Gene Brown announces he will enter transfer portal after three seasons at Ohio State

Mar 30, 2023 - 10:33 PM

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Less than a month after Ohio State’s season officially ended with it being excluded from the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a 16-19 overall record, a huge domino dropped in what is sure to be an interesting and rapidly evolving off-season. Gene Brown, a third-year guard from Conyers, Georgia who has appeared in 77 games for the Buckeyes, announced he will enter the transfer portal, ending his career at Ohio State.

Brown has never shown the offensive chops needed to crack the starting lineup consistently, but has been a valuable bench piece for the Buckeyes when healthy. He was also a fan and locker room favorite, going by the nickname “Gene Bean” with his teammates and always bringing energy off the bench when given the opportunity. With Brice Sensabaugh likely heading to the NBA and Justice Sueing moving on from college, Brown may have seen increased opportunities next season. Despite this, he will move on and seek a new program for the 2023-2024 season.

A four-star recruit in the 2020 class that also included Zed Key and Meechie Johnson, Brown’s transfer now leaves Key as the only member of the 2020 class still on the Ohio State roster. Brown dealt with injuries throughout his time in Columbus. Most notably, Brown dealt with two concussions — one during his sophomore season against Xavier and another this past season right before games began in November.

Brown played in 22 games this past season — starting one — and averaged 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest. He shot 53.1% overall and 37.5% from beyond the arc, but it was a small sample size, as he only took 32 total shots during his 22 games. For his career, Brown averages an almost identical 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Brown is listed as a guard on Ohio State’s official website, but guarded every position as a Buckeye, including some time guarding 7-foot-4 Purdue center. Zach Edey this past season.

In addition to Ohio State, Brown was also recruited heavily by Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Xavier, and Louisville. He has two years of eligibility left, including the extra COVID season granted after the 2020-2021 season.

Good luck to Gene wherever he winds up!