Ohio State's young sharpshooting backcourt star is back for another season.
John Mobley Jr. announced via his Instagram on Thursday that he'll return to Jake Diebler's roster for his sophomore season after a breakout freshman campaign in 2024-25.
Dubbed "the Sniper" coming out of high school as a four-star prospect, Mobley put Ohio State fans on notice by shooting 24-of-43 (55.8%) in the first eight games of his college career. After starting guard Meechie Johnson Jr. departed from the team to focus on his mental health, Mobley took on a starting role for the Buckeyes for the final 22 games of their season.
Mobley finished with 13 points and 2.2 assists per game, the fourth- and third-best marks on the team. He'll need to improve his consistency this offseason, however, as he faded down the stretch of Ohio State's season. The Buckeyes lost five of their last seven games and Mobley shot just 27.5% from 3 and had as many assists as turnovers (13 each) in those contests.
The goal now for Diebler is to retain Mobley's partner in the backcourt this season, senior and three-time captain Bruce Thornton. Redshirt sophomore Taison Chatman, Indiana transfer Gabe Cupps and incoming freshman Dorian Jones are currently set to complete the Buckeyes' roster in the backcourt.
