Jamison Battle is No. 2 in our Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings

Men’s basketball season is about to get underway, and it’s time to dive into the Ohio State roster.

After a 16-19 record that caused the Buckeyes to miss the postseason for the first time in coach Chris Holtmann’s six seasons with the program, Ohio State returns several key core players while adding a highly rated freshman class and a three-man transfer group all expected to make significant impacts.

To get ready for the season, The Dispatch is once again rolling out its annual preseason power rankings. Each day leading into the Nov. 6 season opener with Oakland, we will count upward while projecting which players will have the biggest roles on the 2023-24 season. This isn’t just a measurement of who will lead the team in any particular statistical category, but a series of educated guesses on which players’ contributions will go the longest way toward where the Buckeyes finish.

The series reaches the top two with fifth-year forward Jamison Battle.

No. 2 – Jamison Battle

Position: Forward

Eligibility: Fifth year (zero remaining)

Height/weight: 6 feet 7 / 220 pounds

Jersey number: 10

Major: Sport coaching (masters)

Background

It’s been long journey for Battle, who will play his final season of college basketball with his third different team. A native of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, Battle starred at perennial power DeLaSalle, helping the Islanders reach the state semifinals as a junior and capture a championship as a senior in 2019. In his final game, Battle scored 26 points in the championship after scoring 21 in the semifinals while playing alongside AAU teammate and friend Tyrell Terry, a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA draft. Battle was a second-team all-state selection after averaging 21.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

Battle signed with George Washington and was an unranked prospect in the 247Sports.com rankings. It was the only official visit Battle took, and he would spend two seasons with the Colonials (now called the Revolutionaries) that were marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. He set a program record for made 3-pointers in a season (89), made the Atlantic-10 all-rookie team and averaged 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 2019-20.

George Washington Colonials forward Jamison Battle (10) reacts after making a go ahead three point field goal against the Fordham Rams in the final minute of the second half in the first round of the 2021 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament at at Stuart C. Siegel Center.

The following year, Battle dealt with a concussion as the program endeavored to play through the pandemic. He played in 15 of George Washington’s 17 games, averaging 17.3 points and 5.2 rebounds before deciding to enter the transfer portal. He quickly found a home back home, transferring to the University of Minnesota to play for first-year coach Ben Johnson.

In his first year with the Golden Gophers, Battle led the team in scoring (17.5 points per game) and rebounding (6.3) while earning honorable mention all-Big Ten honors. He passed the 1,000-point career scoring mark on a Minnesota team that started 10-1 but finished 13-17 and put up a career-high 39 points in a loss at Maryland on March 2, 2022.

In four years of college basketball, Battle has averaged 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds. He’s a career 35.0% shooter from 3-point range and has never averaged fewer than 6.4 3-point attempts per game in a season.

2022-23 season recap

It wasn’t the final college season Battle had hoped for, so it proved to not even be his final college season. Slowed early by an early-season foot surgery and spent much of the season trying to get back to form. A team captain, Battle averaged 12.4 points per game and played in 27 games as Minnesota went 9-22.

“Obviously having an injury last year didn’t help,” he said. “You’re never 100% coming back from an injury, especially coming back in the season because you’ve got guys who have been in a flow together.”

Battle missed the first four games of the year and started all 27 games upon his return, but his production dipped in nearly every major statistical category. His 31.1% shooting mark from 3 marked a career low, as did his 3.8 rebounding average and overall shooting mark of 37.1%. EvanMiya.com ranked Battle as the fifth-least effective defender in the Big Ten.

Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell (32) shoots over Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Jamison Battle (10) during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.

At season’s end, Battle planned to start his professional career and told Minnesota that he was leaving the program, but after getting more feedback and analyzing his career to this point, Battle said he decided to enter the transfer portal instead. He was ranked a four-star transfer prospect and the No. 40 overall transfer according to 247Sports.

Ohio State quickly got in contact and now Battle will play his final season with the Buckeyes. ESPN ranks him as the No. 74 impact newcomer in college basketball.

Need to know

Battle can play the saxophone. His sister, Amaya, is a second-year guard at Minnesota who averaged 9.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists last season. Their father, Terrell Battle, played college basketball for Winston Salem State University from 1998-2002. He’s now the senior director for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Basketball Academy.

For a second straight year, Battle will open the season as one of 20 players on the Julius Erving watch list, an award given annually to the nation’s top small forward. He also enjoys soccer. Battle played for D1 Minnesota, the same AAU program as Ohio State freshman guard Taison Chatman.

Battle is 1-2 against Ohio State in his career and has averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 32.6% (14 for 43) from the floor and 27.3% (6 for 22) from 3-point range. In four years of college basketball, Battle has been on teams that have amassed a combined record of 39-71 (.355). He’s never played on a team with a winning record.

“I haven’t won in college,” he said. “I still feel like with the pedigree I had in high school, with the people I’ve been around, it’s understanding hey, I’m not here to mess around. I’m here to win games and contribute to that winning.”

Oct 22, 2023; Dayton, OH, USA;
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) dribbles the ball while waiting for an open pass during their game against the Dayton Flyers on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023 at University of Dayton Arena. — Oct 22, 2023; Dayton, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) dribbles the ball while waiting for an open pass during their game against the Dayton Flyers on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023 at University of Dayton Arena.

2023-24 season outlook

There are scoring options on this Ohio State team, but none as proven in the Big Ten as Battle. A prolific shooter and scorer at every step along the way, Battle comes to Ohio State with a clear goal of helping the Buckeyes not only win but reach the NCAA Tournament.

“Being in the portal a second time, having done it before, you kind of know what you want,” Battle said. “The biggest thing I felt from coach Holtmann is you wanna go where you’re wanted and Ohio State wanted me. From the first phone call, I could tell coach Holtmann was gonna help me get to where I want to get to and I’m gonna help this team get to where the team wants to get to.”

Ohio State lost Brice Sensabaugh to the NBA as a one-and-done player and Justice Sueing to the overseas professional market. Those two combined to attempt 779 of Ohio State’s 2,052 shots (38.0%), and their absences leave a significant hole on the wing that Battle is expected to help fill.

He will start and play heavy minutes for the Buckeyes, who appear to be counting on him as a veteran leader as well. He was one of three representatives at Big Ten media day, which was held back home in Minneapolis. Battle had 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting in the charity exhibition game against Dayton on Oct. 22, and when he missed a “secret” scrimmage against Clemson six days later to deal with a family situation, Ohio State struggled and lost by more than 20.

Battle is a leading candidate to lead Ohio State in scoring and figures to start every game this season. He needs to improve his defense and his rebounding, and Holtmann has challenged him with that.

“He’s a really proven, gifted scorer,” the coach said. “That is what we’ve seen from him so far in the preseason, the fact that he can score the ball. We needed that with the loss of some of our wings, namely Brice and Justice. We knew we needed some scoring. He’s proven that. Now we’ve got to get him to continue to be that guy and then do some things we feel like he needs to do a little better in terms of defending and being a better rebounder on both ends.”

Battle came to Ohio State to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his career. The Buckeyes missed out on March Madness last season for the first time under Holtmann. For everyone to get what they hope for, a bounce-back year from Battle will be key.

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