The majority of the flash and buzz about Ohio State basketball since hiring Jake Diebler has been generated by its talented transfers.
Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart are five-star prospects who will be immediate contributors, Meechie Johnson Jr. will start at guard and Micah Parrish has a good chance to start on the wing.
They aren’t the only newcomers who could make an impact for the Buckeyes this season, however, as freshmen Juni Mobley and Colin White are also making an early impression on Ohio State’s new coach.
“I like our two freshmen a lot,” Diebler said on Tuesday. “I think both of them are going to be able to provide some real value for this team. What that looks like come November and ultimately maybe January, because that will be different as they grow, that’s to be determined. But both those guys love Ohio State, which I think is really valuable.”
While it will still be a “transition” as Diebler noted, with Mobley vying to be an immediate contributor for the Buckeyes’ backcourt rotation and White already impressing Diebler in practice, Ohio State’s class of 2024 duo are already taking their first strides mere months into their careers in Columbus.
Mobley enters as the more heralded of the two prospects, a four-star ranked No. 51 and No. 5 among combo guards in the 247Sports composite. Originally from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, he transferred from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas to Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, before his senior year of prep ball after averaging 20.1 points per game in his junior campaign with the Gaels.
Wasatch plays in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, a Nike-sponsored high school league that features such powerhouses as Montverde, Long Island Lutheran and IMG Academy, among others. Mobley posted 21.5 points, 5.4 assists and two steals per contest for the Tigers, leading their roster in all three categories.
Shooting is perhaps his greatest skill. Dubbed “The Sniper” in 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting class superlatives, Mobley knocked down 41.5% of his 3-point attempts in 23 games on Nike’s EYBL circuit last summer and earned an invite to the High School Rockin' Protein Men's 3-Point Shootout.
“Juni Mobley, in my opinion, was one of the very best shooters in the country regardless of class,” Diebler said in June.
As with White, the spacing and speed of the collegiate game will take some getting used to for Mobley, but Diebler noted that Mobley’s ability to create space for his shots is as impressive as his shooting itself.
“Juni’s ability to get a shot off and do that, create space for himself has been impressive too as he's now moved up a level,” Diebler said. “They've got to adjust to the speed that we want to play at, the tempo of things, and the physicality of things, certainly. But I've been impressed with both of them.”
“Juni Mobley, in my opinion, was one of the very best shooters in the country regardless of class.”– Jake Diebler
A lot of weight could be placed on Mobley’s shoulders early. While Ohio State is looking at adding a veteran guard through the transfer portal, a season-ending injury to Taison Chatman earlier this summer means Mobley currently stands as one of three true scholarship guards available on the Buckeyes’ roster with Johnson and returning two-year starter Bruce Thornton.
“(It will) create some more opportunity for guys like Juni,” Diebler said of replacing Chatman. “I'd add Colin White to that list; could open up some opportunity. And then with Evan (Mahaffey) and Devin (Royal), and I've told them this, I've challenged them with expanding their game this offseason to be able to do some more of those things on the perimeter. I guess by committee, yeah, it'll be part of it. But I’m not concerned about it, some guys are just gonna have to step up a little bit more.”
White finished high school as a three-star prospect listed 153rd overall in the country and 30th at small forward, but his high school accolades for Ottawa-Glandorf in Ottawa, Ohio, speak to the potential for something greater.
A two-time first-team All-State performer, White joined the ranks of Buckeyes such as Devin Royal, Malaki Branham, Kaleb Wesson, Jared Sullinger, William Buford, Jon Diebler and even Jim Jackson in winning Ohio Mr. Basketball following his 2023-24 season. He racked up a gaudy 25.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, three assists and 2.6 steals per game as a senior.
Now that he’s on campus, his approach to the game has already impressed his new head coach.
“I’ve been impressed with Colin’s physicality,” Diebler said. “I think both those guys are smart basketball players. They have high basketball IQs. But Colin's physicality for a freshman has been impressive.”
White achieved something during his prep days that only LeBron James has matched by starting in Ohio’s state Final Four in each of his four seasons with Ottawa-Glandorf. The Titans finished as state runner-up in both 2022 and 2023.
For Mobley’s part, Wasatch finished No. 8 in the country his senior year and he also collected a state runner-up trophy in Nevada with Bishop Gorman as a sophomore.
“Both of them have won in high school. Colin having been to the state semifinals for four out of four years is, I mean, it’s unbelievable. It’s awesome,” Diebler said. “Then Juni playing in what is probably the best high school league in the country and having the success that he had this year, that’s going to serve him really well.”
“Colin having been to the state semifinals for four out of four years is, I mean, it’s unbelievable. It’s awesome.”– Jake Diebler
With the transfer portal shaping the world of college basketball to perhaps an even greater extent than it has football – given all the production that can turn over from season to season – Diebler’s made it a point to say that recruiting will still be a valuable piece of his Ohio State program. While it’s unrealistic to suggest there won’t be more player movement than in the past, he still wants multi-year additions that can mature within the walls of the Schottenstein Center.
“We still want – development is really, really important to me,” Diebler said. “It still goes back to that growth that I talked about. We still want guys who can develop in our program, and I think we’ve got some guys on our roster who you’re gonna see that (from). Certainly from last year to this year, but even throughout the course of this season and ultimately a couple of guys from this year to next year.”
He expects major strides from both Mobley and White in year one.
“The two freshmen we brought in are good players,” Diebler said. “They both come from good programs and have been coached well, which helps that transition. They're both really competitive and they both love Ohio State. And you can see that in the way that they came here ready, ready to go, ready to work.”
