Ohio State lands commitment from Memphis transfer guard Curtis Givens III

Ohio State has secured a key piece for its 2026-27 roster, landing former Memphis and LSU guard Curtis Givens III out of the NCAA Transfer Portal on Thursday.

The Memphis native is coming off a resurgent second season, averaging 9.4 points, 2.3 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game for the hometown Tigers. He shot 43% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc as well, knocking down 35 treys for Penny Hardaway and Co.

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Givens started 15 of the 25 games he appeared, missing nearly a month at the beginning of the season due to injury. He finished the season as the team’s third-leading scorer and was second in assists behind senior guard Dug McDaniel. His assist percentage (16.6) was ranked in the top-20 in the American Athletic Conference for the year as well.

It was a significant rebound from a tough first season at LSU, where he averaged 4.8 points per game but shot just 27% from the field and 25% from three. He opted to enter the portal after his lone year in Baton Rouge and found some home cooking back in Memphis.

But after a 13-19 finish, Hardaway’s coaching staff and roster were almost completely overturned ahead of what will be a pivotal year next season.

Buckeyes retooling roster for another NCAA Tournament run

The 6-foot-3 Givens, meanwhile, will be a major addition for the Buckeyes. Head coach Jake Diebler is replacing star guard Bruce Thornton, who averaged nearly 20 points per game while earning All-Big Ten honors last year. OSU also graduated senior center Christoph Tilly and saw talented wing Devin Royal enter the transfer portal as well.

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Sophomore guard John Mobley (15.7 PPG) entered his name into the NBA Draft process, but is maintaining his college eligibility.

The Buckeyes have already added some key pieces prior to Givens, securing Duquese guard Jimmie Williams, Kentucky transfer forward Andrija Jelavic, and ex-Cal guard Justin Pippen, the son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen.

Williams was an All-Atlantic 10 performer last year, scoring better…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-lands-commitment-memphis-171851430.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-23 17:18:00

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