“When I went in the (transfer) portal, I had no idea what to expect,” said Noel, who spent five seasons with the Raiders including a traditional redshirt year and an injury redshirt season. “I wasn’t sure who might reach out, what that would look like. And then, you know, Ohio State was one of the first people to reach out. Checked all the boxes I had. A lot of things made sense, so I just made that decision.”
The 6-foot-8 Noel was a stalwart for the Raiders for the last three seasons.
He averaged 13 points and 8.7 rebounds en route to being named Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2023 and scored 14.5 points per game the following season while shooting 40% from 3-point range.
Last season, he repeated as an All-Horizon League second-teamer while averaging 19 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
That made him a sought-after player in the transfer portal five years after leaving Chillicothe without much fanfare.
“When I went to college, I never thought it would turn out like this, to be honest with you,” he said. “First off, I didn’t expect to be in college for six years. That’s something I don’t think anyone ever plans on, but in my case, it did, and I was given the opportunity to have this last year somewhere else, and I jumped on it.”
The portal has streamlined the recruiting process over the past few seasons but also fostered an explosion in player movement.
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Unlike high school recruiting, which tends to play out over months or even years as players and potential coaches get to know each other and figure out what they are looking for in a player and college, respectively, portal recruitments tend to be more like speed dating as coaches work to fill holes in their roster quickly and players look to grab roster spots before they are gone.
“It’s just as crazy you’re gonna read,” Noel said. “Between me, my agent, I couldn’t tell how many calls and texts and and stuff like that that he took and I took. It’s just crazy. It’s not exactly for the weak at heart.”
With the Buckeyes looking to end a three-year NCAA Tournament drought and become relevant in the Big Ten race again, Noel appears to be part of head coach Jake Diebler’s attempt to remake his front court.
He brought in not only Noel but also veteran transfers Josh Ojanwuna from Baylor and Christoph Tilly from Santa Clara after watching his team get abused inside during the conference season last winter.
“I’m pretty versatile player,” Noel said. “I like to play on both ends — offensively, defensively, in the post, out of the post, shoot 3s. I try and guard a lot of different positions. I like my switch ability — guarding guards and guarding bigs. I just think I’m very versatile.”
Credit: Marcus Hartman/STAFF
Credit: Marcus Hartman/STAFF
He also understands there can be a learning curve going from the Horizon League to the Big Ten.
More of Ohio State’s transfers have failed than worked out over the past few seasons, and Noel needs only to look at former teammate Tanner Holden to see an example.
Holden was a two-time All-Horizon League first-teamer before transferring to Ohio State in 2022.
The multitalented wing played in 27 games for the Buckeyes, but then-head coach Chris Holtmann was unable to find a consistent role for him, and he transferred back to Wright State for his final season of college basketball after averaging 13.5 minutes per game for the Buckeyes.
“I probably played six or seven high-major games in my career thus far, and I’m getting ready to play a schedule full of 25-plus high-major games, so it’s going to be definitely an adjustment,” Noel said. “There’s going to be some new things I’m not used to, but I’m gonna have to tackle that head on. And, you know, I got my guys around me that’ll back me up and be right there with me.”
However the next nine months turn out, Noel is happy with his time at Wright State.
“A lot of good moments, good memories,” Noel said. “There’s not too much I would change, if anything at all, from my time at Wright State.
“I’ve learned so much from my teammates, my coaches, just everyone that was involved in my process there has taught me so much, and I’m grateful for everything that happened there. That’ll still always be family to me at the end of the day, just like I hope when I’m done here this year. So again, it was a great experience, and there’s a lot that I learned that I can definitely take up to Ohio State.”
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