Cedric Russell isn’t used to Ohio’s winter weather yet. And he doesn’t expect he ever will.

The Ohio State graduate transfer guard is originally from Alexandria, Louisiana, a city right in the middle of a state that rarely gets winter weather like he’s seen in the past few days.

But Russell got a lesson in how to navigate the ice and snow firsthand.

He got stuck.

He wasn’t there long. A few people saw the guard in the middle of the road, hopped out of their vehicles and helped him get out.

For Ohio State, that’s exactly what Russell’s been in his first and only season with the Buckeyes.

Despite a usage rate that has dropped from over 30 minutes per game as an All-Sun Belt guard at Louisiana last season to just over 11, he’s been one of the more consistent 3-point shooters on the roster, one of four on the team along with Jimmy Sotos, E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham to make more than 40% of attempts from deep.

But that’s not what Russell wants to be remembered for. The on-court product is not what he was raised to solely provide.

While Russell navigates maximizing his opportunity on the court, no matter how large or how small, he’s spilling out information, knowledge to the younger members of the roster, tools that other players gave him. Russell is a motivator, pushing his teammates to be great.

“It’s a good group of guys and that’s what I’m here to do,” Russell said. “If I can’t help create value in anybody else’s life, then what am I here for?”

This mantra was not built at Ohio State.

It was cultivated from his mother and his upbringing, molded around a focus on people instead of materialism, creating an emphasis on what effect he can leave instead of the stats he can leave on the court.

So when he first arrived in Columbus, this mantra was already routine, it was ingrained, something he showed no matter the situation.

“Really just showing up and being the same guy every day, man. That’s what you do, just show up,” Russell said. “When you do things with a pure heart, you can’t lose, you just learn.

"Just really showing up and being the same guy and just being true to myself, being true to my teammates, being true to my coaching staff. Just coming in and working every day.”

Chris Holtmann is still learning more and more about Russell with each game and each practice, describing the graduate transfer guard as a quality individual who cares about the right things.

“We’ve loved having Cedric here. We’ve loved having him as a part of our program. We really have,” the Ohio State head coach said. “He’s a great kid who took a chance on coming from a different part of the country to play a very important role, and he will continue to do so. I think he sees himself as a guy who loves to play, who loves to hoop, but also it is bigger than just basketball for him.”

That’s who Russell describes himself to be: a basketball player who enjoys each moment he has and maximizes each opportunity he’s given.

But more importantly, as his college basketball career creeps closer and closer to its conclusion, he wants to be remembered as someone who was himself, on the practice court or in games.

To him, that’s where legacy comes from.

“I’m Cedric: the basketball player. I’m not the basketball player Cedric,” Russell said. “That’s really what I want to leave all these guys.”