Fri, Mar 25, 2022

Liddell scored nearly 1,300 points in three seasons with the program

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State junior E.J. Liddell has declared for the NBA Draft and will forego his senior season. The Belleville, Ill., native was a two-time first team All-Big Ten honoree and a consensus All-American this season.

“I’m really excited for EJ as he begins his NBA career,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “He has developed and grown significantly as a player every single year as a Buckeye, and that will continue to be the case as an NBA player. E.J. has represented our program at the highest level with his excellent play, leadership and of course, his trademark smile. E.J. will always be a Buckeye. We love you, my man.”

Link to Liddell’s Announcement

The expectation level was high this year for Liddell, and yet, he enjoyed his best collegiate season. Liddell averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.5 assists per game. Over the last 30 years, he is just the third player to average those numbers over a full season, joining Jason Thompson of Rider and Tim Duncan of Wake Forest.

As a freshman in 2019-20, he came off the bench in all 31 games and averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. Last season as a sophomore, he shifted his game and played the center position for the majority of the season, averaging 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor. He earned first team All-Big Ten honors and thrust himself into the national spotlight.

Liddell served as a captain this season. He scored in double figures in every game and had 13 games of 20 or more points. Liddell became the 33rd Buckeye in program history with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He finished with 1,298 career points which is 32^nd on the program’s all-time scoring list. Liddell is also seventh in school history with 143 career blocks.

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