We finally know where former Ohio State forward Alonzo Gaffney will be heading for the next step in his career. When the 6-foot, 9-inch forward committed to the Buckeyes, he was a five-star prospect with a seemingly limitless ceiling. And while that rating slipped a wee-bit to a high four-star recruit, big things were still expected from the extremely long and athletic No. 2 rated player in the state of Ohio.
But Gaffney could never solve the riddle of the OSU depth chart. He started the year with some significant minutes, but as the Big Ten season wore on, his minutes dwindled and it became a rare sight for him to enter any game of significance with much on the line. He struggled with the physical nature of the Big Ten and turned the ball over far too often for a guy not counted on to bring the ball up the court.
Gaffney then became missing from the team for unknown reasons. First it was messaged as an undisclosed illness, but then his absence continued without much to go on. In the end, there seemed to be something in the works for a decision to leave the program because Gaffney then entered the transfer portal after announcing that he would turn professional.
Now, after hearing nothing for quite some time, he will be headed to junior college and transferring to Northwest Florida according to a release from the University.
“It’s a great feeling to join a program like Northwest Florida and I can’t wait to start the process of preparing for the season,” Gaffney said in a statement. “I have a great a connection with Coach (Butch) Pierre. The environment at NWF is great, it just felt like the right fit.”
Northwest Florida head coach also seemed pleased to announce such a player coming to his program.
“He is a great addition to our program and will impact our team greatly,” Pierre said. “He has incredible athleticism, the ability to make big time plays and defend all five positions. Alonzo has the potential to play at the next level, he’s a game-changing player.”
Gaffney averaged 1.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and shot 56.5 percent from the field on 6.8 minutes per contest during his freshman year at Ohio State.
