Ohio State’s Sensabaugh remaining in NBA draft
What’s been expected for weeks is now official. After one standout season at Ohio State, Brice Sensabaugh will remain in the NBA Draft and not return to college for a second year.
OSU’S leading scorer this past season, Sensabaugh was named to the Big Ten’s all-freshman team.
In 33 games including 21 starts, Sensabaugh averaged 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 48.2% from the floor, 40.5% from 3 and 83.0% from the free-throw line. He finished the year among the top five freshmen in Ohio State history in six offensive categories, and he was the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since D’angelo Russell in 2015.
Sensabaugh’s season ended early when a knee injury suffered in the Big Ten Tournament kept him out of the Buckeyes’ final two games. He officially put his name into the NBA draft in late March while keeping open the option to return to college.
Sensabaugh has since solidified as a first-round projection. While attending THE Foundation’s Spring Festival, an NIL fundraiser at Value City Arena on April 20, Sensabaugh told The Dispatch that it would be difficult to imagine returning to school if he would be taken in the first round.
“That’s what I’m hearing, yeah,” Sensabaugh said of the likelihood of going in the first round. “I think it’s going to be tough (to decide), but at the end of the day, I think I’ll have that gut feeling. I’ve gotten some good feedback so far. Just keep riding that out and keep working and see where it takes me.”
He has signed with Wasserman Media Group and has been training in Los Angeles. Sensabaugh was invited to the NBA combine, where he met with teams but did not participate in workouts or physical testing. Typically, players who are told they will be taken in the first round will hold themselves out of the competitive portions of the event.
The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the draft and retain their collegiate eligibility was May 31 at 11:59 p.m.
Sensabaugh is the second Buckeye in as many years to become a one-anddone player. Malaki Branham, the 2022 Big Ten freshman of the year, was taken by San Antonio with the No. 22 overall pick in last year’s draft.