Ohio State Lands Commitment From Louisiana Transfer Guard Cedric Russell
According to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, Ohio State has landed a commitment from Louisiana transfer guard Cedric Russell.
The 6-foot-2 and 190-pound Russell averaged 17.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Ragin’ Cajuns to be named first-team All-Sun Belt last season. He picked the Buckeyes over finalists Marquette, Oklahoma, St. John’s and Texas Tech.
Russell, who entered his name into the transfer portal on June 30, fills the roster spot vacated by Duane Washington Jr. after he announced last week that he would remain in the NBA Draft instead of return to school for his senior season.
A senior with two seasons of eligibility remaining, Russell will provide some shot-making ability and a veteran presence to a backcourt that also lost guard C.J. Walker to graduation.
“If we add another player it’s really going to have to be the right fit,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said during an appearance on 97.1 The Fan's The Buckeye Show on Thursday evening. “We love Duane and obviously would’ve loved to have him as a senior, but I think for us it has to be the right fit for our roster if we’re going to add another perimeter player.”
The key in Russell’s recruitment was new assistant coach Tony Skinn, who recruited Russell when he was at Louisiana Tech. He never visited campus but was able to learn a lot about the program through multiple Zoom meetings with the coaching staff.
“Our relationship is great," Russell told 247Sports national recruiting analyst Dushawn London. "On our Zoom, we talked about how I would fit into their system and how they see me helping the team. We went over the pieces they lost and how I could potentially step into that role and how we can both benefit from the decision, so it went well.
“It's no secret that they lost their top scorer, so me averaging 18 a game last year, I would come in to score the ball, play the combo, be in different pick and roll situations and help with scoring.”
A former three-star prospect from Alexandria (La.) Peabody Megnet, Russell now joins Penn State graduate transfer Jamari Wheeler, fifth-year senior Jimmy Sotos, sophomore Meechie Johnson and incoming freshman Malaki Branham in the Buckeyes’ backcourt.
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