Ohio State’s Jamari Wheeler says goodbye, thanks Buckeye Nation
Jamari Wheeler wasn’t a Buckeye for long, but he’ll be a Buckeye for the rest of his life. The point guard spent one season as a member of the Ohio State men’s basketball program, but the fact that he wore the scarlet and gray for the last several months, helping this team succeed on the court is enough.
Wheeler announced his transfer to Ohio State late last March. After spending four seasons at Penn State and failing to make the NCAA Tournament in any of those years — it’s possible the Nittany Lions would have made it in 2020 but the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Wheeler wanted the opportunity to play in the Big Dance.
He got that. After helping the Buckeyes to a 19-12 season and a three-way tie with Iowa and Rutgers for fourth place in the Big Ten standings, the Scarlet and Gray were named a No. 7 seed in March Madness and took on No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago in the first round. Ohio State won that game 54-41, with Wheeler contributing four points, four rebounds and one assist in his NCAA Tournament debut, before losing to No. 2 seed Villanova 71-61 in the second round.
On Thursday, Wheeler posted a goodbye to Buckeye fans on his Instagram page following his one year in Columbus:
I want to start off by saying thank you Buckeye Nation , Coach Holtmann and his staff and also my teammates #Team123 for making OSU feel like a home from day one. This place is ever special to me and will hold a special place in my heart. Thank y’all for excepting me and rocking out with me this. year. This year was a lot of fun and memories I will never forget. Being able to play in march madness really was a dream come true. The love y’all showed me was. unbelievable. I can’t thank y’all enough. With that being said I will chase my dream and pursue my professional basketball career. I will hire an agent and entering my name in the 2022 NBA Draft. Without GOD I wouldn’t have made it this far. Thank y’all Buckeye Nation. I’m proud to be a Buckeye
5ive!Love
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In his one season with the Scarlet and Gray, Wheeler started all 31 games he played and averaged a career-high 7.1 points while shooting 45.8 percent from the court and 38.8 percent from three-point range. The point guard also contributed 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists and was 10th in the Big Ten with 1.3 assists per game.
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