Roddy Gayle Jr.
 Gayle with the Michigan Wolverines in 2024 | |
| No. 11 – Michigan Wolverines | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | Big Ten Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 23, 2003 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lewiston–Porter (Youngstown, New York) Wasatch (Mount Pleasant, Utah) |
| College |
|
Rodriguez Gayle Jr.[1] (born July 23, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Early life
[edit]Gayle was raised in Niagara Falls, New York. He started playing basketball at age four under the guidance of his father.[1] Despite living in Niagara Falls, he chose to attend Lewiston-Porter High School in nearby Youngstown.[2] He attended Lewiston–Porter for two years before transferring to Wasatch Academy for his final two years of high school basketball.[3] After his senior season ended, he opted to transfer back to Lewiston–Porter so he could be closer to home.[2]
Recruiting
[edit]Gayle was considered a consensus four-star recruit by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals. On November 26, 2020, Gayle committed to play college basketball for Ohio State over offers from teams such as UConn, Syracuse, and Marquette.[4][5][6]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roddy Gayle Jr. SG |
Mount Pleasant, UT | Wasatch Academy (UT) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Nov 13, 2020 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  247Sports: ESPN: (87)
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| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
[edit]Ohio State
[edit]As a freshman, Gayle started 11 of 35 games for Ohio State with the 2022–23 Buckeyes, averaging 4.6 points per game.[7][8] He received minimal playing time until the 2023 Big Ten tournament, assuming a larger role due to an injury to Brice Sensabaugh.[9] In the final two games of Ohio State's season, Gayle set back–to–back career-highs in points, scoring 15 against Michigan State and 20 against Purdue.[10]
As a sophomore, Gayle started 35 of 36 games for the 2023–24 Buckeyes, averaging 13.5 points per game, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists. On December 30, 2023, he scored a career-high 32 points against West Virginia.[11] With head coach Chris Holtmann being fired during the season, Gayle entered the NCAA transfer portal after the conclusion of the season.[12]
Michigan
[edit]On April 22, 2024, Gayle transferred from Ohio State University to the University of Michigan, to play under new head coach Dusty May.[13] As a junior, he started 25 games for the 2024–25 Wolverines before finding his role off the bench. Gayle helped lead Michigan to a Big Ten championship in the 2025 Big Ten tournament.[14] On March 22, in the Second Round of the 2025 NCAA tournament against No. 4 seed Texas A&M, Gayle led Michigan in a comeback win with a season-high 26 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. The Wolverines rallied from down ten points in the second half, and Gayle scored 12 straight points for Michigan as they captured their first lead of the half. He would go on to score 21 of his 26 points in the half, leading the Wolverines to the Sweet Sixteen.[15][16]
College statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Ohio State | 35 | 11 | 16.3 | .440 | .429 | .810 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 4.6 |
| 2023–24 | Ohio State | 36 | 35 | 30.9 | .449 | .284 | .832 | 4.6 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 13.5 |
| 2024–25 | Michigan | 36 | 25 | 26.3 | .431 | .232 | .792 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 9.8 |
| Career | 107 | 71 | 24.6 | .441 | .296 | .813 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 9.4 | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Scarglato, Christopher. "Syracuse recruit Roddy Gayle Jr.'s journey shaped by his late cousin". DailyOrange.com.
- ^ a b Sabato, Nick. "Roddy Gayle leaps into unified hoops upon return to Lew-Port". LockportJournal.com.
- ^ "Lew-Port's Roddy Gayle transferring to top Utah prep school". WNYPapers.com.
- ^ "New York 2022 Four-Star Guard Roddy Gayle Jr. Commits To Ohio State". BuckeyeSports.com.
- ^ Rodriguez, Miguel. "Lewiston-Porter basketball star Roddy Gayle commits to Ohio State". BuffaloNews.com.
- ^ Demos, Khari. "Lew-Port's Roddy Gayle Jr. verbally commits to Ohio State hoops". Niagara-Gazette.com.
- ^ "Roddy Gayle Stats". SportsReference.com.
- ^ "Roddy Gayle Jr. Bio". OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
- ^ Boone, Kyle. "Brice Sensabaugh injury: Ohio State's leading scorer to miss rest of season after exiting Big Ten Tournament". CBSSports.com.
- ^ Anders, Andy. "Roddy Gayle Seeks To Build Off Breakout Big Ten Tournament Performance In Sophomore Season". ElevenWarriors.com.
- ^ "Roddy Gayle Jr. scores 32, Ohio State beats WVU 78-75 in OT at Legends of Basketball". Associated Press. December 30, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ "Ohio State's Roddy Gayle Jr. Becomes Third Buckeye to Enter Transfer Portal". Sports Illustrated. April 3, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Garcia, Tony (April 22, 2024). "Michigan basketball snags former Ohio State standout Roddy Gayle Jr. in transfer portal". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Mahoney, Matthew (March 16, 2025). "U-M Downs No. 18 Wisconsin to Capture B1G Tournament Title". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Wywrot, Tom (March 22, 2025). "Gayle Leads U-M's Second-Half Rally Against Texas A&M; Wolverines off to Sweet 16". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ "Roddy Gayle's second-half surge leads Michigan past Texas A&M 91-79 in March Madness turnaround". ESPN.com. March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.