Why did Jaedon LeDee transfer from Ohio State? San Diego State star to play vs UConn in March Madness

Austin Curtright, USA TODAY NETWORK

San Diego State's Jaedon LeDee has been one of the best players in college basketball, but it took him a long road to get there.

LeDee, a redshirt senior who sat out the 2021-22 season due to transfer rules, is averaging 21.5 points with 8.4 rebounds per game on 56.4% shooting this season, up from a previous career-high of 7.9 points per game last season. He has scored 32 and 26 points in San Diego State's two wins to reach the Sweet 16 so far.

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LeDee, who's set to face 1 seed UConn in the Sweet 16, actually started his career at Ohio State, but transferred to TCU after his freshman season. LeDee played at TCU for two seasons before making the move to the Aztecs, where he appeared in 39 games and San Diego State's national championship run.

The 6-foot-9 forward scored seven points in 18 minutes against UConn last season in the national championship, but is primed for a much bigger role this time around.

Here's why LeDee transferred from Ohio State:

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Why did Jaedon LeDee transfer from Ohio State?

LeDee appeared in 26 of Ohio State's 35 games as a freshman in 2018-19, averaging 3 points in 6.6 minutes per game.

The former four-star recruit, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings, saw his playing time diminish down the stretch, which likely played a role in his decision to leave for TCU.

LeDee also spoke about his decision to leave the Buckeyes in 2022, before San Diego State faced Ohio State in the Maui Invitational.

“The Big Ten is really big, really physical and I get that," LeDee told The Dispatch. "You look at me and I’m a big, physical kid for sure, but I just wanted to expand my game a little bit. I hadn’t had much post experience coming into college but going against (former OSU forward) Kaleb (Wesson) every day I learned real quick. Opportunity to show more, that’s what I thought. That’s really what it was.”

LeDee, a Houston native, opted to return back to Texas to play for TCU for two seasons. He wasn't much of a factor there either, averaging 2.7 and 5.8 points per game, respectively, in his two seasons there while averaging 11.7 and 15.2 minutes per game.

LeDee then transferred again, to San Diego State, where he sat out the 2021-22 season due to being a second time transfer, before establishing himself as a key part of the Aztecs' NCAA Tournament run to the national championship (where they lost to UConn) last season.

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Jaedon LeDee stats

  • Season averages (San Diego State): 21.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 56.4% shooting

  • 2022-23 (San Diego State): 7.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 48.9% shooting

  • 2021-22 (San Diego State): Redshirted

  • 2020-21 (TCU): 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 steals, 53.8% shooting

  • 2019-2020 (TCU): 2.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 52.3% shooting

  • 2018-19 (Ohio State): 3.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.1 steals, 38.3% shooting

Jaedon LeDee 247

LeDee was the No. 103-ranked recruit nationally in 2018, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings. He was also the No. 22 power forward and No. 5 player in Texas.

He held offers from Baylor, Houston, Texas, Arizona and UCLA, among numerous others.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why did Jaedon LeDee transfer from Ohio State? SDSU star prepares for Sweet 16

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