Ohio State women’s basketball has added some much-needed rebounding help via the transfer portal.
Ajae Petty, who averaged 14.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game for Kentucky in 2023-24, announced her commitment to Ohio State on Monday.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Petty joins Ohio State for her fifth and final season of collegiate eligibility after two years at LSU and two years at Kentucky. The 2023-24 season was her first as a starter.
Her 10.6 rebounds per game last season were the 18th-most in the country. By comparison, no Ohio State player had more than 6.3 rebounds per game last season as the Buckeyes’ struggles on the glass ultimately proved to be their demise in the postseason.
The Petty File
- Year: Fifth-Year Senior
- Height: 6-3
- Pos: Forward
- School: Kentucky (2022-24), LSU (2020-22)
- Stats: 14.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG in 2023-24
Petty projects as the likely starting center for the Buckeyes alongside returning forwards Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry, Ohio State’s top two rebounders in 2023-24.
She’s the second transfer commitment in as many days for Ohio State, which landed former Oregon guard Chance Gray on Sunday. Gray is likely to be one of the Buckeyes’ starting guards in 2024-25; sixth-year senior Madison Greene and incoming freshman Jaloni Cambridge are the leading candidates to round out the starting lineup.
Ohio State now has one open scholarship remaining for the 2024-25 season, a number that could increase to two if Eboni Walker is not granted an additional year of eligibility.
| Pos | Expected to Return | Incoming Freshmen | Incoming Transfers | Status Uncertain | Not Returning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Faith Carson (0.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg) | Elsa Lemmilä | Ajae Petty (Kentucky, 14.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg) |
Rebeka Mikulasikova (out of eligibility) Taiyier Parks (out of eligibility) |
|
| F |
Cotie McMahon (14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg) Taylor Thierry (11.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) |
Ella Hobbs (No. 92 overall) Seini Henry |
Eboni Walker (2.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg) | Karla Vres (out of eligibility) | |
| G |
Madison Greene (2.7 ppg, 1.6 apg) Kennedy Cambridge (redshirt) Kaia Henderson (0.8 ppg, 0.7 rpg) |
Jaloni Cambridge (No. 3 overall) Ava Watson (No. 51 overall) |
Chance Gray (Oregon, 13.9 ppg, 3.0 apg) |
Jacy Sheldon (out of eligibility) Celeste Taylor (out of eligibility) Diana Collins (transfer) Emma Shumate (transfer) Rikki Harris (transfer) |
Petty is one of two former Kentucky post players to commit to an Ohio State basketball team on Monday as former Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw committed to the Ohio State men’s team on Monday.
