Micah Parrish is No. 5 in our Ohio State men’s basketball preseason power rankings

The first year of the Jake Diebler era will feature the most scholarship players in Ohio State men’s basketball history.

Technically, the Buckeyes will feature a full complement of 13 scholarship players for the 2024-25 season. Yet as Ohio State has built its roster for the year and sustained a summer injury to a projected rotation player, first-year coach Jake Diebler was able to add one more piece to the puzzle as a walk-on whose NIL compensation will cover the costs of enrolling at Ohio State.

Projected to finish eighth in the annual unofficial media poll conducted jointly by The Dispatch and The Indianapolis Star, the Buckeyes aim to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing out during each of the last two seasons. Ohio State went 22-14 last season as Diebler was named coach after having taking over midseason on an interim basis.

Sifting through a 16-man roster featuring nine new faces including two walk-ons requires effort, and The Dispatch has you covered. To get ready for the season, The Dispatch is once again rolling out its annual preseason power rankings. Each weekday leading into the Nov. 4 season opener against Texas in Las Vegas, we will count upward while projecting which players will have the biggest roles on the 2023-24 season. This isn’t just a measurement of who will lead the team in any particular statistical category, but a series of educated guesses on which players’ contributions will go the longest way toward where the Buckeyes finish.

The series enters its final week today with fifth-year guard Micah Parrish.

No. 5 – Micah Parrish

Position: Guard

Eligibility: Fifth year (zero remaining)

Height/weight: 6 feet 6 / 205 pounds

Jersey number: 8

Major: Human development and family science

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Micah Parrish’s background

A Detroit native, Parrish grew up watching his father and his friends play summer league rec ball before eventually adopting the sport as his own.

In three years at River Rouge, Michigan, Parrish helped his high school to a 95-14 record that included two conference titles and one appearance in the state championship game. During his senior year, though, Parrish had earned just one Division I scholarship offer. It came from Detroit Mercy but was eventually rescinded, leading Parrish to weigh a number of Division II and III options. Instead, he opted for a post-graduate year, where he helped Gilbert (Arizona) Hillcrest Prep to a 30-5 record.

It resulted in one scholarship offer. Greg Kampe called, and Parrish signed with Oakland University in the 2020 class as a two-star prospect according to the 247Sports.com rankings. He immediately slotted into a starting spot, averaging 10.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists while starting in 57 of 59 games during two seasons with Oakland.

Jul 9, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Micah Parrish passes during a summer workout in the practice gym at the Schottenstein Center.

The goal had been for Parrish to eventually transfer to the high-major level, and in 2022 he entered the transfer portal and committed to San Diego State after also receiving interest from West Virginia, Colorado State, Michigan State, Alabama and Illinois, among others. In his first season with the program, the Aztecs reached the national championship game as he averaged 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game.

That season, Parrish scored 15 points, pulled down five rebounds and helped San Diego State beat Ohio State 88-77 on the first day of the Maui Invitational.

In four years of college basketball, Parrish has averaged 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He’s a career 42.8% shooter and 33.2% 3-point shooter. In nine NCAA Tournament games, Parrish is 7-2 and has averaged 6.3 points per game.

Parrish was rated the No. 334 player in the 2024 transfer portal according to 247Sports.

Micah Parrish’s 2023-24 season recap

After San Diego State’s run to the title game, Parrish moved into the starting lineup and started 36 of 37 games as the Aztecs went 26-11, earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost – again – to UConn in the NCAA Tournament. This time, it was a Sweet 16 defeat, and Parrish entered the transfer portal.

He opened the year with a season-high 17 points in an 83-57 win against Cal. St. Fullerton. Parrish scored in double figures in 18 games and finished the year averaging 9.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a career-high 1.9 assists while playing 27.5 minutes per game.

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Parrish was named to the Continental Tire Main Event all-tournament team as San Diego State beat Saint Mary’s and Washington.

Parrish finished with a turnover rate of only 9.2%, the 108th lowest mark in the nation according to KenPom.com. In his fourth year, Parrish shot a career-low 29.2% from 3-point range while attempting a career-high 149 shots from deep.

He has missed three games in four years and did not miss a game during two seasons at San Diego State.

What you need to know about Micah Parrish

His full name is Micah-Immanuel Parrish. His father, Emanuel, based it on the Old Testament in the bible. It translates to, ‘Just like Yahweh, God is with us.’ Two of his siblings also play basketball: his sister Evangelina is a senior on Chicago State’s team and Elijah plays for Rochester Christian University. His father grew up as a Michigan fan who enjoyed the Wolverines’ famous Fab Five recruiting class.

Parrish is the first Ohio State player to wear No. 8 since Charles A. Ropes. He averaged 1.7 points and appeared in 43 games, lettering in 1954-55. While in high school, Parrish was coached by LaMonta Stone, who had been an assistant coach at Ohio State from 2002-04. Parrish’s favorite NBA player is Kawhi Leonard.

While at Oakland, Parrish was named to the Horizon League’s all-freshman team in 2021 and all-defensive team in 2022. He was a two-time freshman of the week in 2020-21.

In high school, he ran track and was part of the 200- and 400-meter relay teams. He has participated in community service events through his partnership with THE Foundation, the men’s basketball program’s primary name, image and likeness collective.

Mar 24, 2024; Spokane, WA, USA; San Diego State Aztecs guard Micah Parrish (3) dribbles the ball in the second half against the Yale Bulldogs at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Micah Parrish’s 2024-25 season outlook

A priority target for the Buckeyes in the transfer portal, Parrish arrives at Ohio State with a reputation as a gritty, physical defender. In choosing the Buckeyes, Parrish said he was looking for a chance to play closer to home, finally play in the Big Ten and also be allowed to assume a more significant offensive role.

A likely small forward/extra guard hybrid player, Parrish will be counted on to bring his experience in a winning culture to Ohio State. Not only has he been part of two teams to at least make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament but Parrish’s 135 career games rank him in the top five nationally among active college basketball players.

As part of a backcourt featuring Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson Jr., both of whom figure to take a lot of shots for Ohio State, Parrish will have opportunities as a second offensive option who can score in a variety of ways. He’ll also be expected to help distribute the ball while helping to anchor an Ohio State defense that opens the year in need of an upgrade.

“Being able to have toughness, play defense every possession, taking no breaks off, that’s what I can bring here,” Parrish said at Ohio State’s media day. “The hard work that it takes to win.”

In Ohio State’s 80-62 exhibition loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 18, Parrish led the Buckeyes in shot attempts (12) and tied for the scoring lead with 11 points. He was 3 for 12 from the field, 1 for 6 from deep and had three turnovers in 23:58. For Ohio State to reach its ceiling, Parrish will need to be more efficient and take better care of the ball, because he figures to be a key contributor on both ends of the court.

He also stood alongside Thornton and Johnson as the Buckeyes and Bearcats met for the pregame captains’ meeting at midcourt of Fifth Third Arena.

There could be a few nights where Parrish leads the Buckeyes in scoring, but his overall value as a veteran defender and team leader figure to have him in the thick of Diebler’s plans.

“We’ve had really big plans for Micah from the moment we started recruiting him,” Diebler said during the summer.