Adam JardyColumbus Dispatch
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There were a number of moves and decisions that ultimately led center Felix Okpara to enter the transfer portal. Two difficult years, the opportunity to play closer to his family and the decisions of multiple other former Ohio State men's basketball players all had some say in Okpara’s decision to transfer to Tennessee.
A little more than a week after his entry into the portal, though, Okpara was clear about one thing that had no impact on his decision.
“Me and (Aaron) Bradshaw, we’re completely different players,” Okpara said. “It really had nothing to do with him.”
Instead, Okpara outlined a stressful series of events that took him from an emotional end to his sophom*ore season to a move to the Volunteers with a public recommitment to Ohio State sandwiched in between. The Buckeyes bowed out of a tumultuous season with a 79-77 loss to Georgia in the quarterfinals of the NIT on March 26, entering the first offseason with Jake Diebler as coach.
At that point, the Buckeyes had an opportunity to return a number of players critical to the team’s strong close to the season with Diebler in charge. The opportunity to return in 2024-25 with classmate Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Evan Mahaffey, among other players, factored heavily into Okpara’s plans. So on April 1, Okpara posted a now-deleted graphic to his Instagram account announcing that he was “100% committed to running it back” in order to “get Ohio State back to our rightful spot at the top of the Big Ten.”
The chance to play for Diebler with those same guys weighed heavily on Okpara’s decision. That same day, Scotty Middleton entered the portal. Then, on April 3, Gayle announced that he was, too. Two days later, Zed Key announced the same. In all, five Buckeyes including Okpara have transferred out of the program.
“I decided to come back then, then guys started leaving,” Okpara said. “At that point, I didn’t feel like I really made the best decision for myself. I was going off what other people were doing. My family, we talked a lot and they’re like, ‘We’ve got to do what’s best for you. You have two more years of college basketball. You have to make the best for it.’ ”
That started some tough evaluations, Okpara said. On April 15, the Buckeyes landed a commitment from Bradshaw, a former five-star recruit who played one season at Kentucky. A 7-foot-1, 225-pound center, Bradshaw was billed as a player who would both compete and share time with the 6-11, 235-pound Okpara.
Within a week, Okpara had decided to enter the portal, but the process had started before Bradshaw’s addition.
“Bradshaw didn’t really have anything to do with this,” Okpara said. “When I committed to come back, then when everyone started leaving I started questioning. That had been going on for like a week before Bradshaw even committed.
“The main rundown is I want to do what’s best for me, and I felt Ohio State wasn’t best for me at that point because the last two years wasn’t the best. My family felt I needed a change and I kind of felt I needed a change, too.”
In two seasons with the Buckeyes, Okpara averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while appearing in 70 games including 45 starts. As a sophom*ore, he increased his averages to 6.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while cementing himself as Ohio State’s starter. Along the way, the Buckeyes went 38-33 overall, 14-26 in the Big Ten and missed out on the NCAA Tournament in both seasons. On Feb. 14, Ohio State fired Chris Holtmann, the coach who had signed Okpara out of high school.
Okpara said that he was happy for Diebler getting the job and that he “loved everything he did the last few games,” adding that he felt more comfortable leaving the program because of Bradshaw’s addition.
Then it was time to pick a new school, and the process didn’t take long. A native of Nigeria, Okpara emigrated to the United States and has been legally adopted by parents who reside in Chattanoga, Tennessee. Before committing to the Buckeyes, Okpara was recruited by the Vols and built a connection with coach Rick Barnes, and that quickly came into play this time around. Plus, it’s about an hour drive from home.
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“They’re a really good defensive team,” Okpara said. “They’ve had success. The last five years they’ve been top-five defensively in the country, and I’m a defensive player. I feel I can come in produce right away. They have a really good coach, Rick Barnes. I feel like I can learn a lot from him.”
Okpara has two seasons of college basketball remaining, and from a distance he said he’ll remain a fan of the Buckeyes. In particular, he said, he’ll be watching when Ohio State plays Michigan with Gayle now on the opposite side of the rivalry.
At Tennessee, Okpara said he’s focused now on writing a strong close to his career.
“I was thinking of my last two years playing college basketball and how I want to make it better and at least win and go to the (NCAA) Tournament,” he said. “I was at a point where I had to decide what’s going to be best for me. It’s been really tough, these last two years at Ohio State, basketball-wise. It was a personal decision.”
ajardy@dispatch.com
