Former Ohio State guard Scotty Middleton has found a new home, announcing on Wednesday night that he has committed to Seton Hall for the 2024-25 season. He has three years of collegiate eligibility remaining.
Middleton, who announced his decision to join the Pirates on a Twitter post that includes a photoshopped image of him in a blue Seton Hall jersey alongside head coach Shaheen Halloway, transferred from Ohio State on April 1 after just one season with the Buckeyes, where he emerged as one of the team’s top bench players and freshmen with 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game on 39.8 percent shooting.
After a slow start to his freshman campaign, Middleton turned it on towards the end of his lone season in Columbus, averaging 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals in his last eight games on 47.2 percent shooting, including an impressive 65.0 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Middleton had Seton Hall as one of his final three schools — UConn being the other — during his high school recruitment out of Wichita (Kan.) Sunrise Christian, where he was then considered a four-star prospect and 11th-ranked small forward in the nation. The Miami, Fla., native said it was the relationship he built with Halloway during his original recruitment — one that dates back to when he played one season at Union (N.J) The Patrick School during his sophomore season — that ultimately led him to the Pirates.
‘I think it was just my relationship with Coach Sha,” Middleton told NJ.com on April 23. “He and I have had a relationship since my sophomore year at (The Patrick School), so I feel like that relationship has been growing and we just bonded more as time went on.
“He kept recruiting me throughout the entire process. When I entered the portal, they were the first school to reach out to me. Just them constantly reaching out to me and showing that love, it was an easy decision to make.”
Middleton now joins a Halloway-led program that saw seven players enter the transfer portal after a 2023-24 season that ended with a come-from-behind NIT Championship Game win over Indiana State. The Pirates suffered two especially significant portal losses in the backcourt in starting guards Dre Davis and Dylan-Addue Wusu, making the addition of Middleton a welcome sign for a Pirates program looking to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons.
