Ohio State sophomore guard Bowen Hardman entered his name in the transfer on Thursday after two seasons with the Buckeyes.
Hardman, a former three-star prospect out of Cincinnati Princeton High School, saw limited action in his short Ohio State career, logging just 3.8 minutes and 1.8 points per game in 25 appearances from 2022-24. He did make a slight impact from beyond the arc in his two seasons in Columbus, however, netting 13 of his 29 three-point attempts, good for 44.8 percent.
While Hardman’s defense mostly prevented him from garnering significant playing time from either former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann or recently hired program leader Jake Diebler, his success as a spot-up three-point shooter did earn him a slight uptick in minutes this season.
Coming off a freshman season where he saw playing time only at the end of games that had already been decided, Hardman earned his first impactful minutes as a sophomore with Holtmann at the helm, logging eight or more minutes of action in conference games against Nebraska on Jan. 23, Northwestern on Jan. 27, Wisconsin on Feb. 13. Hardman’s impact was most felt in Ohio State’s road loss to the Huskers, where he scored a career-high 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-7 shooting from deep.
Hardman’s playing time was diminished when Diebler took over as interim head coach on Feb. 14, with the sophomore failing to earn more than five minutes of action in his final six appearances. He did make an impact in Ohio State’s win over Cornell in the NIT, though, connecting on his single three-point attempt with 5:07 in the second half to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 74-69.
“Bowen stepped up,” Diebler said last Friday when asked about Hardman’s impact in the NIT. “We needed some shooting at that time. I told him this, ‘If you have any little space, you have to let it fly.’ It was a courageous shot, really.”
With Hardman leaving the program, Ohio State will — at least, for now — have four scholarship players returning to its backcourt for next season, a group that includes starting sophomores Gayle and Thornton sling with true freshmen Taison Chatman and Scotty Middleton. Ohio State will also welcome Mount Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy four-star combo guard Juni Mobley (6-0, 150) to the team next season.
