Former Gophers forward Jamison Battle commits to Ohio State as transfer

Former Gophers forward Jamison Battle announced Thursday on Instagram that he has committed to Ohio State as a transfer.

The 6-7, 220-pound Battle finished last season as the Gophers' second-leading scorer with 12.4 points per game, to go along with 3.8 rebounds per game and team-highs in three-pointers made (59) and free throw percentage (78.1).

Earlier in the season, Battle spoke to coach Ben Johnson about this being his last year with the Gophers because he wanted to pursue a pro basketball career. But Battle was also graduating in May, so he entered the transfer portal shortly after the season.

Battle received heavy interest from many high major programs. He had home visits with Indiana and Ohio State, which were supported by lucrative NIL opportunities.

When asked if he was surprised about Battle entering the portal, Johnson told the Star Tribune last week that "nothing surprised me."

"It really doesn't," Johnson said. "You could be thinking one thing one day and it could totally flip to something else. Again, there's so many options out there now for guys. And guys have the freedom to explore different avenues."

After transferring from George Washington two years ago, Battle became the face of the Gophers program. He led the team in scoring in his first year playing back home in Minnesota, but now he'll be on another Big Ten team's roster to end his career.

The Buckeyes were just 16-19 this past season, which included a home loss against the Gophers. But Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann signed a top-10 recruiting class in the country, including four-star Totino-Grace guard Taison Chatman, the No. 1 senior in Minnesota.

Battle had two points on 1-for-8 shooting in his final game with the Gophers in a Big Ten tournament second-round loss to Maryland in Chicago. He also struggled in his last home game in a loss against Wisconsin.

A preseason All-Big Ten selection, Battle missed the first four games of the 2022-23 season after having foot surgery. He also played with a lingering back injury in conference play, but he posted consecutive 20-point games against Indiana and Northwestern in January.

Battle was held under double figures in three straight games for the first time in his career in February, but he had a season-high 31 points in a loss at Illinois. He also scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half in a victory against Rutgers at home. Battle's buzzer-beating three-pointer helped the U end a 12-game losing streak and erased a 10-point deficit in the last 64 seconds.

The Gophers, who finished 9-22, lost four players to the portal, including starters Ta'Lon Cooper (South Carolina) and Jaden Henley (DePaul) and reserve Treyton Thompson (Stetson). They signed Pepperdine point guard Mike Mitchell Jr. on Tuesday.

"I think our biggest thing is really focusing on the guys who are here and what we can do with those guys to help them get better," Johnson said. "And when we do lose players what can we do to fill that spot — and try to move the needle a bit?"