With each passing game, fifth-year senior guard Jamari Wheeler is becoming more comfortable with his role in the Ohio State men’s basketball program.
That was especially clear when the Penn State transfer scored a season-high 16 points, including a pair of three-pointers in overtime, to lead the Buckeyes to a win at Nebraska on Sunday evening.
Through 12 games this season, Wheeler is averaging 6.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. It’s effectively the same stat line he averaged last season with the Nittany Lions, with only the assists and rebounds switched.
The biggest difference, though, is that Wheeler feels his transfer to Ohio State put him in a position to compete for a Big Ten and national championship in his final season at the college level. And so far, it’s been everything he hoped.
“Other than the games that got cancelled, everything else,” Wheeler said during his media availability this week. “I’m glad I made the decision to come here. Just starting with just the love (from fans), the locker room, the coaches and things like that, then also just the basketball.
“We’re playing at a high level every night, just playing with my teammates, being on the court with them, me expanding my game and getting better. It’s been everything I wanted and I wished for. Now we just have to go finish and get us some championships.”
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