Bruce Thornton deserves our praise, Sonny Styles breaks down his best plays as a Buckeye and Quinshon Judkins takes a victory lap on Notre Dame.
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THANK YOU, BRUCE. Bruce Thornton’s record-breaking college basketball career is over. And what a career it was — big, messy, gigantic, spectacular.
What a thing he made of it all.
“Bruce is everything that’s right about college basketball,” Jake Diebler said Wednesday, before Ohio State’s 66-64 loss to TCU. “A young man who come to school, stayed during a coaching change, trusted a first-time head coach, and got a degree. Became part of a network that will take care of him for the rest of his life.
“And then he continued to get better each and every single year. I think development is a word that gets lost right now in our sport because you’re seeing the window for development be so small in many, many instances. He’s gotten better each and every year. It’s a testament to his hard work. But I think Bruce is everything right about college basketball. And he is a huge reason why we’re here. There’s no question about it.
“When you’re a first-time head coach, you’re looking around to say, ‘OK, who can help me establish the culture and the standard of this program?’ And he was the guy I turned to first. So our relationship will last long, long, long after his time at Ohio State. But he’s been a special player and an even better young man.”
During the Ohio State vs. TCU broadcast, CBS’ Tracy Wolson said Thornton is one of only 22 high-major college basketball players who have stayed at the same school for four years.
One of 22.
Thornton said after Ohio State’s Senior Day win over Indiana that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m so proud of myself, at a high level, just being true to who I am,” he shared. “I could have been like everybody else, I could have left. I could have did a lot of different things. But me just staying true to my values and making things how I wanted them to be — you only get one life, you only get one decision playing in college, and I’m glad I’m a Buckeye for life.”
After Ohio State’s heartbreaking defeat, both Diebler and Thornton shared similar emotions.
“I love him,” Diebler said of Thornton after the game, per 10TV’s Adam King. “He’ll always be a part of our family…”
Diebler began to hold back tears.
“I think it’s not just him. It’s all those guys. Those guys bought into what we wanted to do, and we took an important step for our program. He was a huge — he was the reason for that.”
Thornton also became emotional reflecting on his Ohio State career.
“It didn’t go our way, and that’s alright. Life sometimes stuff don’t go your way,” Thornton said. “But I’m just appreciating the teammates, the coaching staff and Buckeye Nation for sticking with me for four years. I’m so appreciative for everything that happened in my life, man. It’s not the way I wanted to end it, but that’s just how it is sometimes.”
Later, he added: “It hits the heart at home. I feel like I did a lot for this program. The program did a lot for me. The memories, the relationships done a lot for me. Mostly me crying because you don’t get to share the locker room (anymore) with the guys you’ve been working with since June. I just told those guys I’m one call away. ‘You need anything from me, just call me and I’ll be here.’
I’m always a Buckeye for life.”
Yes, you are, Bruce.
One of the all-time greats.
Thank you for everything.