Justice has arrived.
A week after California's Justice Sueing visited Columbus, he announced his intention to transfer to Ohio State. He will sit out the 2019-20 season, but has two years of remaining eligibility beginning in 2020-21.
— Justice Sueing (@JusticeSueing) May 11, 2019
Sueing, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward, stood out on a Golden Bears team that struggled last season, compiling an 8-23 record. He led Cal with 14.3 points and six rebounds per game, shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from beyond the arc.
The Sueing File
- Year: Junior (will sit out 19-20)
- Size: 6-foot-7, 215 pounds
- Pos: Forward
- School: University of California
- Stats: 14.3 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists per game last season
The Buckeyes struggled to get to the line last season, ranking 193rd in the country with 18.6 free-throw attempts per game, and Ohio State's coaches believe Sueing could aid in that area. He shot 78.2 percent from the free-throw line and averaged 5.3 free-throw attempts per game last season, nearly two times as many as every Ohio State player other than Kaleb Wesson, who had 5.5 attempts from the line per game.
Sueing started both his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cal, averaging double-digit points both years. Able to play on the wing and in the frontcourt, he offers the positional versatility that Chris Holtmann values.
ESPN rated Sueing as this year's 13th-best transfer who must sit out a season, and Stadium had him at the 10th-best sit-out transfer.
For the second year in a row, the Buckeyes added a transfer who will have to sit out a season. C.J. Walker was eligible to play for Ohio State in 2018-19 after transferring from Florida State and will debut as a Buckeye this fall. A month ago, Holtmann said the team would "always" pursue transfers who have to sit a season.
Sueing's addition puts the Buckeyes at 13 scholarships for the 2019-20 season. A source told Eleven Warriors that Ohio State will not pursue a waiver that would make him immediately eligible, so he will not play until the 2020-21 season, when he will be a redshirt junior.
Ohio State's wings for the 2020-21 season now consist of Sueing, Musa Jallow, Justin Ahrens and Alonzo Gaffney. However, with Andre Wesson being a senior, the Buckeyes have one spot open in their 2020 recruiting class and are still pursuing both a wing/forward and a big man.
Sueing grew up in Hawaii before moving to Los Angeles to play high school basketball for Mater Dei. Out of high school, he was the No. 171 overall prospect and the 45th-ranked power forward in his class.
His father, also named Justice, played basketball for the University of Hawaii, averaging 17.4 points per game in 1995-96 before playing professionally overseas.
