Former Ohio State guard Luther Muhammad announced his decision to transfer to Arizona State on Tuesday night.
“I picked Arizona State because I believe coach (Bobby) Hurley is a great coach,” Muhammad told 247Sports. “He wants and lets his guards create a lot and is a very intense coach that demands the best out of his guys.”
A four-star prospect from Jersey City (N.J.) Hudson Catholic, Muhammad averaged 7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in two seasons with the Buckeyes. He announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on April 5, reportedly seeking a more prominent role on offense.
Muhammad picked the Sun Devils over finalists New Mexico, Seton Hall, UCLA and West Virginia. He has two years of eligibility remaining, but must sit out 2020-21 season due to NCAA transfer rules unless he receives a waiver for immediate eligibility.
Ohio State’s roster has undergone a significant makeover in recent weeks, as guard D.J. Carton entered the transfer portal on March 19, Harvard forward Seth Towns announced his decision to join the Buckeyes as a graduate transfer on March 21, forward Alonzo Gaffney left the team in order to pursue a professional career on March 22, center Kaleb Wesson declared his intention to enter the NBA Draft on April 1, Muhammad entered the transfer portal on April 5, Bucknell guard Jimmy Sotos announced his commitment to Ohio State on April 6 and Utah State guard Abel Porter picked the Buckeyes as his transfer destination on April 11.
Despite the turnover, head coach Chris Holtmann feels confident in the program’s direction.
“I feel as good about this roster leading into the offseason as I’ve felt in any offseason,” Holtmann said on a teleconference with reporters on April 14. “I just feel really good about the young guys, our older guys, the leadership. And there’s no question we’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do with losing (Kaleb and graduating senior Andre Wesson), but I feel as good as I’ve felt as a head coach heading into the offseason just about the collection of guys, young and old, that we’ve added and that we have on our roster.”
Ohio State is reportedly scheduled to open the upcoming season against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Nov. 10 or 11.
