Connor Lemons
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Bruce Thornton not expecting a joyous reunion when Roddy Gayle, Michigan visit on Sunday
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
February 16 has been circled on the calendar for 10 months, and not just for the fans.
Sunday’s battle between Ohio State (15-10, 7-7) and No. 20 Michigan (19-5, 11-2) could not be more dramatic if it tried.
Dusty May and Jake Diebler are in their first years leading two of the most storied programs in the Big Ten, and May was a rumored target for Ohio State before they decided to stick with Diebler. Michigan made the move one week later to hire May, who now has the Wolverines alone in first place in the Big Ten.
Michigan has sole possession of first-place in the Big Ten as of Friday, with seven games remaining — including two games against rival Michigan State, who sits one game behind them. A loss to Ohio State on Sunday would not kill their title odds, but it would bring them back into a tie with Purdue and only a half game ahead of MSU.
Ohio State, on the other hand, would kill for a rivalry win over Michigan that would also count as a Quad-1 win on their NCAA Tournament resume. Can the Buckeyes make the big dance without beating Michigan? Sure, but a win Sunday would bring them extremely close to being a lock moving forward.
But the actual big deal on Sunday is Roddy Gayle’s return to Columbus. The former Ohio State guard-turned Michigan man announced on April 3 that he was transferring from Ohio State, and 19 days later he made it known that he would be jumping state lines and to play for May and the Michigan Wolverines.
In late July, Gayle made an appearance on Michigan’s “Defend the Block” podcast and explained why he chose to leave, and why he ultimately decided to go to Ohio State’s biggest, historic rival.
“After the the season ended I decided I would like to enter the portal, with Ohio State still being one of my options.” Gayle told Brian Boesch.
He continued, “I just wanted to have all of my options on the table to put me and my family in the best position to reach my goals, which is having a degree and hopefully having my name called on draft night.”
Gayle also said that the firing of Chris Holtmann, the head coach who brought him to Ohio State, was a “dramatic change” that “hindered everything” and made it difficult for him to stay in the moment over the final two months of the season.
Later in the interview, Gayle said that he was attracted to Dusty May’s style of coaching and that it would help him show “who he really is.” He also attributed a downtick in three-point shooting to a wrist injury that bothered him for much of the season.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25872711/usa_today_25391954.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Purdue at Michigan")
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Through 23 games this season (21 starts), Gayle is averaging 10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game — all of those marks are down from his sophomore season. He’s shooting a career-low 22% from three-point range, and was recently moved to the bench after starting the first 21 games of the season.
He had his best game in well over a month on Tuesday night against Purdue, scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 27 minutes. He also pulled down a season-high seven rebounds.
Ohio State’s point guard and three-time captain, Bruce Thornton, was and still is close with Gayle. The two were in the same 2022 freshman class at Ohio State that also included Felix Okpara and Brice Sensabaugh, who is now playing for the Utah Jazz. However, Gayle was the highest-rated recruit out of all of them.
Despite being close friends, Thornton is not expecting any kind of joyous, open-armed reunion when Gayle and the Wolverines step on the floor Sunday afternoon. When speaking to Land-Grant Holy Land at media day in October, Thornton mentioned the February 16 matchup with Michigan.
“I told him that when that day comes, we’re probably going to need security in here.” Thornton said. He continued, “After the game we can be cool, but during that 40 minutes it is not going to be the same.”
After Ohio State’s win over Iowa on January 27 got the Buckeyes back to 4-5 in conference play, Thornton said he “wasn’t a quitter” and that there was never a feeling like the season was getting away. After missing the NCAA Tournament his freshman and sophomore seasons, there might also be a bit of pride bubbling to the surface on Sunday for Thornton, who remained in Columbus to try and lead the revival of the Ohio State program as his good friend fled to join their biggest rival.
“Roddy’s my guy.” Thornton said in October.
“We came here together, been through the good and the bad together. We’ve got a connection that we’ll probably have the rest of our life. He told me ahead of time, and he transferred for his own reasons, which I respect his decision. He’s trying to do what’s best for him and his family and (reach) the goals he’s trying to get to.”
When Gayle posted a graphic of himself in a white Michigan jersey on April 22, gripping a Michigan-branded basketball with a big block “M” and the word “COMMITTED” emblazoned across the bottom, Thornton commented on the post to acknowledge his friend, but didn’t hide the fact that he was looking forward to this game.
“Congrats, but see you soon.” is what Thornton left for Gayle.
A game that Ohio State fans — and Bruce Thornton — have been waiting 10 months for has finally arrived.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
February 16 has been circled on the calendar for 10 months, and not just for the fans.
Sunday’s battle between Ohio State (15-10, 7-7) and No. 20 Michigan (19-5, 11-2) could not be more dramatic if it tried.
Dusty May and Jake Diebler are in their first years leading two of the most storied programs in the Big Ten, and May was a rumored target for Ohio State before they decided to stick with Diebler. Michigan made the move one week later to hire May, who now has the Wolverines alone in first place in the Big Ten.
Michigan has sole possession of first-place in the Big Ten as of Friday, with seven games remaining — including two games against rival Michigan State, who sits one game behind them. A loss to Ohio State on Sunday would not kill their title odds, but it would bring them back into a tie with Purdue and only a half game ahead of MSU.
Ohio State, on the other hand, would kill for a rivalry win over Michigan that would also count as a Quad-1 win on their NCAA Tournament resume. Can the Buckeyes make the big dance without beating Michigan? Sure, but a win Sunday would bring them extremely close to being a lock moving forward.
But the actual big deal on Sunday is Roddy Gayle’s return to Columbus. The former Ohio State guard-turned Michigan man announced on April 3 that he was transferring from Ohio State, and 19 days later he made it known that he would be jumping state lines and to play for May and the Michigan Wolverines.
In late July, Gayle made an appearance on Michigan’s “Defend the Block” podcast and explained why he chose to leave, and why he ultimately decided to go to Ohio State’s biggest, historic rival.
“After the the season ended I decided I would like to enter the portal, with Ohio State still being one of my options.” Gayle told Brian Boesch.
He continued, “I just wanted to have all of my options on the table to put me and my family in the best position to reach my goals, which is having a degree and hopefully having my name called on draft night.”
Gayle also said that the firing of Chris Holtmann, the head coach who brought him to Ohio State, was a “dramatic change” that “hindered everything” and made it difficult for him to stay in the moment over the final two months of the season.
Later in the interview, Gayle said that he was attracted to Dusty May’s style of coaching and that it would help him show “who he really is.” He also attributed a downtick in three-point shooting to a wrist injury that bothered him for much of the season.
Through 23 games this season (21 starts), Gayle is averaging 10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game — all of those marks are down from his sophomore season. He’s shooting a career-low 22% from three-point range, and was recently moved to the bench after starting the first 21 games of the season.
He had his best game in well over a month on Tuesday night against Purdue, scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 27 minutes. He also pulled down a season-high seven rebounds.
Ohio State’s point guard and three-time captain, Bruce Thornton, was and still is close with Gayle. The two were in the same 2022 freshman class at Ohio State that also included Felix Okpara and Brice Sensabaugh, who is now playing for the Utah Jazz. However, Gayle was the highest-rated recruit out of all of them.
Despite being close friends, Thornton is not expecting any kind of joyous, open-armed reunion when Gayle and the Wolverines step on the floor Sunday afternoon. When speaking to Land-Grant Holy Land at media day in October, Thornton mentioned the February 16 matchup with Michigan.
“I told him that when that day comes, we’re probably going to need security in here.” Thornton said. He continued, “After the game we can be cool, but during that 40 minutes it is not going to be the same.”
After Ohio State’s win over Iowa on January 27 got the Buckeyes back to 4-5 in conference play, Thornton said he “wasn’t a quitter” and that there was never a feeling like the season was getting away. After missing the NCAA Tournament his freshman and sophomore seasons, there might also be a bit of pride bubbling to the surface on Sunday for Thornton, who remained in Columbus to try and lead the revival of the Ohio State program as his good friend fled to join their biggest rival.
“Roddy’s my guy.” Thornton said in October.
“We came here together, been through the good and the bad together. We’ve got a connection that we’ll probably have the rest of our life. He told me ahead of time, and he transferred for his own reasons, which I respect his decision. He’s trying to do what’s best for him and his family and (reach) the goals he’s trying to get to.”
When Gayle posted a graphic of himself in a white Michigan jersey on April 22, gripping a Michigan-branded basketball with a big block “M” and the word “COMMITTED” emblazoned across the bottom, Thornton commented on the post to acknowledge his friend, but didn’t hide the fact that he was looking forward to this game.
“Congrats, but see you soon.” is what Thornton left for Gayle.
A game that Ohio State fans — and Bruce Thornton — have been waiting 10 months for has finally arrived.
Continue reading...