Ohio State adding former Sinclair basketball standout as transfer

The 6-3, 210-pound McNeil is a two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention who averaged 12.2 points per game and shot 36.8 percent from 3-point range last season.

He also averaged 12.2 points per game the previous season after contributing 5.5 in his first season in Morgantown.

Prior to that, McNeil was a sensation at Sinclair, where he led the nation in scoring (29.7 points per game) and was a National Junior College Athletic Association Division II First Team All-American and the national freshman of the year.

He went over the 30-point make 15 times for the Tartan Pride and set a school record with 55 points against Bryant and Stratton.

The Cooper High School product drew close to 100 Division I schools to Dayton to recruit him as his star rose in the winter of 2019.

He chose the Mountaineers from a final six that also included Dayton, Texas Tech, Oregon, Mississippi and Western Kentucky.

Ohio State’s roster will look much different this fall than it did when the Buckeyes exited the NCAA Tournament with a second round loss to Villanova in March.

Leading scorers E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham both entered the NBA Draft, though Branham left open the possibility of returning for his sophomore season after going through pre-draft evaluations in May.

Forward Kyle Young and point guard Jamari Wheeler exhausted their eligibility while reserve point guard Meechie Johnson and wing Justin Ahrens (of Versailles) entered the transfer portal and Cedric Russell, Jimmy Sotos and Joey Brunk are out of eligibility.

The Buckeyes return big man Zed Key, who averaged 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds last season, and Eugene Brown III, who started 10 games and averaged 3.5 points per game, but not much else if Branham stays in the draft.

Coach Chris Holtmann’s team could get a boost from veterans Justice Sueing and Seth Towns if they can get and stay healthy.

Towns did not play last season after having back surgery, but reports indicate he will give it another go thanks to the extra year granted all players as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Sueing has announced he will also take advantage of that opportunity after an injury cost him all but four games this past season.

Wright State transfer Tanner Holden will also suit up for Ohio State after averaging 20.1 points per game for the Raiders last season. The All-Horizon League performer figures to be a key player for the Scarlet and Gray, especially if Branham stays in the draft.

Holtmann is also likely to rely heavily on a freshman class ranked No. 5 in the nation by 247Sports.

Four-star point guard Bruce Thornton of Alpharetta, Ga., headlines the class. He is the No. 42 prospect in the country while center Felix Okpara of Branson, Mo., is No. 50 and Pleasant, Utah, guard Roddy Gayle Jr. is No. 59. Filling out the class are forward Brice Sensabaugh of Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Fla., and guard Bowen Hardman of Cincinnati Princeton.

Sensabaugh is the No. 61 prospect in the country while Hardman is No. 301.

Kalen Etzler, a legacy forward from Van Wert, Ohio, will also join the active roster after taking a redshirt last season.