Jake Diebler addressed one of Ohio State's biggest transfer portal needs on Saturday afternoon.
Former San Diego State wing Micah Parrish committed to the Buckeyes on Saturday, giving the squad needed wing help for the 2024-25 season.
— Micah-Immanuel Parrish (@ImmanuelMicah) April 20, 2024
Listed as a guard on San Diego State's roster, Parrish is considered a three-star small forward prospect in 247Sports' transfer portal rankings, the No. 56 small forward and 273rd portal prospect overall.
The Parrish File
- Year: Senior
- Size: 6-6/195
- Pos: Small Forward
- School: San Diego State (2022-24), Oakland (2020-22)
- Stats: 9.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG
Parrish posted 9.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 27.5 minutes for the Aztecs this past season. He tacked on 1.2 steals and 0.4 blocks per contest on the defensive end of the floor.
A two-star prospect out of high school, Parrish's career started at Oakland in 2020-21. He posted 8.8 and 12.1 points per game in two seasons before transferring to San Diego State, where he put up 7.4 points per contest as a junior before this year.
Ohio State needed wing help after second-leading scorer and top sharpshooter Jamison Battle ran out of eligibility and freshman Scotty Middleton entered the transfer portal earlier this offseason.
With Middleton and Battle both shooting better than 43% from 3-point range last year, shooting is also an important piece to add for Diebler and company this offseason, particularly on the wing. Parrish flashed decent consistency in his first three collegiate seasons, shooting 34.9, 35.3 and 35.3% from distance in those years. His numbers took a dip in 2023-24, however, as he converted on just 30.8% of his looks from outside. Ohio State will hope for a return to form from him beyond the arc in 2024-25.
Parrish also brings substantial postseason experience to the Buckeyes with San Diego State making the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament in each of his two campaigns there. The Aztecs made it all the way to the National Championship Game in 2023 before falling short against UConn in the title tilt.
Evan Mahaffey returns after a season starting at small forward for the Buckeyes in 2023-24. He posted 4.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, one steal and 0.7 blocks per game this past campaign. He and Parrish are likely to split time at the 3 in 2024-25 following the departure of Middleton.
Parrish comes to Ohio State with one year of eligibility remaining.
Ohio State has one scholarship left available for the 2024-25 season, which it will likely use to pursue another forward, per the Columbus Dispatch. Two options to fill that final spot are former Oakland forward Trey Townsend – who Parrish played with at Oakland for two seasons – and former Central Arkansas forward Tucker Anderson, who have both been to Ohio State for visits this week.
