After taking mental health absence, Ohio State freshman D.J. Carton to transfer
After taking a leave of absence from the team in January, Ohio State freshman D.J. Carton is planning to transfer.
Carton announced his decision on Thursday morning on social media.
LOVE THIS PLACE...❤️ thank you for everything buckeye nation! pic.twitter.com/buWtEkCaWO
— DJ Carton (@DJCarton) March 19, 2020
“After some careful thought and consideration, I have decided to make a fresh start and enter the transfer portal,” he wrote, in part. “I wish coach [Chris] Holtmann and my teammates the best of luck next year.”
Carton stepped away from the program in January to focus on his mental health, which he said at the time just wasn’t at “100 percent right now.”
“I have been suffering with mental health issues for a couple years,” Carton said at the time, in part. “I have been through a lot. I’m disappointed to say I’m not 100 percent right now.
“I am not doing my teammates justice if I don’t work on this now.”
He did not return to the team.
The Iowa native averaged 10.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and three assists in 20 games for the Buckeyes, playing nearly 24 minutes per contest and starting three times in his freshman campaign. He dropped a team-high 17 points in his final game with the program, too, leading the Buckeyes to a 12-point win against Northwestern. No. 19 Ohio State finished the year with a 21-10 record and started out the year on an impressive 12-0 run with marquee wins against Kentucky, Penn State and Villanova.
Carton was a Rivals.com four-star recruit and the No. 6-ranked point guard in his class. It’s unclear where he will transfer to, however, he chose Ohio State over offers from Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan and Creighton, among others.
"We 100 percent support D.J. in this decision and we genuinely wish him all the best moving forward," Ohio State said in a statement, via ESPN. "We appreciate all he contributed to our program. We will assist him in any way we can."
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