Bruce Thornton dribbles to the rim in Ohio State’s March 1 game against Purdue. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Lantern Photographer.
Bruce Thornton learned the Golden Rule in elementary school.
His mother, Tiaunna Briggans, taught him a simple lesson growing up in Fairburn, Georgia: treat people the way you want to be treated.
It’s a motto Briggans tries to live by.
That lesson followed Thornton everywhere, including the basketball court.
In the summer of 2019, before Thornton’s sophomore year of high school, Tulane head coach Ron Hunter was scouting at Milton High School in Fairburn, Georgia.
Thornton, 16, was the best player on a team that eventually produced 10 collegiate athletes.
But with Hunter watching, Thornton did not take a shot. Instead, he kept setting up shots for senior teammate Evan Hurst.
Hurst, who was two years older than Thornton, often looked out for the younger guard. He would sometimes buy him lunch after workouts and treat him like a little brother when Thornton first joined the program.
That day, it was Thornton’s turn to return the favor.
“He just tried to feed me,” Hurst said. “He wouldn’t score on purpose. He would try to get other guys’ looks.”
“He puts other people first,” Hurst said. “That’s who he is.”
Six years later, every Ohio State basketball fan knows exactly who Thornton is. The senior guard has become one of the most accomplished players of the modern Buckeye era and, heading into his final regular-season game, sits just 12 points away from breaking the program’s all-time scoring record set by Dennis Hopson nearly four decades ago.
“If you told me my freshman year I’d be close to something like that, I probably wouldn’t believe you,” Thornton said.
Thornton’s path to rewriting the Ohio State record book is best described by a word those around him often use: steady.
By his sophomore year at Milton, college coaches were filing into the gym to watch the point guard play. Head coach Allen Whitehart told Milton alum Shannon Scott, who played for the Buckeyes from 2012 to 2015, about his star player.
Scott connected Whitehart with Jake Diebler, then an Ohio State assistant coach.
“I sent Jake some film and about 30 minutes later he hits me back and said, ‘What do we have to do? We’re all in,’” Whitehart said.
Thornton soon developed a relationship with Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann and committed to the Buckeyes in November 2020.
He arrived in Columbus as part of a highly touted recruiting class that included Roddy Gayle Jr., Felix Okpara and Brice Sensabaugh, now with the Utah Jazz.
Ohio State players celebrating Bruce Thornton’s (2) 2,000 career points. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Lantern Photographer.
Former Buckeye forward Kalen Etzler remembers Thornton’s first summer on campus clearly.
“When he came in as a freshman, I just remember him kind of being quiet,” Etzler said. “After workouts he would just go back to the dorms, play video games and sleep a lot.”
Thornton’s personality may not have stood out, but his talent and work ethic did. He impressed teammates and coaches alike with the intensity and focus he brought to every practice and workout.
“His work ethic and his daily approach stood out,” Holtmann said.
That approach, combined with a maturity beyond his years, made the 19-year-old a freshman starter.
The Buckeyes struggled that season, finishing 16-19 and missing the NCAA Tournament, but Thornton quickly proved he belonged, averaging 10.6 points per game.
“Of the four freshmen that started throughout the season, he was the most consistent,” Holtmann said.
His teammates also picked up on Thornton’s relentless approach.
“There were games where he’d come to the bench talking about his legs being numb,” Etzler said. “He was giving every rep everything he had.”
The next season brought more challenges.
Thornton averaged a team-high 15.7 points in 34 minutes per game, but the Buckeyes struggled. After a 14-11 start, Holtmann was fired, Diebler took over, and Ohio State missed the NCAA tournament again.
Thornton had established himself as one of the best young players in college basketball and could have joined the more than 2,000 players who entered the transfer portal that offseason.
But he stayed.
Briggans said that decision reflected the values Thornton grew up with.
“If you’re good to me, I’m good to you,” she said. “Treat people how you want to be treated.”
She said Ohio State never made her son feel like he did not belong.
“I felt like nobody here ever made Bruce feel out of place,” Briggans said. “Like this wasn’t the place for him.”
His junior season brought another steady climb in production. Thornton averaged 17.7 points in more than 36 minutes per contest while shooting a career-best 42.4 percent from 3-point range.
The team, however, once again found itself on the outside looking in come March, going 17-15.
Once again, the portal opened.
Once again, Thornton stayed.
“Him not wavering, him not throwing in the towel and him coming back year after year when things were uncertain, that speaks volumes about his character,” former Buckeye J.J. Sullinger said.
With his return, Thornton became one of just 22 players in college basketball this season to spend all four years at the same school.
The decision to return did not surprise those who know him best.
“He is a loyal kid,” Whitehart said. “I think that’s a testament to his mother, Tiaunna Briggans. His mom was always big on him being loyal.”
Now in his senior season, Thornton is playing the best basketball of his career.
The Buckeyes’ point guard is averaging 20 points per game while playing nearly every minute.
“His durability is impressive,” Ohio State basketball analyst and former Buckeye guard Ron Stokes said. “He’s top five in the Big Ten in minutes played, and he’s expected to score while also guarding the opposition’s best player.”
Now Thornton has the chance Saturday to etch his name at the top of Ohio State’s record books.
The player who once passed up scoring opportunities to help teammates in a high school gym could soon become the Buckeyes’ all-time leading scorer.
“The funny thing about Bruce is scoring has never really been his focus,” Whitehart said. “He’s always been about making the right play and getting everybody involved.”
Thornton’s college career may be nearing its end, but his basketball journey likely is not.
The senior guard is currently ranked No. 82 on ESPN’s latest NBA draft big board, and coaches and former players believe his durability, leadership and scoring ability could give him a chance to play professionally after graduation.
Briggans said her son has never spent much time thinking about what comes next.
“He just keeps working,” she said. “Bruce has always been the type that believes if he does things the right way, the rest will take care of itself.”
But before any of that happens, Thornton still has one more moment waiting in Columbus.
For Briggans, Saturday represents something bigger than a record.
“I think tomorrow will feel almost like a wedding day,” she said. “Just watching him grow and be himself.”
For Thornton, the looming record and the support of 13 friends and family members in attendance will not be lost on him. But with a potential trip to the NCAA tournament on the line, the goal remains the same.
“It’s definitely going to be special,” Thornton said. “Being my last home game in the Schott, I’m just trying to go out there and get the win.”
