Since the day he arrived at Ohio State, nobody has wanted to win basketball games more than Bruce Thornton. And no one has been a bigger locker room leader.
On Tuesday, the star guard for the Buckeyes was named a team captain. It's the fourth time in as many seasons at Ohio State that Thornton earned captain status. He's now the first four-time captain in school history.
"That means a lot," Thornton told Eleven Warriors in October when asked what being a four-time captain would mean to him. "It means my teammates, my coaching staff believe in me and what I have done, having leadership on and off the court. Definitely an honor. I never thought I would do something like that, accomplish something like that. But definitely a blessing."
Built different. Built Buckeye strong.
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 5, 2025
The first four-time captain in Ohio State history.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/cUxg6onOyk
Thornton came to Ohio State as a four-star prospect and gained enough respect in his first offseason to start for the Buckeyes from the first game they played his freshman year in 2022-23. He finished the season with 10.6 points and 2.6 assists per game, earning his captaincy in a revote midway through the season.
The next three years, he was a captain from the day they were announced. Thornton's numbers have steadily increased as the centerpiece of Ohio State's offense, running mostly at point guard before John Mobley Jr.'s use at the position allowed him to play some shooting guard last season. In 2023-24, Thornton collected 15.7 points and 4.8 assists per game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of four to one. He collected third-team All-Big Ten honors.
Those honors were upgraded to second-team All-Big Ten in 2024-25, when he racked up 17.7 points and 4.6 assists per game. His defense has been a plus the last few seasons too, with 1.2 steals per contest in 2023-24 and 1.1 in 2024-25.
For all his accolades, Thornton's top goal remains the same: Winning. The top goal for Ohio State this season is to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. Winning is all Thornton cares about on the floor after three years of heartache.
“I’m just trying to win games,” Thornton said in June. “I don’t care what else I do.”
Thornton dropped 26 points in Ohio State's 118-102 season-opening win over IU Indy on Monday. The Buckeyes' season rolls forward against Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday.
