Ohio State Will Not Play in Crossover Classic, Jimmy Sotos Waiver Appeal Approved
As basketball season quickly approaches, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann shared on his personal Twitter account that the Buckeyes have two major pieces of news to share.
First of all, the team will not be playing in the Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to open the season later this month. The team had been committed to playing in that showcase tournament after the Bahamas-based Battle 4 Atlantis was canceled because of the pandemic.
Ohio State was scheduled to open the season against Memphis. Coach Holtmann says they hope to announce a new schedule soon, perhaps within the next 10 days or so.
Sources tell Eleven Warriors that the decision not to play in South Dakota in a few weeks is due to South Dakota's seven-day rolling average of positive CoVID-19 cases. The current rate is 50.6 percent. Ohio Department of Health recommendations for Ohio citizens traveling to South Dakota include a 14-day quarantine, which is not a realistic option for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is the second school to withdraw from the tournament, after Utah bowed out of the event last week. At this point, Memphis, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Creighton, Wichita State, Dayton and South Dakota State are still supposed to play in the event.
The other important update is team-personnel related, and it's fantastic news for the Buckeyes. Ohio State has learned that Jimmy Sotos will be immediately eligible to play this year after his transfer waiver was approved by the NCAA. Sotos came to Ohio State from Bucknell and there was serious concern he wouldn't be available this season after the NCAA initially denied his waiver, but the Buckeyes were successful in appealing the original ruling.
“I’m happy for Jimmy and his family,” said Holtmann. “I’m also thankful for the hard work that our compliance office put in to get this matter resolved with a positive outcome for Jimmy. He has been working hard to prepare for this season.”
This is especially important because it comes on the heels of the team announcing yesterday that Abel Porter's career has suddenly ended. Porter had transferred to Ohio State from Utah State and he was diagnosed with a previously undiscovered rare heart disease.
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