 42 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc. He'll return home to face off against Vermont on Friday in the Columbus regional.

Mizzou (1)

  • Ben Sternberg: Guard, graduate transfer, Cleveland (Beachwood), 9 games played, 0.7 ppg, 0.1 rpg

Not much to report here, as Sternberg hasn't been a key contributor for the Tigers this year after transferring to Missouri from Cleveland State. Two of his former Vikings teammates who also transferred with him to Missouri have made a bigger impact, though, as we’ll touch on more below.

Northern Kentucky (1)

  • Trey Robinson: Guard, junior, Hamilton (Hamilton), 33 games played, 6.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg

Robinson is the fifth-leading scorer for Northern Kentucky and shoots 39 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range.

Pittsburgh (1)

  • John Hugley: Forward, junior, Cleveland (Brush), 8 games played, 8.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Hugley was Pitt's leading scorer a season ago but has missed the majority of this season from a combination of injury and a desire to focus on his mental health and rehab.

Princeton (1)

  • Matt Allocco: Guard, junior, Hilliard (Hilliard Bradley), 29 games played, 11 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Not only is Allocco getting an Ivy League education, he's also a big contributor on the basketball court. He's Princeton's third-leading scorer, shooting at a 48 percent clip from the floor and 40 percent from 3-point range. In Princeton's conference championship game against Yale, Allocco dropped 15 points and made three 3-pointers in the victory.

Texas A&M (1)

  • Andre Gordon: Guard, senior, Sidney (Sidney), 33 games played, 2.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg

Gordon averages 15 minutes per game for the Aggies but isn't much of a scorer for the SEC runner-up.

VCU (1)

  • Zeb Jackson: Guard, junior, Toledo (Montverde Academy), 33 games played, 5.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg

A Michigan transfer, Jackson logs an average of 17 minutes per night for VCU and shoots at a 40-percent clip from the field.

Vermont (1)

  • Kam Gibson: Guard, 5th-year senior, Cincinnati (Walnut Hills), 32 games played, 7.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg

Gibson is Vermont's sixth-leading scorer. He has converted 45 percent of his shots from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range. He'll face off against Marquette in the Columbus regional on Friday.

Transfers from Ohio Colleges (7)

  • D’Moi Hodge: Guard, graduate transfer, Mizzou (formerly at Cleveland State), 33 games played, 14.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
  • Mark Sears: Guard, junior, Alabama (formerly at Ohio), 32 games played, 13 ppg, 3.4 rpg
  • Nike Sibande: Guard, redshirt senior, Pittsburgh (formerly at Miami-Ohio), 33 games played, 8.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg
  • Jaedon LeDee: Forward, senior, San Diego State (formerly at Ohio State), 33 games played, 7.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg
  • Ben Vander Plas: Forward, graduate student, Virginia (formerly at Ohio University), 29 games played, 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
  • Luther Muhammad: Guard, redshirt senior, Arizona State (formerly at Ohio State), 35 games played, 3.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg
  • Mabor Majak: Center, junior, Mizzou (formerly at Cleveland State), 8 games played, 0.1 ppg, 0.4 rpg

Personally, I may adopt Mizzou as the tournament team I'm rooting for personally because the Tigers' best player, D'Moi Hodge, has a hell of a last name (no, we're not related). 

Three Ohio State transfers total will be in the NCAA Tournament, and of those LeDee has found the most success, averaging 7.9 points per night for San Diego State.

Like Gaffney, Ohio State fans will likely remember Muhammad as a former Buckeye that has since carved out a bench role for himself with the Sun Devils, and can be seen in the First Four game in Dayton on Wednesday.

Sears has thrived for the top seed in the tournament, the Alabama Crimson Tide, shooting 41 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three-point range en route to averaging 13 points per game.

Sibande is Pittsburgh's top scorer off the bench, shooting 33 percent from beyond the arc. He will face Mississippi State on Tuesday in the First Four in Dayton.

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