Ohio State's Bruce Thornton preparing for altered role, faster pace under Jake Diebler
Ohio State fans have heard it for several years, an annual promise that blooms each preseason like a fall garden mum.
This is going to be the year that the Buckeyes push the tempo, get out in transition and cut down on the number of times they have to break down a set Big Ten defense. Two years ago, Wright State transfer Tanner Holden’s arrival signaled the hoped start of a new, more versatile era of Ohio State basketball.
That never quite happened as Ohio State lost 14 of 15 games, finished 16-19 and was not selected for postseason play. In 2023-24, the addition of Baylor transfer guard Dale Bonner heralded a quicker, more athletic Ohio State team, but that, too, did not result much in the way of a new tempo for the Buckeyes.
At least, not until Jake Diebler took over as interim coach, expanded the rotation and closed the season winning eight of Ohio State’s final 11 games while playing with more pace. Amid that all is third-year point guard Bruce Thornton, Ohio State’s captain, leader in minutes played and assists in each of those two seasons.
Monday, as he worked with kids at a camp held at Just Hoops by Shoot-A-Way in Lewis Center, Thornton said what the Buckeyes showed in the final third of the season is the vision of the future with Diebler at the helm. Ohio State is roughly five weeks into summer workouts and there has been an emphasis on conditioning so that the Buckeyes can play faster and create more transition opportunities.
“I feel like us playing faster at the end of the year really helped us and exposed other teams, because us playing fast gave us a different way to score points instead of just being in the half-court setting,” he said. “We had (Purdue’s Zach) Edey in the paint or (Rutgers’) Cliff Omoruyi, it’s hard to move around, hard to get open shots, hard to penetrate and kick for others because everybody’s stuck in the paint. So our transition, our fast break points can be a real pivotal thing for a team that plays fast and is real versatile.”
It’s not the only area where Thornton is hoping to be more impactful this year. With the addition of South Carolina transfer and former Buckeye Meechie Johnson Jr., San Diego State transfer Micah Parrish and freshman John “Juni” Mobley Jr., Thornton has been spending more time working on his skills off the ball.
“A lot of off-ball 3s,” he said. “A lot of pin-downs. Different things I haven’t been accustomed to doing, because I’ve had the ball so much in my hands at a high volume. This year they’re trying to exploit me off the ball, so understanding my spacing off the ball, not standing around looking at the ball the whole time.”
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As a freshman, Thornton shot 37.5% from 3 (42 for 112). As a sophomore, his percentage dipped to 33.3% (58 for 174) as his shot volume grew. According to KenPom.com, Thornton took a team-high 24.6% of the shots attempted while he was on the floor in 2023-24. And after attempting 36.7% of his shots from 3 as a freshman that number grew to 41.0% as a sophomore.
A goal this season is to reverse that trend of taking more shots and connecting on a lower percentage. A more free-flowing offense could help with that.
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“This year, I’m trying to be more efficient and get more open looks instead of me working so hard to get looks,” he said. “Making it easier in the offense throughout the year so I won’t be so worn down, torn down by the Big Ten Tournament.”
Adapting to a potentially altered role hasn’t been without its hiccups this summer. Thornton consistently referenced growing pains both individually and collectively but expressed confidence that they’ll pay off when fall camp gets underway.
Time will tell.
“It’s just the summer,” he said. “We’re trying to get all the kinks out. Everybody is getting their legs back under themselves and try to figure out everybody’s role so we can be ready for the season.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bruce Thornton, Ohio State teammates working at new offseason pace
