Men’s Basketball: Ohio State lands 7-footer Christoph Tilly from transfer portal

Noah Weiskopf
Fri, 04 Apr 2025 02:33:03 +0000
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Former Santa Clara player Christoph Tilly scored a double-double against Pacific March 1. Tilly transferred to Ohio State Thursday. Credit: Courtesy of Santa Clara Athletics

The Buckeyes are adding a much-needed player to their frontcourt.

Seven-foot center Christoph Tilly — who spent his first three collegiate seasons at Santa Clara — is transferring to Ohio State, according to his Thursday Instagram post. Not only is Tilly the second transfer the Buckeyes have landed this offseason, but he joins rising sophomore center Ivan Njegovan as the second big man on the Buckeyes’ roster following the departure of forward Aaron Bradshaw.

Tilly — a rising senior from Berlin, Germany — was named to the second-team All-West Coast Conference, or WCC, last year, where he averaged a career-high 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game on 55.4% from the field. More specifically, Tilly shot 61.7% from inside the arc and 31.5% from three-point range.

Tilly has steadily improved his numbers since beginning his career at Santa Clara. As a freshman, Tilly scored 5.1 points and reeled in 2.7 rebounds a night. In his sophomore season, Tilly recorded 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

With Ohio State expected to add more pieces to its roster for next year, Tilly will move to Columbus and be a likely starter for the Buckeyes in the 2025-26 season.