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Ohio State center won’t request immediate eligibility waiver

Marshall Plumlee, Trevor Thompson

Duke’s Marshall Plumlee, right, guards Virginia Tech’s Trevor Thompson (32) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. Duke won 66-48. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

AP

After averaging 5.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest as a freshman at Virginia Tech last season, 6-foot-11 center Trevor Thompson made the decision to transfer, ultimately landing at Ohio State. For quite some time the assumption was that the Indianapolis native would take the step of applying for a waiver that would grant him immediate eligibility, and had it been approved Thompson would have supplied the Buckeyes with some additional front court depth.

However a waiver request was never filed, and Monday evening Thompson announced via his Twitter account that he will sit out the 2014-15 season.

According to Bob Baptist of the Columbus Post-Dispatch, the reason for a waiver request would have been the fact that Thompson’s father needed to undergo neck surgery. Father and son discussed the matter, ultimately deciding that Trevor would be better off using this season to improve his game with an eye towards being a key contributor for the Buckeyes in 2015-16.

“He and I talked about this year and agreed if he sits out and works hard, gets stronger, he can dominate in 2015-16 and help Ohio State win a national championship,” Ryan Thompson said in a text message.

Ohio State has experienced options in the paint, with Temple graduate transfer Anthony Lee joining seniors Trey McDonald and Amir Williams. Lee averaged 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest last season, making him the Buckeyes’ most productive returnee in the paint. Williams (7.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg) posted the best averages of his career last season, and McDonald (2.0, 1.7) will need to raise his production in 2014-15.

Also of note in Baptist’s report is that 6-foot-10 freshman center David Bell is expected to redshirt this season.

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