Incredibly, Porter was a walk-on at Utah State until Jan. 24, 2019, when he and a teammate, Justin Bean, were awarded scholarships.
ON THE COURT
Nothing Porter does will blow anybody away. He's not a flashy player or a high-powered scorer.
But as a veteran who averaged 25.6 minutes per game as the starting point guard on a Utah State team that went 26-8 and finished last season by upsetting San Diego State to win the Mountain West tournament championship, he'll provide the Buckeyes with a steady, if unspectacular, pass-first option in its backcourt. He'll serve as a backup to CJ Walker and Duane Washington Jr., both of whom will start at guard next season.
Porter played sparingly in his first two years at Utah State before becoming a full-time starting guard midway through his redshirt sophomore season. Here's a look at the stats across his final two years as an Aggie:
- In 2018-19: 21.6 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.8 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 turnovers, 42 percent shooting, 40.5 percent from 3-point range, 71.2 percent from the free-throw line
- In 2019-20: 25.6 minutes, 5.6 points, 3.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 turnovers, 38.2 percent shooting, 29.7 percent from 3-point range, 76.1 percent from the free-throw line
Not once at Utah State did Porter ever lead his team in points in a single game, though he scored in double figures nine times last season. As a Buckeye, Porter will again serve as a complementary offensive piece who facilitates more than anything else. Each of the past two seasons, he had a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in the Mountain West in that category last year.
Porter won't impress with his athleticism or scoring acumen. But as an older-than-average fifth-year senior guard, he will give Chris Holtmann and his staff a veteran facilitator who'll be fine coming off the bench as the Buckeyes chase their ultimate goals as a team.
