Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes have made two transfer portal additions to this point. It appears the Buckeyes could be on the brink of making another with a new guard in the mix.
The Ohio State basketball program has had a busy time with the transfer portal since it opened last week. Ohio State is up to five departures through the portal with two players picked up the same way.
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Ohio State has landed former Cal guard Justin Pippen, as well as ex-Kentucky forward Andrija Jelavic. The Buckeyes still need more guard help and the latest player they’ve been connected to fits the bill.
Buckeyes in on Big 12 standout in the transfer portal
According to 247 Sports’ Dushawn London, Ohio State will have a Zoom meeting with Kansas State transfer guard Abdi Bashir Jr. on Thursday. Bashir entered the transfer portal after one season with the Wildcats and spent the first two years of his college career at Monmouth.
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Bashir is a 6-foot-7 guard with a slender build who averaged 13.2 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 44 percent from three-point range in 18 starts with Kansas State this past season. Bashir suffered a fractured foot in January and was never able to return for the Wildcats.
In 2024-2025, Bashir averaged 20.1 points per game at Monmouth while making just under four three-pointers a game. The scoring ability from deep got Bashir into the high major radar and he looked the part in 18 games there with Kansas State.
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Bashir would bring terrific shooting ability, ideally off the bench for the Buckeyes. A player who could fill the role of the departed Taison Chatman, but brings better shooting and scoring ability. Ohio State will start the new transfer Pippen alongside John Mobley Jr. in their backcourt next season, as long as Mobley withdraws from the NBA Draft process.
Ohio State still needs a couple of more additions, but Bashir would be a fun one to make it past the first wave of the college basketball transfer portal. The Buckeyes’ bench lacked scoring threats last season and it’s an area they have to be better going forward.
