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Ohio State sophomore center Felix Okpara enters transfer portal after two seasons in Columbus
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK
The 6-foot-11 sophomore ended the season by scoring in double-digit in all three NIT games.
Following two seasons in Columbus, starting center Felix Okpara has decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, ending his Buckeye career and instantly changing the outlook of the 2024-2025 Ohio State men’s basketball season.
Okpara — a 6-foot-11 sophomore originally from Lagos, Nigera — appeared in 70 games for Ohio State in two seasons. He started 34 of 35 games as sophomore, supplanting Zed Key — who was two years his senior — in the starting lineup. Okpara carried momentum from the end of his freshman season into the summer, where he earned that starting center spot when the Buckeyes took on Oakland in the season-opener.
In two seasons, Okpara averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Astonishingly, he shot basically the same percentage his freshman (58.7%) and sophomore (58.6%) seasons. He was not one of Ohio State’s top options on offense, but was a lob threat at all times, especially in transition. Okpara looked increasingly confident on the block as the season went on, but he was particularly effective in the NIT, scoring in double-digits in each of Ohio State’s final three games — the first time he had done that in his career.
Okpara became one of the best interior defenders in the Big Ten as a sophomore, ranking second in blocks per game, with 2.3. Even after games where Okpara didn’t score much, Diebler went out of his way to praise Okpara for his “phenomenal” defense on an almost daily basis.
The sophomore’s decision to explore other options comes six days after Aaron Bradshaw, a former McDonald’s All-American, top-five recruit and Kentucky Wildcat, announced he would be transferring to Ohio State. Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes were reportedly scheming up ways to play both big men together, but starting the two together was not a guarantee. Ultimately, Okpara decided it was in his best interest to continue elsewhere.
While Okpara didn’t develop as quickly on the offensive end as some of the other players in his recruiting class like Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Brice Sensabaugh, he seemed to be hitting his stride at the tail end of the season, and expectations were high for his junior season. That season will happen somewhere, but it won’t be at Ohio State.
Okpara was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports. He was the No. 66 overall player in the class, the No. 14 center in the class, and the fourth-highest rated player in the state of Missouri. He was the third-highest rated recruit in Ohio State’s 2022 class, behind Gayle and Thornton but in front of Sensabaugh and Hardman.
Like most of the current roster, Diebler was Okpara’s main recruiter. The two have a close relationship, and the hope was that one benefit of hiring Diebler was that the main core of the team would resist the portal and remain in Columbus. After Ohio State’s win over Virginia Tech in the NIT (Ohio State’s final win of the year), Okpara said one motivator to keep winning was to “keep this family going.” Okpara is the fifth Buckeye to enter the transfer portal since the season ended.
Okpara was also heavily recruited by SEC schools such as Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Texas, and Kentucky, as well as Nebraska, Wake Forest, and others.
Diebler’s first off-season has seen Ohio State attack the transfer portal differently than his predecessor, Chris Holtmann did. While Holtmann often sought out complimentary pieces to round out a roster, Diebler is clearly pursuing players he believes can make a substantial impact right away. The result so far is a higher turnover rate than was expected from returning players, but at the end of the day, Diebler was hired to raise the standard and win.
Good luck to Felix, wherever he winds up!
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK
The 6-foot-11 sophomore ended the season by scoring in double-digit in all three NIT games.
Following two seasons in Columbus, starting center Felix Okpara has decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, ending his Buckeye career and instantly changing the outlook of the 2024-2025 Ohio State men’s basketball season.
Okpara — a 6-foot-11 sophomore originally from Lagos, Nigera — appeared in 70 games for Ohio State in two seasons. He started 34 of 35 games as sophomore, supplanting Zed Key — who was two years his senior — in the starting lineup. Okpara carried momentum from the end of his freshman season into the summer, where he earned that starting center spot when the Buckeyes took on Oakland in the season-opener.
In two seasons, Okpara averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Astonishingly, he shot basically the same percentage his freshman (58.7%) and sophomore (58.6%) seasons. He was not one of Ohio State’s top options on offense, but was a lob threat at all times, especially in transition. Okpara looked increasingly confident on the block as the season went on, but he was particularly effective in the NIT, scoring in double-digits in each of Ohio State’s final three games — the first time he had done that in his career.
Okpara became one of the best interior defenders in the Big Ten as a sophomore, ranking second in blocks per game, with 2.3. Even after games where Okpara didn’t score much, Diebler went out of his way to praise Okpara for his “phenomenal” defense on an almost daily basis.
The sophomore’s decision to explore other options comes six days after Aaron Bradshaw, a former McDonald’s All-American, top-five recruit and Kentucky Wildcat, announced he would be transferring to Ohio State. Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes were reportedly scheming up ways to play both big men together, but starting the two together was not a guarantee. Ultimately, Okpara decided it was in his best interest to continue elsewhere.
While Okpara didn’t develop as quickly on the offensive end as some of the other players in his recruiting class like Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Brice Sensabaugh, he seemed to be hitting his stride at the tail end of the season, and expectations were high for his junior season. That season will happen somewhere, but it won’t be at Ohio State.
Okpara was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports. He was the No. 66 overall player in the class, the No. 14 center in the class, and the fourth-highest rated player in the state of Missouri. He was the third-highest rated recruit in Ohio State’s 2022 class, behind Gayle and Thornton but in front of Sensabaugh and Hardman.
Like most of the current roster, Diebler was Okpara’s main recruiter. The two have a close relationship, and the hope was that one benefit of hiring Diebler was that the main core of the team would resist the portal and remain in Columbus. After Ohio State’s win over Virginia Tech in the NIT (Ohio State’s final win of the year), Okpara said one motivator to keep winning was to “keep this family going.” Okpara is the fifth Buckeye to enter the transfer portal since the season ended.
Okpara was also heavily recruited by SEC schools such as Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Texas, and Kentucky, as well as Nebraska, Wake Forest, and others.
Diebler’s first off-season has seen Ohio State attack the transfer portal differently than his predecessor, Chris Holtmann did. While Holtmann often sought out complimentary pieces to round out a roster, Diebler is clearly pursuing players he believes can make a substantial impact right away. The result so far is a higher turnover rate than was expected from returning players, but at the end of the day, Diebler was hired to raise the standard and win.
Good luck to Felix, wherever he winds up!
Continue reading...