Mickey Mitchell, a skilled and athletic 6-foot-7 forward who started seven games and played in 23 as a freshman at Ohio State last season, has signed scholarship papers and will transfer to UC Santa Barbara, head coach Bob Williams announced Tuesday.

“I am very excited to add Mickey to the Gaucho family,” Williams said. “He’s a high level player who is unselfish and has a pass-first approach. He’ll help us in a lot of ways. He is a good athlete, can really pass it and has a unique skill-set for a player his size.”

The native of Plano, Texas, sat out the first 10 games of the 2015-16 season at OSU but played in 23 of the final 24. He started the final seven games of the year. Overall, he averaged 2.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game, but in his seven starts, Mitchell averaged 22.1 minutes per game while scoring 3.7 points and collecting 4.7 rebounds per game.

Mitchell’s top offensive game came in the National Invitation Tournament against Akron when he scored nine points. He also had games of six points and seven rebounds vs. Iowa and five points and seven rebounds at Michigan State.

As a senior at Plano West High School, Mitchell averaged 8.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game for a team that went 25-2. The 2014-15 Plano West team also featured Tyler Davis, the top-rated player in Texas, and D.J. Hogg, the No. 4 rated player. Both Davis and Hogg play at Texas A&M and were named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2015-16. Mitchell averaged 13.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists in leading Plano West to a 22-7 record as a junior.

Mitchell played his AAU ball with the Texas Titans where his teammates included current UCSB guard Grant Troutt. He averaged 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the Titans at the 2014 Peach Jam.

“It’s great to have a guy with his pedigree and background in our program,” Williams said. “He’s played with and against some of the best players in the country and that’s a huge plus.”

Because of NCAA transfer rules, Mitchell will sit out the 2016-17 season as a redshirt, becoming eligible in 2017-18.

“I think the year off will help him in the same way it helped Orlando Johnson,” Williams said. “Orlando took that year and really refined his game and then he was one of the best players in the west right away.”

When Mitchell does begin his Gaucho career, he will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.