Ohio is returning a vast majority of its talent in the 2024-25 season, a rarity in the current era of college basketball. For the players the team did lose, Ohio replaced them with a duo of accomplished transfers and one of the highest-rated freshman classes in program history.
Following a 2023-24 season from Ohio that saw the team turn in a 13-5 Mid-American Conference record – good for third in the MAC – Ohio is projected to be even better in 2024-25.
Here is everything to know about the team’s roster and schedule.
Lost talent
Two big names highlight a relatively small group of players Ohio will not return for 2024-25: Jaylin Hunter and Miles Brown.
Hunter, a 2023-24 All-MAC Second Team selectee, went overseas to play professionally in England for Leicester. Hunter led the Bobcats in points, assists and steals in his fifth collegiate season last year.
Brown was a staple of the Bobcats’ roster for five years, starting 82 of his career 125 games. Although rarely a consistent double-digit scorer, Brown was one of Ohio’s most valuable defenders and functioned as a knockdown shooter on offense.
Another new pro coming from Ohio is Gabe Witznitzer. He, Hunter and Brown are helping to establish Ohio as a pathway to professional basketball for the players worthy of being recruited.
“We recruit high character guys … guys that love the game of basketball and want to go pro,” Ohio coach Jeff Boals said. “Last year, we had three guys graduate, three guys go pro.”
Transfers and freshman
Ohio made two splash moves in the transfer portal, bringing in graduate student Vic Searls from Ashland and junior Jackson Pavaletzke, formerly of Iowa State and Wofford. Each will hold significant roles early on.
As a freshman, Paveletzke won Southern Conference Rookie of the Year for Wofford and then transferred to Iowa State, where he played in every regular season game for the No. 8 ranked team in the country.
Searls spent four years for Division II Ashland, where he was a productive team staple and is now seeing his first opportunity at the Division I level.
“Both of them have been fitting seamlessly from day one,” Boals said. “We’re very fortunate to have those two. They’re both going to contribute from day one.”
Along with the team’s transfers, Ohio has brought in one of the team’s highest-ranking freshman classes of all time. Three-star recruits Ayden Evans, Elijah Elliott and Jesse Burris will likely see minutes in 2024-25.
Ohio also brought in three-star Kiir Kuany from Melbourne, Australia and walk-on Chase Boals, son of Jeff Boals. Kuany will redshirt and not join the team until December due to visa complications, while Chase Boals will miss his freshman season with an ACL tear.
“I really like the group (of freshmen) we have,” Boals said. “It’s a great group of high-level kids and high-level players.”
Upperclassmen leaders
Ohio’s main source of value on the roster will come from its deep group of returning talent. Highlighting this group is Preseason All-MAC First Team selectee, senior AJ Clayton. Clayton was selected to the All-MAC Team in his junior season, averaging 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
“It’s hard to believe (Clayton) just turned 20 recently, and he’s had a great summer for us,” Boals said.
Alongside Clayton is Ohio’s group of four juniors: AJ Brown, Aidan Hadaway, Elmore James and Ajay Sheldon. Brown missed a majority of his sophomore year with a torn labrum following a MAC All-Freshman Team selection in 2022-23. James, Hadaway and Sheldon all played major roles for Ohio in year two and will look to grow into leaders on a team with conference championship aspirations.
“Those core four guys … they’ve made a big jump sophomore to junior (year),” Boals said. “To have four guys like that who’ve been in the program for two years, and even AJ Clayton who’s been in it for three, those guys lead the way.”
Schedule and expectations
Ohio added some big games against formerly ranked opponents in its nonconference schedule. Starting the season in Harrisonburg, Virginia Nov. 4, Ohio will play James Madison, which peaked at No. 18 in the AP Poll last season.
Less than two weeks later, Ohio will once again be on the road against a formerly ranked opponent, this time, Memphis, which peaked at No. 10 Nov. 15.
“We have a lot of teams on our schedule that will be picked 1-2-3 in their conference,” Boals said. “It’s a very challenging mid-major schedule. The Myrtle Beach (Invitational) has a lot of high-level teams.”
Ohio will look to challenge itself throughout the season, but that is in large part due to the expectations this team has. Regardless of where they sit on polls to start the season, this is a team that believes it is capable of great things.
“We want to get closer as a team every day, get better every single day,” Boals said. “Have a growth mindset and play our best basketball in March.”
