Oklahoma State Guard/Forward Isaac Likekele Transferring To Ohio State

The Buckeyes fill their final roster spot with a versatile veteran who has 110 career starts under his belt.

Author:
Andrew Lind
May 4, 2022 12:55 PM EDT

In this story:

Oklahoma State guard/forward Isaac Likekele announced on Wednesday he is transferring to Ohio State, where he’ll have just one season of eligibility remaining after taking advantage of the extra year granted to all student-athletes amid the pandemic.

A former three-star prospect from Mansfield (Texas) Timberview, the 6-foot-5 and 215-pound Likekele has played in 114 games for the Cowboys over the last four seasons, including 110 starts. He averaged 8.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and is the only player in school history to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 400 assists in his career.

Likekele becomes the third player to join the program through the transfer portal this offseason, joining Wright State guard Tanner Holden and West Virginia guard Sean McNeil. His addition puts the Buckeyes right at the 13-man limit, but also addresses a need in both the frontcourt and backcourt, as he can play anywhere from point guard to power forward in smaller lineups.

Ohio State was initially looking to land a big man with that final roster spot, but after losing Malaki Branham to the NBA Draft, Meechie Johnson to the transfer portal and Jamari Wheeler, Cedric Russell and Jimmy Sotos to exhausted eligibility, it made sense to add someone with Likekele’s overall versatility.

Likekele likely steps into the starting role at point guard, where his backup will be incoming freshman Bruce Thornton, while Holden, McNeil, junior Eugene Brown III and incoming freshmen Roddy Gayle and Bowen Hardman round out the roster at shooting guard.

Coincidentally, the football and men’s basketball programs have now added a transfer from Oklahoma State this offseason, as fifth-year senior safety Tanner McCalister followed new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Stillwater to Columbus.

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