COLUMBUS — Ohio State finally knows how long Lee Aaliya will be a Buckeye. The program announced Wednesday morning that it has received a final NCAA ruling on the 21-year-old forward’s eligibility: Aaliya, who arrived on campus in August after playing professionally in Spain, will have three years of collegiate eligibility, giving coach Jake Diebler a potential cornerstone in the post through the 2028-29 season.
The Buckeyes never doubted the 6-foot-9, 235-pound native of Argentina would be cleared to play, but they needed the NCAA to determine how much eligibility his professional experience would cost him. The roster had listed Aaliya as a “first-year player” rather than assigning him a class.
Aaliya will not play in Wednesday’s outdoor exhibition against Cincinnati in Mason, however. The Buckeyes said he is out with an illness — one of two Ohio State players sidelined for the CareSource Invitational doubleheader at the Lindner Tennis Center. Reserve guard Myles Herro, who redshirted last season, is also out for an unspecified reason.
Wednesday’s games — Ohio State vs. Cincinnati at 3 p.m., followed by Xavier vs. Dayton at 5:30 — are the first-ever outdoor college basketball doubleheader in Ohio and will have no television broadcast, only radio and audio streams.
Diebler and the Buckeyes open the season with their biggest roster question settled. Aaliya’s arrival was one of the most scrutinized moves of the offseason, and the three-year ruling gives Ohio State long-term certainty at a position it has lacked.