Jamari Wheeler Stays in Big Ten, Transfers to Ohio State
The Penn State Nittany Lions have officially lost their first player to the transfer portal as Jamari Wheeler announced Tuesday his decision to transfer to Ohio State.
The guard announced his decision in a post via Twitter where he thanked Penn State and the fans in the first of three paragraphs. Wheeler also thanked former head coach Pat Chambers and his staff. Although that staff did include last year’s interim head coach Jim Ferry, he did not directly thank the coach in his post.
Wheeler was the most likely of the six Nittany Lions to enter the portal to follow through with the decision, as he was the only one to say goodbye in an Instagram post days after Penn State’s season ended. The announcement also comes on the same day that the Nittany Lions officially introduced Micah Shrewsberry as their next head coach.
Wheeler enjoyed a breakout season last year as the Nittany Lions’ starting guard. The academic senior put up 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while also being one of the best in the country in the steals department, posting 1.8 per game. Wheeler has one more year of eligibility due to COVID-19.
Wheeler was always known for his defensive energy with the Nittany Lions, but he made major improvements on his 3-point jumper late in the year. He showcased that offensive ability in the Big Ten tournament where he posted a career-high 19 points against Nebraska.
Wheeler was also a role player on the Penn State team that took home the NIT championship back in 2018.
Wheeler will now join an Ohio State team that finished near the top of the Big Ten and entered March Madness as a No. 2 seed. Although the Buckeyes were upset by Oral Roberts in the first round, they’re still a team with conference and national championship aspirations, and Wheeler adds defensive prowess and depth to that roster.
With Wheeler leaving and Izaiah Brockington returning, that leaves five Penn Staters still in the transfer portal—Myreon Jones, John Harrar, Trent Buttrick, Patrick Kelly and Seth Lundy—many of whom played a major role on the Nittany Lions last season.
Logan Bourandas is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
