Ques Glover is No. 9 in our Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings

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Ques Glover is No. 9 in our Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings

Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch · The Columbus Dispatch

Tue, Oct 22, 2024 ·

8 min read

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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.

Related Ques Glover article: Well-traveled Ques Glover aiming for Ohio State impact in final year

The series reaches single digits today with sixth-year guard Ques Glover.

No. 9 – Ques Glover

Position: Guard

Eligibility: Sixth year (zero remaining)

Height/weight: 6 feet 0 / 185 pounds

Jersey number: 6

Major: Human Development and Family Science

CINCINNATI, OHIO - OCTOBER 18: Ques Glover #6 of the Ohio State Buckeyes dribbles the ball as Jizzle James #2 of the Cincinnati Bearcats defends during the second half of an exhibition game at Fifth Third Arena on October 18, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Ques Glover's background

The final addition to Ohio State's roster , Glover was added during the summer after the Buckeyes lost sophomore guard Taison Chatman to a season-ending knee injury . He arrives in Columbus as a sixth-year senior after having spent time with four different schools during the previous five seasons but only playing in a real game for two of them.

A product of Knoxville (Tennessee) Bearden, Glover started as a sophomore but was lightly recruited while helping the Bulldogs win their first state title as a senior. As Glover was earning state tournament most valuable player honors, he continued to hold out hope for a high-major offer despite holding more than two dozen from mid- and low-major programs. That finally arrived when Florida offered Glover shortly after he scored 24 points, dished out seven assists and turned it over only twice in an 83-68 championship victory.

He finished high school ranked as a three-star point guard prospect ranked No. 10 in Tennessee, No. 53 at his position and No. 366 nationally in the 247Sports.com composite. He scored more than 2,300 points in high school.

In two years with the Gators, Glover appeared in 51 games and averaged 3.6 points while playing 10.8 minutes per game. He only appeared in 20 games as a sophomore in 2020-21 on a team that reached the NCAA Tournament and subsequently entered the transfer portal. Samford coach Bucky McMillan was familiar with Glover after having coached against him in high school, leading the guard to commit to the Bulldogs for 2021-22.

Ohio State Buckeyes: Well-traveled Ques Glover aiming for Ohio State impact in final year

There, he flourished, averaging 19.2 points, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 29 games including 28 starts for a Samford team that went 21-11. He was a consensus first-team all-conference pick that year, but a meniscus injury would limit him in 2022-23. He appeared in 19 games that year, earning second-team all-conference honors after averaging 14.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Glover then opted to enter the portal to use the extra year of eligibility afforded to all players who participated in the 2020-21 season played amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to the high-major level and was pursued by Purdue, Memphis, South Carolina and Tennessee before committing to BYU and spending much of the summer with the program before leaving.

"If I could go back, I wouldn't do anything different," Glover said. "With BYU, it just didn't work out with some things that were said during the recruiting process. Other than that, everything was good."

Glover wound up at Kansas State, but a torn meniscus during an exhibition game cost him two months. He worked his way back and was set to make his Big 12 debut only to suffer the same injury again, leading him to shut things down and take a medical redshirt season. Tennessee, Villanova and Virginia Tech were recruiting him before he committed to Ohio State.

"Ques has a unique perspective because he's overcome some things in his career, and he's done it in a way that he's a proven scorer," Diebler said. "He's been in big games and close games and situational basketball that is going to come up regularly. We'll lean on his experience. His perspective is valuable for us."

Although he's technically a walk-on, Glover's partnership with THE Foundation covers the cost of his school-related expenses.

In four years with Florida and Samford, Glover averaged 10.3 points, 2.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 99 games including 46 starts, all of which were at Samford. He's a career 30.6% 3-point shooter.

Feb 15, 2020; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Ques Glover (0) drives the ball around Vanderbilt Commodores guard Jon Jossell (21) during the second half at Exactech Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

What you need to know about Ques Glover

In high school, Glover played on a team anchored by two other Division I players. Drew Pember played two years at Tennessee before transferring to UNC Asheville and spending three years there and reuniting with Bearden teammate Trent Stephney, a five-year player for the Bulldogs.

Glover was getting his hair cut when Ohio State coach Jake Diebler called him about joining the Buckeyes. Glover was already familiar with Diebler from his time as an assistant at Vanderbilt and had not realized the coach was now in charge at Ohio State.

CINCINNATI, OHIO - OCTOBER 18: Ques Glover #6 of the Ohio State Buckeyes goes to the basket against Arrinten Page #22 of the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half of an exhibition game at Fifth Third Arena on October 18, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

When the Buckeyes open against Texas in Las Vegas on Nov. 4 , it will mark Glover's first official game in 611 days. It's his first against a team from a power conference since a Nov. 30, 2022 overtime loss at DePaul. He arrived on campus a few weeks before his commitment was announced, getting a head start on learning his new teammates and surroundings.

Glover earned a bachelor's degree from Samford in May 2023. He has a reputation from his teammates as a sharp dresser. His dad was a fan of Florida coach Mike White while Glover was growing up.

He is the first Ohio State player to wear No. 6 since Donald G. Kelley did so from 1954-56. His full name is Jacques Stefon Glover.

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Ques Glover's 2024-25 season outlook

Once Ohio State identified a need to add one more experienced member to its backcourt, it did well by adding a player with Glover's experience. Few options remained at that point in the calendar, and a player with 99 games under his belt and a proven scoring pedigree was about as strong a possible addition the Buckeyes could have hoped for.

During the preseason, Diebler mentioned Glover as a player who had quietly exceeded some initial expectations. With his speed and experience, Glover will have opportunities to add to Ohio State's backcourt that will be led by fifth-year transfers Meechie Johnson Jr. and Micah Parrish and junior Bruce Thornton.

"There's a sense of comfort having Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish and Ques Glover, who I couldn't tell you how many combined college basketball games those guys have played and won," Diebler said. "That helps me sleep maybe just a little better at night."

Glover figures to battle freshman John "Juni" Mobley Jr. for the role of top backup at the point, and he is likely to be on the court for three-guard lineups. In Ohio State's 80-62 exhibition loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 18 , Glover played 18:59 off the bench and finished with 5 points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and three turnovers. Mobley was Ohio State's first substitute of the game and played 20:57 in his first game against Division I competition.

Glover is ticketed for a depth role in the rotation.