Ohio State basketball was hosting a Louisville transfer when the Thad Matta news broke

Ohio State’s decision to part ways with basketball coach Thad Matta was swift. It was reported by 247Sports that the team was hosting a prospective Louisville transfer, Jay Henderson, along with coach Rick Pitino when the news came down. Adam Jardy later confirmed the report that the Buckeyes were hosting a recruit.

Matta and Pitino are well-known friends, so it’s tough to say what the news will mean for Henderson and his interest in the program. The Buckeyes need to add more bodies to the roster, and quickly, and the first step could be a Big Ten legacy — Henderson’s father played basketball for Penn State from 1986-1990.

Henderson was a walk-on guard for the Cardinals, and announced his decision to transfer in early-May. He was with the team for two seasons and earned playing time in 27 total games, 10 his first year and 17 in 2016. In those 27 games, he went 6 of 23 field goals (26.1%), 4 of 11 in the paint (36.4%), 2 of 12 from the arc (16.7%), and 4 for 4 free throws, scoring 18 total points. He also claimed five each of rebounds, assists and steals, in addition to eight personal fouls.

The 6’4, 180-pound guard is still hoping to reclaim some of his success from high school, where he attended Lake Highland Prep in Orlando. He was honored twice on the state all-tournament team, ranked among the top 25 prospects from Florida as a senior and scored over 1,100 points in his final three season at Lake Highland Prep. Henderson led his high school team to two Florida Class 4A state championships, scoring 15 points with seven rebounds in the his second straight title win in 2014.

Coming out of high school, Henderson had offers from schools like Purdue, Dayton, Seton Hall, Florida State, and Stanford but ultimately chose to walk-on at St. John’s. He didn’t end up playing ball his freshman year, with a plan to join the team for his sophomore season... the best laid plans. St. John’s ended up going through a coaching transition in 2014-2015, and Henderson no longer had a spot on the roster.