Ohio State is in the process of adding a walk-on to its roster.
Harrison Hookfin, a freshman at Ohio State who graduated from Lebanon High School in the spring, will join the Buckeyes in the middle of this season. He will provide depth and serve as an additional player in practice.
By popular demand pic.twitter.com/Y7TTJGV54E
— Harrison Hookfin (@Harrisonhook1) January 24, 2018
With Kyle Young out "several weeks" with a stress fracture and Micah Potter having transferred two days before the season, Ohio State doesn't have as many players available in practice as other teams. Danny Hummer, an Upper Arlington graduate and Air Force Academy transfer, is the only other walk-on on the team's roster.
Hookfin is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound wing who immediately becomes one of the taller players on Ohio State's roster. He was not recruited for much of high school until he experienced a growth spurt before his senior year, which turned him into one of his area's better players.
From Anthony Peters of Prep Hoops on Dec. 29, 2017:
One year ago, Harrison was a 6’1” junior averaging 0.9 points per game with the Lebanon varsity. Now, he is averaging 15.4 points and 8 rebounds per game. Harrison credits this jump to a hard working summer session.
“I felt like I was in the best shape of my life…I gained a lot of confidence from the scrimmages and camps over the summer”.
Not only this, but Harrison also grew from 6’1” to 6’5” making him move to the 4 and 5 spot on the floor. From there, he has continued to impress and dominate as he has scored 20+ points in 6 of his 9 games thus far this year. Although Harrison is a strong presence in the paint, he wants to improve on his decision making skills as the season progresses.
Hookfin was honorable mention all-Southwest District in Division I as a senior at Lebanon. He played a key role in his team's improvement between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons by stepping up as a senior.
“All summer I’d wake up and remember that I only scored 13 points last year,” Harrison Hookfin told the Dayton Daily News on Dec. 15, 2017. “That was the number I focused on. That drove me.”
