Loyalty, 'big-time' business decisions led Bruce Thornton to return to Ohio State
Loyalty is a big thing for Bruce Thornton. Playing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he committed to Ohio State as a high school junior sight unseen and had no interest in visiting other schools even when in-person recruiting resumed. His dedication to his teammates, and to winning, earned him a captain’s role as a freshman with the Buckeyes that continued into his sophomore season.
He enters his junior season an unquestioned face of Ohio State’s program, playing for the coach who was his primary recruiter out of Alpharetta (Georgia) Milton. Loyalty has played a heavy role in getting Thornton this far.
To make sure he was making the right decision about his future, though, Thornton had to look beyond just that.
“That’s part of growing up, making big-time decisions that’s best for your own situation,” Thornton said. “Me, being 20 years old in college, making significantly different money decisions (compared to the past) of should I stay or should I leave, but I’m at peace with where I’m at. Me staying here, being a Buckeye, now it’s time to go win games now.”
Sunday afternoon, Thornton stood inside a grocery store near campus as part of a free public autograph signing put together by The 1870 Society, a for-profit Name, Image and Likeness collective working with Ohio State student-athletes. For an hour, the two-time team captain signed miniature basketballs and glossy photographs and took photos with fans, some of whom came to see Thornton and former teammate Zed Key and some of whom were just looking for apples in the adjacent produce section.
In two years with the Buckeyes, Thornton has established himself as a workhorse, a leader and a face of the program. He’s played in and started all but one game and led the Buckeyes in minutes played two years running, but the end of the 2023-24 season put Thornton in the same situation as every other player in the transfer portal era with remaining eligibility: should he stay or should he go?
While he wanted to return, Thornton said it was “definitely” a hard decision.
“You see the number of people in the transfer portal, it’s through the roof right now,” Thornton said. “Seeing my options, what I really need to be a pro, that’s my ultimate goal. Understanding that’s what my decision came to and understanding me and (Diebler) have the same plan to make that dream come true, but also win big-time games at Ohio State next year.”
There were several factors that went into play. Talking with coach Jake Diebler, promoted to the full-time job after taking over midseason for the fired Chris Holtmann, allowed Thornton to make sure he was on the same page with his coach about the direction of the program and the style of play going forward. Then there was the financial side, which led Thornton to describe his return as a business decision.
His return was publicly announced with a graphic released April 2, one week after a season-ending loss to Georgia in the NIT quarterfinals. The graphic featured the logo of THE Foundation, the primary collective working with the men’s basketball program.
“NIL and a lot of things come to play, so now it’s a business decision,” Thornton said. “It’s not a regular, old decision with money not involved. Now money’s involved, to be completely transparent. Understanding it’s a business can make you grow up a little bit. Now understand what you need and things you need to be successful for the future.”
The hope is that individual and collective success will go hand in hand. Although he led the Buckeyes in scoring and assists last season and has averaged 13.2 points in 70 career games, Ohio State is just 38-33 during the last two seasons and 14-26 in the Big Ten while missing the NCAA Tournament each time.
Thornton said he’s on the same page with Diebler to play “Ohio State basketball,” a phrase he’s cited often during his two years with the Buckeyes.
“We got a little glimpse of it at the end of the year, playing real fast, playing with an up-tempo beat, playing with a lot of confidence,” Thornton said. “I feel like we’ll carry that over to the next season and just take over.”
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That includes saying goodbye to a close friend and welcoming in an old one. The Buckeyes lost Roddy Gayle Jr., Thornton’s classmate and primary backcourt partner, to the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining but added South Carolina transfer and former Buckeye Meechie Johnson Jr.
Thornton said he’ll always be close with Gayle, even if he ultimately signs with rival Michigan. He’s spoken with Johnson since his commitment, but the two do have a shared past: when Thornton visited Ohio State, Johnson was his host.
“It’s crazy how everything comes full circle, me and him back together at Ohio State,” Thornton said.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bruce Thornton on his return to Ohio State basketball
