Ohio State Adds Former NBA Assistant Mike Wells To Basketball Coaching Staff

Ohio State has added an experienced coach to its staff to replace Joel Justus, who left for Vanderbilt in April.

Mike Wells, who was an assistant coach in the NBA for over two decades for six franchises, is joining the Buckeyes for the 2026-27 season.

Most recently, Wells was a head coach in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) for the Adelaide 36ers, but he recently stepped down from that role to return to the United States. Wells was able to lead the 36ers to the NBL Championship Series last season.

Wells began his coaching career in his hometown of Mount Vernon, Ohio, as an assistant at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, where he played college basketball. Then, in 1994, he started with the Rockets, where he was through the 2003-04 season.

He also coached with the Los Angeles Lakers (2004-05), San Antonio Spurs (2005-09), Washington Wizards (2009-11), Utah Jazz (2014-22) and Charlotte Hornets (2023-24). He made other stops in the college game as an assistant with George Mason (2011-13) and South Florida (2013-14).

Ohio State’s assistant coaches now consist of Wells, Dave Dickerson, Luke Simons, Jamall Walker and Brian Walsh.