Ohio State graduate transfer Andrew Dakich is happy to talk about the first four years of his college basketball career.
He just isn’t allowed to say the name of the school where he came from.
One of seven newcomers on this year’s Ohio State basketball team, Dakich is set to suit up this season for the Buckeyes – who begin their season on Friday against Robert Morris – after spending the last four years playing for Ohio State’s biggest rival: Michigan, or as they say in Columbus, "The Team Up North."
"The first time I put on the Buckeye uniform, it was a little different," Dakich said at the Buckeyes’ preseason media day. "I think that’s when it really hit that I was actually an Ohio State Buckeye. It’s been a lot of fun, though, getting to know these guys. I’ve watched and played against a few of these guys growing up, even in the Big Ten from years past, but it’s been an easy transition, that’s for sure."
A 6-foot-2 guard from Zionsville, Indiana, who originally walked on at Michigan, Dakich didn’t see much playing time in his four years with the Wolverines. He played only two minutes per game as a freshman in 2013-14, 5.3 minutes per game as a sophomore in 2014-15 and 4.6 minutes as a junior in 2015-16 before redshirting last season in order to preserve his eligibility for a graduate transfer season.
At Ohio State this season, however, Dakich has a real chance to see more legitimate playing time. On a roster that includes only seven returning veterans, Dakich is expected to see rotational minutes off the bench at point guard.
"He's obviously got experience playing, and we brought him in with the expectation that he's going to have to give us some depth at that position," said Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann, who is also entering his first season with the Buckeyes. "He's elevated our competitiveness in practice, which has been a good thing."
Andrew Dakich was a member of the Michigan basketball team for the past four years. Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports
Dakich wanted the opportunity to play a bigger role in his final season of college basketball, while still playing for a high-level team, which is what led him to transfer to Ohio State. Still, though, the question begs: How did a student-athlete from Michigan end up in Columbus, on the other side of one of college sports’ most intense rivalries, of all places?
Originally, Dakich was considering transferring to Butler, before Holtmann left Butler for Ohio State in June, so Dakich’s already existing relationship with Ohio State’s new coach played a big part in his decision.
"(Michigan coach John) Beilein, when my whole recruitment was getting started, told Coach Holtmann to take a chance on me at Butler," Dakich said. "I would not in a million years, I would have thought I was going to play here. I thought that I’d play for Coach Holtmann, possibly at Butler when they were recruiting me a little bit but once it all kind of fell into my lap, I was like 'I got to take this opportunity.'
"It’s not normal, that’s for sure," Dakich added. "But you just kind of have to let that stuff go. Obviously everyone thinks about the rivalry – Ohio State, Michigan – but I saw the opportunity to help a team get back to where they want to be and just compete and play against the best competition in the country."
“The first time I put on the Buckeye uniform, it was a little different. I think that’s when it really hit that I was actually an Ohio State Buckeye.”– Andrew Dakich
Dakich says he still has a "really good relationship" with Beilein, and that Beilein was "very supportive" of his decision to transfer across enemy lines.
"I support it 100 percent," Beilein said at Big Ten Media Day. "Andrew paid his way for three-and-a-half years to go to Michigan. We wanted to save a redshirt year for him to be able to go on scholarship somewhere, work on his master’s degree. That was actually the plan. I don’t know if the plan was for him to be a Buckeye, but he grew up in that state, he’s a wonderful young man and we really like Chris (Holtmann) and his staff."
Holtmann and the new coaching staff – all of which came from Butler with Holtmann – weren’t the only reason Ohio State emerged as Dakich’s transfer destination. Dakich said Ohio State actually caught his eye in February, when the Buckeyes (then coached by Thad Matta) earned a 70-66 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Dakich saw the way that some of Ohio State’s players – who are now his new teammates – went about their business.
"When we lost to Ohio State last year at our place, it was a turning point of our year, and I remember watching Jae’Sean Tate, C.J. Jackson, Micah Potter play extremely well against us," Dakich said. "I just remembered how they played as a unit. I know they didn’t show that all the time, but they played with so much energy and passion, and they loved that rivalry."
Dakich also has a long-standing relationship with perhaps the most famous man on campus, Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer, from when Meyer and his dad – Dan Dakich, who is now a commentator for ESPN – were each the head coaches in their respective sports at Bowling Green.
"When I was in first grade, Gigi Meyer – his daughter – was in third, and we were best friends," Dakich said. "They lived literally right behind us. We had a backyard and we always played wiffle ball every single day out there. And we’d do like everything together. And I just remember Coach Meyer just being very intense. Even with me as a first-grader, he would always challenge me to things. So it doesn’t surprise me with all the success he’s had."
They were! Cutest little kids playing sports and hanging out together ALL the time.
— Shelley Meyer (@spinnershells) September 27, 2017
Now that he is a Buckeye, Dakich has had to separate himself in many ways from his past life as a Wolverine. Dakich said he did not bring any of his Michigan gear with him to Columbus, even going as far as clearing his closet of clothing that featured his former school’s colors.
"I got rid of a lot of blue, let’s just say that," Dakich said.
Dakich said he has remained in touch, though, with some of his former teammates at Michigan, who have been sure to give him a hard time about his change in schools.
"I had to go back there (in September), because we got our rings for the Big Ten Tournament last year, so they were giving me some crap about it," Dakich said.
Dakich’s new teammates have been sure to razz him, too, about where he came from.
"Yeah, we give him a hard time about it all the time just because it’s The Team Up North," said Ohio State center Micah Potter. "But he’s done a great job of coming in here and adapting to our environment, becoming an Ohio State guy instead of that other guy."
Rivalry aside, Dakich’s time at Michigan means he has been on teams that have done what Ohio State has not been able to do in recent years: win consistently and make noise in the NCAA Tournament. And Dakich hopes to bring what he learned from his time at Michigan to Ohio State this season, though he has already started to see a similar mentality manifest under Holtmann’s leadership.
"Your attitude and effort is contagious to the whole team, and we didn’t have any 'me guys' up there who just thought about themselves," Dakich said. "And that’s how I kind of feel the vibe around here."
Beilein expects the Buckeyes to benefit from having Dakich on their roster.
"He helped us win a lot of games, not on the floor, but in practice," Beilein said. "He’ll really help them."
“He’s done a great job of coming in here and adapting to our environment, becoming an Ohio State guy instead of that other guy.”– Micah Potter
Ohio State guard Joey Lane, who also began his career as a walk-on, says Dakich is "a great guy to have."
"He’s done it before. He’s won. He knows how to win. And he’s a very positive guy and he’s a great basketball player," Lane said. "So he has done nothing but helped us so far, that’s for sure."
Dakich isn’t sure exactly what his role will be in terms of playing time over the course of the season, but he says he wants to help the Buckeyes "in any way possible, in any way they want me to," and does expect to take on a leadership role for the team regardless of how much he plays.
"I’m a very vocal guy, I’m not afraid to voice my opinion and I think some of the guys have seen this," Dakich said. "Just a guy who can bring energy, a guy who can help others, if I’m on the bench or if I’m on the court."
Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate said he has looked to Dakich for leadership, even though Tate is entering his fourth season with the Buckeyes while Dakich is entering his first.
"I still look to him to see what a championship team looks like, because he’s been a part of a team that has multiple rings," Tate said. "So I pick his brain, ask him what I could do better as a captain of the team, and he just gives me feedback. Other than that, he’s a great guy. He has a lot of game. And I think he could be very big for us."
