The Ohio State Buckeyes recently welcomed freshman Harrison Hookfin to their roster as a walk-on for the 2018 to 2019 season. The new forward is the 14th player on the roster and is set to start playing once the NCAA clears him.

Bio

During Hookfin’s junior and senior year, he underwent an advantageous growth spurt and now reaches a height of 6’5. Weighing 220lbs and named the Athlete of the Week by the Drayton Daily News, Hookfin has a promising career as a college basketball player.

Harrison Hookfin played for the Warriors high school basketball team in his hometown of Lebanon, Ohio. After the Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann professed his desire to increase the player size of his roster, Kyle Davis discovered Hookfin, who is now #42 on the Buckeye’s team.

In his interview with the Dayton Daily News, Hookfin remarked that his father, who pushes him to be better, is his greatest influence. In addition, he named Lebron James as his favorite pro athlete because the basketball superstar is a great role model. While Hookfin is also pursuing a college career in basketball, he also plans to enter medical school and study to be a doctor.

Playing Ability

Ohio State’s new forward played a pivotal role in his high school basketballs team’s success. Averaging 14.2 points per game and shooting 52.2 percent from the floor, Hookfin helped his team finish the season with a 14-8 advantage. Not to mention, 34.3 percent of his successful shots were from the 3-point range, and he acquired 7.1 rebounds for the Warriors during his last high school season.

What Harrison Hookfin Can Offer

Hookfin can offer much more depth and size to the Buckeyes. After the stress fracture to starting forward Kyle Young and Micah Potter’s transfer, Ohio State needed to find an adequate size replacement. With a height of 6’8, a points average of 7.3, and a 4.8 rebound average, Kyle Young played an instrumental role in the Ohio State team. Hookfin, with a similar height and impressive playing abilities, cannot only fill an important space in practices, but he can also help improve the overall playing dynamic of the Buckeyes.

Although it’s still unclear when Kyle Young is expected to return, coach Holtmann announced on January 16 that Young would be out on injury for several weeks. With Hookfin’s arrival and impressive past stats, he is expected to offer much needed assistance to the Buckeyes.

Micah Potter’s release came as a significant surprise. The team had expected Potter to emerge as a leader during the 2018/19 season. Due to Young’s injury and Potter’s release, Hookfin will be a much needed addition to the team, both on the practice and game court.

Ohio State

Starting at 13-1, Ohio State Buckeye’s experienced a five game losing streak, its longest in 21 years. However, after the 70-60 win against Nebraska on January 26, the Buckeye’s broke this losing streak.

On February 2, Ohio State won 76-62 against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Despite the absence of Kyle Young, the Buckeyes achieved another win. With Kaleb Wesson scoring 27 points and C.J. Jackson scoring 20 points, the Ohio State’s leading forward and point guard brought the team to victory. Once Hookfin is cleared by the NCAA, the Buckeyes will undoubtedly experience many more wins.

Sources:
https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/ohio-state-basketball-adds-lebanon-grad-roster/A5PHU46QdZBUo1RKVlux1N/
https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/roster/harrison-hookfin/
https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2019/01/ohio-state-basketball-loses-kyle-young-to-leg-injury.html
https://247sports.com/college/ohio-state/Article/BREAKING-Elite-DE-Jack-Sawyer-commits-to-Ohio-State-128644181
https://www.whio.com/sports/ohio-state-basketball-adds-lebanon-grad-roster/A5PHU46QdZBUo1RKVlux1N/
https://www.buckeyextra.com/sports/20190128/ohio-state-mens-basketball--buckeyes-add-harrison-hookfin-as-walk-on
https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/roster/kyle-young/
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=401082524
https://www.thelantern.com/2019/02/mens-basketball-kaleb-wesson-c-j-jackson-lead-ohio-state-to-76-62-win-against-rutgers/
https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/athlete-the-week-harrison-hookfin-lebanon-high-school/c6ZCDsBnQo4c9otnnQT1pM/