Alonzo Gaffney is moving on.
After his freshman season concluded, Gaffney will leave Ohio State with the intention of pursuing professional options, Brian Snow of 247Sports reported on Sunday afternoon. With him leaving, the Buckeyes now are back at the limit of 13 scholarships.
Gaffney appeared in 17 games off the bench during the 2019-20 season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.7 minutes per game. The 6-foot-9, 198-pound forward shot 56.5 percent from the floor, went 1-of-6 from 3-point range and 3-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also had 12 turnovers in 114 minutes.
Despite possessing both the frame and athleticism of an NBA prospect, Gaffney never managed to secure a consistent role for the Buckeyes, and his playing time decreased as the season progressed. He was on the court for at least nine minutes in five of the first seven games, then only cracked six minutes once in a game – against Southeast Missouri State on Dec. 17 – the remainder of the season.
Gaffney neither played nor was with the team for the final four games of the season.
Initially, Gaffney's absence from the Ohio State-Nebraska game on Feb. 27 was deemed due to an illness. But when he missed the next game and it became clear he'd remain on the sidelines, Chris Holtmann said he couldn't get into the specifics of Gaffney's absence, mentioning that he didn't have a timeline for a return. Holtmann later ruled Gaffney out for the Big Ten tournament.
Gaffney's final action on the court as a Buckeye came in one minute during an 85-76 loss at Iowa on Feb. 20.
Nearly two years ago, Gaffney became the first piece of what ended up as Chris Holtmann's top-rated recruiting class as a head coach so far.
When he committed to Ohio State over Louisville, North Carolina, Michigan State and others on April 10, the Cleveland native was regarded as a five-star prospect and the top-ranked Ohioan in the 2019 cycle. His ranking slipped somewhat after playing his senior year at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. But he remained a highly regarded four-star recruit ranked No. 50 overall in his class, becoming the sixth-highest rated prospect to sign with a Big Ten program.
Done at Ohio State after one year, he'll attempt to make his mark in basketball elsewhere.
