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Big Ten Basketball: Ohio State has void at PG following DJ Carton’s departure

By Daniel Benjamin

COLUMBUS, OHIO - NOVEMBER 22: D.J. Carton #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes brings the ball up the court in the game against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons during the second half at Value City Arena on November 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - NOVEMBER 22: D.J. Carton #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes brings the ball up the court in the game against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons during the second half at Value City Arena on November 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Big Ten Basketball
COLUMBUS, OHIO – NOVEMBER 22: D.J. Carton #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

This first edition of the Big Ten Basketball Notebook will look at DJ Carton’s transfer as well as Nebraska’s interest in Trey McGowen and Minnesota’s interest Morris Udeze among other items.

2019 four-star recruit DJ Carton announced that he would transfer from Ohio State on Thursday via twitter after one season with the Buckeyes.

"“Buckeye Nation, I first want to say thank you to all the Ohio State fans who supported me during the difficult times I went through this year. I also want to thank the university, my teammates, the coaches and all of the staff who went above and beyond to help my family and me this year. “After some careful thought and consideration, I have decided to make a fresh start and enter the transfer portal. I wish Coach Holtmann and my teammates the best of luck next year. Please respect my decision.”"

Carton made an immediate impact in his first season in Columbus and was expected to be the team’s point guard of the future. The 6-2 point guard averaged 10.4 points along with 3.0 assists, 1.2 3-pointers, and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 47.7% from the field along with 40% from beyond the arc in 20 games this past season. He scored in double-figures on 12 occasions before taking a mental health break. Carton returned to school in late February but did not play again for the team.

With Carton out of the picture, Ohio State currently has just four scholarship guards on the roster CJ Walker, Luther Muhammad, Musa Jallow, and Duane Washington Jr.  Walker, who is the only pure point guard on the roster, played his best basketball at the end of the season, where he scored in double-figures in each of his last six games and doled out at least five assists on three occasions during this stretch. Washington served as Walker’s defacto back up, and he did a decent job though his efficiency dropped late in the season. Plus, Washington is more of a two-guard. Muhammad and Jallow, who sat out this past season with an ankle injury, are also better off the ball.

Coach Chris Holtmann is bringing in Eugene Brown III though the four-star recruit is more a shooting guard than a lead man. A possible option, as an on-ball playmaker, could be 6-6 wing Justice Sueing. Sueing, sat out this past season as a result of the NCAA’s transfer rule, averaged 14.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists at California in 2018-19. Ohio State has reportedly reached out to Wichita State’s Jamarius Burton and could pursue UConn’s Alterique Gilbert. Gilbert would be eligible immediately as a grad transfer.

Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers is reporting that Georgia Tech, Auburn, DePaul, and Colorado State are among the teams that have already reached out to Carton.

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