Ohio State will have one less guard to replace for its 2024-25 basketball season.
Rising sophomore Taison Chatman will be returning to Ohio State for a second season despite rumors that he may transfer elsewhere.
Year 2 pic.twitter.com/4tLpOivbCO
— Taison Chatman (@tchat04) April 11, 2024
Chatman entered Ohio State as the highest-ranked member of the Buckeyes' touted 2023 recruiting class, ranked No. 39 overall in 247Sports composite rankings. He was considered the nation's No. 8 combo guard and top player out of Minnesota.
Chatman fought a few bouts with injuries early in the season, and while he did play some meaningful minutes during Big Ten play, he never carved out a consistent role with Ohio State's 2023-24 squad.
He appeared in 17 games for the Buckeyes, averaging 4.2 minutes per contest. Chatman scored 17 total points, 12 of them coming off a 4-of-15 mark shooting 3-pointers. He tacked on eight rebounds and six assists but also turned the ball over nine times.
With fellow freshman guard Scotty Middleton hitting the transfer portal earlier this offseason, there was a thought that Chatman could do the same. But now that he's back, head coach Jake Diebler and staff can work to help him build toward the ceiling his recruiting pedigree suggests.
Ohio State's backcourt has still seen plenty of attrition overall, with Roddy Gayle Jr. and Bowen Hardman joining Middleton in the portal after Dale Bonner exhausted his eligibility. Meechie Johnson has been brought back to the Buckeyes from South Carolina in the portal, but the Buckeyes are likely to add one more transfer at guard to round out the roster alongside incoming four-star prospect Juni Mobley.
