Ohio State signed all four members of the team’s 2024 recruiting class over the last couple of days, adding a sharpshooting guard, a versatile wing and two future post players for the Buckeyes.
The first member of Ohio State’s class was Cincinnati Purcell Marian forward Seini Hicks (6-0), who committed to the Buckeyes on April 10.
“Super excited to add Seini Hicks to the program,” head coach Kevin McGuff said. “She’s a great young woman and going to add so much to our team and culture, but an exceptional athlete who I think is just starting to scratch the surface of her game.”
Hicks averaged 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds on 42.1 percent shooting last season for West Clermont, though she will play her senior season at Purcell Marian. She is the brother of Cincinnati Withrow five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. (6-5, 185), who is committed to the football team’s 2026 recruiting class.
Joining the class in June were Concord (N.C.) J.M. Robinson forward Ella Hobbs (6-4), Flowery Branch (Ga.) Buford guard Ava Watson (5-8) and Helsinki, Finland, forward Elsa Lemmilä (6-6). Beginning with Hobbs, who pledged on June 11, she is the No. 92 overall prospect in the class, according to ESPN, and averaged 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game last season.
“Ella’s going to bring a tremendous amount to our program,” McGuff said. “She’s a great kid, she’s a big, strong physical presence around the basket, but she’s also got the perimeter skills to be really effective in our system.”
Watson, ESPN’s No. 51 overall prospect in the class, followed shortly after on June 17. She averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 4.3 steals last season for Buford.
“Ava Watson’s going to be a terrific player at Ohio State on both ends of the floor,” McGuff said. “She’s a great defender who will be exceptional in our press. She’s also a great scorer, going to add some outside shooting we really need.”
Lemmilä — who also holds dual Finnish and United States citizenship, and pledged to the Buckeyes on June 27 — averaged 15.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 blocks last season while shooting 54.7 percent from the field for Tapiolan Honka, a basketball club in Espoo, Finland.
She appeared in 27 games with 16 double-doubles, and had a double-double in 10 of her final 11 games of the season. She also played with Finland in the U18 European Championship last year, averaging 12.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks across six games, with Finland going 3-3 at the event, and has also played for the Finnish national team.
“Elsa’s going to be a tremendous player at Ohio State,” McGuff said. “She’s incredibly talented, she’s a great athlete, she can score around the basket, but she’s also got great perimeter skills that’s going to be a great fit in our system.”
At 6-6, Lemmilä is expected to be the tallest player on Ohio State’s roster since center Lisa Blair, also standing at 6-6, played for the Buckeyes from 2012-15.
