NCAA Tournament hopes helped lead Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle to Ohio State
The goal for Jamison Battle’s senior year was simple to define.
Having been raised in the culture of the DeLaSalle program as a youngster, Battle played his first two years at rival Benilde-St. Margaret's School before transferring before his junior year. The move was about more than just basketball, but it gave him a chance to help the Minneapolis power capture what would be a seventh consecutive Class AAA state championship.
Instead, the Islanders fell in the state semifinals. It would be considered a successful season at most schools, but not for Battle and his teammates. And when DeLaSalle brought home its 12th championship in 2019, it was a sense of fulfillment for Battle.
“You go into DeLaSalle, tradition is everything,” Battle told The Dispatch. “It’s a testament to all the hard work you put in. That really showed to me that I’ve grown as a leader, I’ve grown in my game and it was a pretty cool thing to be able to go out and win state.”
A transfer. Falling short of goals. Then a shot at redemption. The same script could play out this year for Battle, a fifth-year forward who will finish out his collegiate career at Ohio State after two years at George Washington and, most recently, two years at hometown Minnesota.
There’s a lot that has gone into each move along the way. This time, there’s a goal atop the list for his season with the Buckeyes.
“I’ve been in college for four years and I haven’t played in the (NCAA) Tournament,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve had a winning season. My ultimate goal is just to help contribute to winning for this team.”
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Jamison Battle ‘embraced the process’ at an early age
Todd Anderson had been familiar with Battle for years before getting the chance to coach him. A longtime assistant at DeLaSalle who is now the head coach, Anderson was on the staff when Battle started coming to youth camps and went on to play against the Islanders for the Christian Brothers Cup.
From a young age, Anderson said, Battle set himself apart.
“The first thing that sticks out about Jamison is he’s a great kid,” Anderson said. “Personable. Easy to talk to. He’s just got a zest for life that’s infectious and contagious. When you talk to him you’re like, ‘Man, I really like this guy.’ When you first met him as a kid, that’s exactly what you’re thinking. Then after that, watching him play, he’s always had a great shot.”
Those attributes didn’t guarantee him anything at DeLaSalle, the coach said, but they did put him in position to have success. Battle took it from there, going on to average 21.2 points and 9.0 rebounds while earning second-team all-state honors as a senior and scoring 26 points in the championship game while playing alongside AAU teammate and friend Tyrell Terry, a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
The two remain close. During the weeks in between Minnesota’s season ending and his move to Ohio State, Battle came to DeLaSalle for morning workouts and shooting drills with his former coach.
“The thing that sticks out the most is that he embraced the process and he was coachable,” Anderson said. “He controlled two things: attitude and effort. He brought the right attitude and the right effort every day and fought through some challenges and I think that’s why he became the player he is.”
Battle said his decision to move to DeLaSalle had as much to do with the inclusive culture of the school that he described as a melting pot. Basketball was a factor, he said, but not the only factor. That desire to feel included in a community has remained a constant, leading him first to Washington D.C. and then back home to Minneapolis before now onto Ohio State.
George Washington was on a short list of schools recruiting him, but the chance to live in the nation’s capital was so enticing to Battle that it was the only official visit he took before signing to play for coach Maurice Joseph. Before Battle arrived on campus, Joseph was fired and replaced by Jamion Christian. The team went 12-20 in Battle’s first year, then managed to play only 17 games during the 2020-21 season that was heavily impacted by COVID-19.
Owing to a concussion and a stretch of 35 days without a game for the program, Battle went from Jan. 3 through Feb. 21 without playing a game. And with much of the city closed due to COVID regulations, Battle took the opportunity to return to Minnesota and play for newly hired coach Ben Johnson.
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In his two seasons, Battle averaged 15.1 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 33.9% from 3-point range as the Golden Gophers went 22-39 and finished at the bottom of the Big Ten standings each season. Battle considered going the professional route before deciding to utilize the extra year of eligibility afforded to all athletes who participated during the 2020-21 season.
Leaving was a difficult decision, both Battle and Anderson said. Johnson is a DeLaSalle grad, as is assistant coach Dave Thorson. But like in high school, Battle said he was ready for a change.
“I learned a lot there under coach Johnson,” Battle said. “I can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to play at the highest level in the best conference. As I thought about it more and more, that was something: looking back on it, man, I didn’t have the best year. I think there’s still a lot more that I left out on the table.”
Why did Jamison Battle commit to Ohio State?
While Battle said he viewed a fifth year of college as a luxury, a personal drop-off in production due in part to a foot injury that sidelined him for the first four games left the veteran feeling he still has something to prove. Plus, the desire to play in an NCAA Tournament is real.
Both goals are achievable with the Buckeyes, he said, solidifying his decision to transfer to another Big Ten program – albeit one coming off its worst record in 25 years. Ohio State finished 16-19, lost 14 of 15 games (including a home date with Battle’s Gophers) and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
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“I think you look at what Ohio State did last year to end the season,” Battle said. “The way they played in the (Big Ten) Tournament, you’ve got guys who were starting to understand and come into their own to realize what Big Ten basketball was and how to play well and how to play together. That’s something that’s really appealing to me and I think you’ve got the right group of guys and a lot of people here who want to win.”
After the aforementioned losing streak, Ohio State closed the season with five wins in its final seven games. The Buckeyes became the first Big Ten team to play on Wednesday of the conference tournament to reach Saturday’s semifinals and will return second-year players Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara and Bruce Thornton while enrolling a top-10 freshman class.
Ohio State will be young again, but Battle believes it’s a chance to blend his experience with the team’s youth to help get the Buckeyes back into March Madness.
“Coming to Ohio State, it’s a new chapter,” he said. “It’s something that I’m really looking forward to because of the history and culture that coach (Chris) Holtmann has in his time here but not only that but the history and culture that’s been at Ohio State, that’s been established, and that’s something I’m really looking forward to, to try to go out here and win games.”
Battle figures to slot in as a starter with an opportunity to be the team’s leading scorer. Ohio State will be counting on him to shoulder a significant role after losing forwards and primary scorers Justice Sueing and Brice Sensabaugh to the professional ranks.
Specific roles will be defined in the coming months. For now, Battle said he’s just looking forward to getting acclimated with his new teammates and starting the process of figuring out how his talents can help this team.
It’s not too different than what Anderson witnessed, six years and four schools ago.
“What’s important is that Jamison wants to win,” the coach said. “He came from a program in high school that wins. Everything that I’m hearing from him is that he had a great feel when he came to Ohio State to visit and had that same kind of feeling from the staff and players and he’s excited about that.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Shot at March Madness helped lead Jamison Battle to Ohio State
