Ohio State's Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle in line for sophomore leadership roles
MINNEAPOLIS – Fittingly, Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. were seated next to each other as they told the story.
Two of Ohio State’s representatives at Big Ten media day, the sophomore guards were reflecting on a recent team-bonding retreat to Hocking Hills. It was a weekend away from Columbus where the 2023-24 Buckeyes surrendered the cell phones for 48 hours and explored their surroundings, took part in conversations with former players and even, Gayle said, went skydiving.
“Ziplining,” Thornton corrected, cutting off Gayle’s story about his backcourt mate struggling to cope with a previously undisclosed fear of heights. To hear Gayle tell the story, he was the one all ready to fly through the air but it was Thornton fighting back tears as he stared the atmosphere face to face.
Thornton wasn’t denying his feelings about the situation, just Gayle’s (possibly inadvertent) embellishment – no Buckeyes were jumping out of planes, simply flying through the air on a zipline through the fall foliage.
So was Thornton, a physical, seemingly fearless point guard who ascended to a captain’s role as a freshman for Ohio State last season, actually that terrified? It depends on how much of which player’s you believe.
“He’s a lot goofier than what you might’ve seen,” Gayle said of Thornton, all 6-2, 215 pounds of him. “People see Bruce as this intimidating, loud leader but sometimes he’s soft. I’m scared, too, but you could visibly see the tears in his eyes out there on the zipline. I felt like it was special for him to be able to lean on me.
“He wanted to wimp out, but I made him go down the zip line.”
Thornton, shaking his head as he sat to Gayle’s left, had a quick retort for his 6-4, 210-pound teammate.
“He’s a clown,” Thornton said, jabbing back at his teammate. “A clown, all the time. It’ll be a big-time moment (about to) happen, and he’ll be there looking at me, clowning.”
Meet the projected primary guards for the Buckeyes, who bring a good-natured friendship, scars from a disappointing first season and high hopes that this year will be different – both for themselves individually and for Ohio State.
Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle finish seasons on high notes
Although they eventually got to the same place, both first-year guards took different paths toward their strong finishes to the 2022-23 season. Thornton was the only player to start all 35 games for the Buckeyes and saw more playing time than anyone else on the roster, a tall task for a freshman point guard. His production dipped midseason as Ohio State fell from grace with 14 losses in 15 games, but by the end Thornton emerged as a Big Ten all-tournament team selection.
He was only the 10th freshman in conference history to achieve that honor and the fourth from Ohio State, joining Greg Oden, Mike Conley and Jared Sullinger. He returns having scored more points (371), hit more 3-pointers (42) and dished out more assists (92) than anyone else on Ohio State’s roster last year.
Plus, you know, he assumed the role of team captain midseason.
“Bruce stepped into a role that’s a lot as a freshman, and he did a good job with it,” coach Chris Holtmann said. “I think he’ll assume a greater level of leadership for sure. He’s taken a big-time leadership role this summer and done a really good job of it in the way he works and the way he conducts himself and how much he cares about winning.”
The same has been true this summer for Gayle. In just about any conversation about the team’s summer work and expectations for 2023-24, Thornton was mentioned as leading the way with Gayle right in step with him.
The highest-rated member of his five-man freshman class, Gayle primarily played behind West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil before moving into the starting lineup for a Feb. 12 home game with Michigan State. His minutes increased, his confidence followed suit and as the Buckeyes made an unprecedented run in the Big Ten Tournament it was Gayle providing much of the fireworks.
Starting with Ohio State’s final game before the tournament, Gayle posted individual offensive ratings of better than 100 in his final five games of the year according to KenPom.com. Those numbers eventually translated into points, as he scored 35 points in the final two games and 52 overall during that five-game span.
Of Gayle’s 162 points, 32.1% of them were scored in the final 14.3% of his team’s games.
“Finishing like we did was important for everyone, but certainly for him, the way he played, to get confidence against good teams,” Holtmann said. “For us to be good and be what I believe we can be this year, Roddy has to take a real consistent step forward.”
While Holtmann said the players will vote on captains sometime closer to the season, Thornton will certainly be included. Based on how he finished last season, his voice during the summer and his projected role this season, Gayle is as likely as anyone to join him in the role.
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“This summer, being one of the guys people leaned on, because only four of us returned who played significant minutes, it took a toll,” Gayle said. “I had to be more vocal. I had to learn how to lead. We as a program grew.”
“I feel like this year my voice has a lot more meaning than last year,” Thornton said. “You go hard every day and you take the small details and you just run with it. I feel like me having the confidence that I have, it’s going to be a good year.”
As long as they avoid jumping out of any planes, that is.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Roddy Gayle, Bruce Thornton in line to lead as sophomores
