Felix Okpara to return to Ohio State: 'I'm back'
Ohio State Buckeyes big Felix Okpara had a tough decision ahead of them this offseason: stay with the program, declare for the 2024 NBA Draft, or enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. But it appears as if that decision was not too difficult as he has already decided on his future in Columbus, OH.
On Monday, Okpara revealed that he would be returning to Ohio State for the 2024-25 season. And he did so with this message attached.
“I am excited and grateful to announce that I am 100% committed to running it back with OSU and Buckeye Nation! [I] Can’t wait to start a new chapter with Coach Diebs, my returning teammates, and the new staff and players to get to Ohio State back to our rightful spot at the top of the Big Ten,” said Okpara via X.
“Thank you for the love and support from the fans and fellow students, and a special thanks to The Foundation, my family, and THE Ohio State University family for being with me through this amazing journey.”
Ohio State adds new hoops assistant
Ohio State is adding a familiar face to a prominent role on new coach Jake Diebler‘s staff, tapping USC Upstate coach Dave Dickerson to be the new associate head coach, according to a report from analyst Jeff Goodman.
Dickerson and Diebler worked together at Ohio State from 2013-16, when Diebler served as the program’s video coordinator and Dickerson was the associate head coach.
The now-former USC Upstate coach was actually on staff at Ohio State longer than Diebler during that time period. He served with the Buckeyes from 2010-17 and spent six seasons as associate head coach on Thad Matta‘s staff.
The new arrival to the Buckeyes’ staff has spent the past six seasons at USC Upstate, where he helped guide the Spartans to one of the most successful runs in school history.
USC Upstate reached the semifinal round of the Big South Men’s Basketball Championship twice in a row in 2022 and 2023. USC Upstate set a program record for conference victories in the Big South in 2021-22 with 10.
Dickerson has more than 20 years of college coaching experience with stops at Gardner-Webb, James Madison, Radford, Maryland, Tulane and Ohio State.