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Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr. on Buckeyes’ turnaround, matchup with Indiana
Chris Holtmann walked into last season knowing that he had a young, inexperienced Ohio State team, but one with significant upside as the No. 8 recruiting class in the country showed up in Columbus.
In a season that began with question marks, but also a 5-1 record, it ended up being a campaign of disappointment as the Buckeyes went 16-19 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. They did, however, win five of their final seven games, providing a glimpse of what is now happening this year – a 12-2 start to the season and a current projected 6-seed in Mike DeCourcy's latest bracket forecast.
While the NET ranking sits at 36 due to wins over Alabama, UCLA and West Virginia getting devalued due to those programs struggling this season, Ohio State has handled its business with the exception of a late collapse at Penn State. How have they achieved success to this point? With a sophomore guard duo that is better because of the ups and downs they experienced as freshmen last year. Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle are two of the top 15 scorers in the Big Ten, averaging 17.4 and 14.9 points, respectively, and getting accompanied by a fifth-year guard in Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle, who is matching Gayle with 14.9 points per game.
"I'm a firm believer that tough times don't last, tough people do," Gayle told FOX Sports. "Bruce and I have been through the thick of it, and it was a pretty disappointing season last year. I feel like we have the opportunity now to show everybody what it takes to be successful in this league (Big Ten). So far, Bruce has been able to lead everybody into the style of basketball that Coach Holtmann wants. As long as we buy in, we'll be in great shape."
Just how legit are the Buckeyes? We get a better measuring stick on Saturday when they visit Indiana at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Primetime Hoops and the FOX Sports app. Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson will have the call from Assembly Hall.
"That is truly one of the loudest places I have ever been in. It's absurd," Thornton told FOX Sports.
The Buckeyes' star sophomore duo joined me for a lengthy, exclusive Q&A ranging from on and off the basketball court. Here's our full conversation.
How would you break down this 12-2 start to the season and how fueled were you guys leading into this year after missing the NCAA Tournament last March?
Thornton: "We were fueled a lot, especially with last year. Having a losing season and missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in several years (2017), that's been in the back of minds to this day. So through the summer, and even into the preseason, it's been fuel to the fire. To only win a handful of conference games, it's been in the back of our minds. We've focused on player leadership to win Big Ten games."
What went into the offseason after you missed the NCAA Tournament as freshmen? What was the message?
Gayle: "For the returning players, the stretch that we had to close last year when we went 5-2 before falling in the Big Ten Tournament, we got an understanding of what it takes to win at this level. It was important for us to show the newcomers, between the freshmen and Dale (Bonner) and Jamison (Battle) what it's like to play Buckeye basketball. The summer was all about staying connected and meeting our goals."
Roddy, to follow up, how would you define Buckeye basketball?
Gayle: "It's tough. Gritty. Defensive-minded basketball. We've got to be the most connected and well-oriented team. We let our defense set the example for us and let the offense flow from there. I think we've done a terrific job thus far, but we still have room to improve."
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Indiana is next for you guys. Assembly Hall. Primetime hoops on a Saturday night and a huge road game. How much are you guys looking forward to this one and how much do you relish being road warriors?
Thornton: "We're very excited, especially with how we let one go at Penn State. Just to get back on the road, we know we're capable of doing it. We did not finish well in that game, and we had that loss, but that's the learning experience we want to take from it. At Indiana, you've got to be up 10-12 just to secure the win. When you get down into that crucial time there in the final minutes, a lot can go the home team's way. You've got to do your work early so you don't have to worry about things like that."
How loud is Assembly Hall?
Gayle: "Last year, Jalen Hood-Schifino went on a run where he hit like three or four threes in a row. I could not hear myself think. We could not hear play calls from Coach Holtmann. It's an amazing atmosphere, and I wish everybody could witness that."
I want to hear about your friendship. What was your first encounter like?
Thornton: "Two summers ago, Roddy got here late because his high school graduation was late. So Brice (Sensabaugh), Felix (Okpara) and I were all in the same dorm going through these really hard summer workouts and he didn't really understand why we weren't talking to each other and why were so tired because of that late graduation. But after that, throughout the time being with each other, and spending multiple hours with each other, we became family, man."
Roddy, how would you describe the bond with Bruce?
Gayle: "Bruce's family treats me like family. My family treats him like family. That's what we are. We're brothers, and spending the amount of time we do, that chemistry is really special and it translates to the court."
What do you guys have in common?
Gayle: "That's easy. We've got game." (laughter)
What do you guys like to do off the court?
Thornton: "If I'm not playing video games, I'm watching football or basketball. I'm a big Aaron Rodgers fan. Yes, he got hurt this year but he's going to be back next season. If I'm not playing or watching games, I'm asleep."
Let's go back to coming to Ohio State in the first place. You were both 4-star freshmen out of high school and it seems like you two have a common fit to this place. When did it hit you that you would be Ohio State Buckeyes?
Thornton: "The crazy part is that I thought assistant coach Jake Diebler was the head coach at Ohio State, and that Holt (Chris Holtmann) was the assistant. Then, talking with Diebler every day, he was so great with my family and couldn't have been better with us. The crazy part about it is that I didn't take a visit. I never visited Ohio State because it was still during COVID. I committed without telling my parents. I just woke up one day and was playing an AAU game, and thought ‘I really want to commit.' So I called Diebler and told him, ‘Yo, I want to commit,' then I told my family and friends. It was the bond that I had with Diebs, I just know that he will take care of me. He made me feel like family, and look at how everything panned out."
Bruce Thornton goes off for 25 points in Ohio State's dominant 88-61 win over Central Michigan
Roddy, what about you?
Gayle: "I committed during the middle of COVID as well. I wasn't allowed to take any visits. I came here (to Ohio State) on a few unofficial visits. But, similar to what Bruce said, (Jake) Diebler is one of the guys who bugged me every day, but then I felt comfortable leaning on him because I knew he would have my back every day. And I'm a big family person. This was the one staff that made me feel like home. Buckeye nation accepted me with open arms, and school's been great, the fan base is insane, and we're just glad to be Buckeyes."
How much better off are you guys from facing the adversity of a 16-19 season last year as freshmen?
Thornton: "It does a lot for us. Especially being backcourt mates with Roddy, you just see it all. In certain situations, the best way to go through something is just having that experience. The best teaching moments provide that experience and help you understand what's going on. Going through the Big Ten as a freshman, I'll be honest: you really don't know what's going on. Especially on the road, when you have back-to-back games, when you go to Illinois then Indiana, you're asking yourself, ‘How do you prepare for that? How do you keep your mental state?' Having been through that last year, we're more prepared for what's to come and how to go about getting ready for it, and the mindset for every game. I think that was very good for us in the long haul."
Look at you giving Bruce the credit! (laughter)
Now, over the weekend in the overtime win over West Virginia, Roddy puts up a career-high 32 points. Bruce, you tell me what kind of zone Roddy was in and what kind of zone he was in?
Thornton: "Our team has no egos. That's what it's about, and it makes it easier. It's about whoever is hot that night. We saw Rod had it going so we were like, ‘Let's let Rod rock out and do what he does best.' When he is hooping, he owned the night. But that's who we are. We could have that type of performance from a different guy any given night. When we beat Rutgers on Wednesday, Jamison (Battle) hit 5 threes in the game. But nobody cares who gets the shine. We just really want what's best for the team, and that's to win. When you have no egos, and nobody is selfish on this team, it makes the game of basketball more fun."
Roddy Gayle Jr. GOES OFF for 32 points in Ohio State's victory over West Virginia | CBB on FOX
Roddy, what have you seen from Bruce this season?
Gayle: "It's amazing to see. Sometimes, I feel a little starstruck with some of the shots he's hitting, I'm amazed. But that's the fire power that this team has. Any given night, somebody is willing to go off. You can't stop all of us, honestly. Whether it's Jamison, Bruce, Zed gets going, Felix with his elite rim protection, Evan does his job very well. But, having a point guard like that in the backcourt, with the ability to score the ball and also facilitate, not many people talk about his ability to play defense too. He's the total package."
What has a fifth-year senior and Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle added to this team?
Thornton: "A gifted scorer. His shooting (45% from 3) can really space out the floor for us, and allow Roddy and I to get downhill. It gives us the ability to make extra play for the big men. When you have someone who can shoot it that well, it means guys like us can penetrate the rim. But with him, he's seen it all in his five years. He's seen all different types of defensive coverages and road environments. We love that he came here. He's goofy, and we love that about him."
What makes him goofy?
Gayle: "If you need a laugh, and you like sarcastic humor, Jamison's the guy to go to. Don't get him going about the Minnesota Vikings." (laughter)
What makes this Ohio State team different?
Thornton: "Everybody's bonded so well with each other, and it's not just one person. You can mix up the friend groups or the teammates, and we're all going to find a way to bond with each other. That's the beautiful thing about this team: it doesn't matter who it is. We just want the next person to win. Having that camaraderie and bond, it's great off the court but it's even better on the court."
What's something people don't know about Chris Holtmann?
Gayle: "He's obsessed with Subway. Every time I see Holt, he has a large Diet Coke from Subway. Every single time. He should be the spokesman from Subway.:"
He comes off as this normal, run-of-the-mill type of guy, right?
Gayle: "He's just genuine, man. He's got a funny side to him too. But you talk with people who have come through this program, and they never had a relationship with a head coach like that. It's to the point where we go to dinner at his house. People don't necessarily know this, but Holt lifts with us. We're in the weight room busting our butts, and we look over, and there's Coach on the squat rack. I feel like that gives you a genuine feeling."
Do you guys live together?
Gayle: "Yes, we're in the dorm together."
Who's cleaner?
Thornton: "Me, for sure." (Gayle nods and laughs)
Who cooks?
Thornton: "Not a soul."
Does either of you have a hidden talent?
Thornton: "I used to know how to play the piano. My mom forced me to take the class growing up, and I learned it. I play ‘Jingle Bells’ pretty well."
What about you Roddy … golf, bowling, can you sing?
Gayle: "Absolutely not. I can't sing at all. Video games for me. I'm the best 2K player on the team."
What's the 1-on-1 series history between you two?
Gayle: "We've never played 1-on-1, but I'm guarding Bruce in practice and that's competitive."
Who does the talking?
Gayle: "It depends. Bruce has the love of all the coaches on the sideline. They give this guy every single foul call. I give him a little hand check, and of course it gets whistled for a foul call. He's got everybody on his side."
Bruce, is this true?
Thornton: "I mean, a foul's a foul man. He's fouling me!" (laughter)
Let's talk about your roots. Has it always been basketball for you?
Thornton: "It was always football and basketball growing up. When I was young, my mom told me stories that when I was growing up, if I saw a ball that could bounce in the store, we had to buy it. It didn't even have to be a basketball. I had to dribble it if I saw it in a store. Still to this day, if I see a ball when I'm grocery shopping in the store, I've got to be dribbling something in the store. It's the addiction that I have."
Roddy, who got you into basketball?
Gayle: "My father, Roddy Sr. Ever since I was little in diapers man, I had a little hoop in my living room. My dad recorded me getting shots up, and even looking back at those videos now, those memories, I cherish those moments of being young and having no idea of what this great game could bring to me. It's an amazing experience."
Who are your biggest basketball inspirations?
Gayle: "It's got to be Kobe Bryant. His mentality and his love for the game set him aside from his peers. Being a leader, and leading his team to championships, he is that guy everybody can look up to."
Who would play you in a movie?
Gayle: "When I was younger, I got a lot of comparisons to Will Smith, so I'm going with him."
Thornton: "Martin Lawrence. Martin's my favorite show."
Favorite meal?
Thornton: "Lemon pepper wings all the way."
Gayle: "Chicken parm. If done correctly, it's the best. Mom makes the best."
When you think about leaving your mark at Ohio State, what kind of legacy do you want to leave?
Gayle: "The goal is a national championship. We want to get as far in the Big Ten as possible and hang a banner in the rafters. That's the ultimate goal. There are not individual goals for me. It's about team success."
Thornton: "What's the point of playing if you're not trying to play for the biggest trophy? We want a Big Ten championship first here. Then a March Madness run. When we stretch and look up ahead of home games, we see those banners. It serves as a reminder of the standard here. We've got something to do here to follow the people in Columbus who have done it. But I've always thought, if you're winning, you are doing something right. All the other stuff will take care of itself."
Define Zach Edey.
Gayle: "Large. He's pretty much impossible to defend. He's got great touch around the rim, and the way he brings that team together, it's really amazing. Purdue has a bunch of pieces that surround him perfectly. He's just an unstoppable force at the rim and around the paint."
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One of the things about this Ohio State program is the development of recent NBA talent. In the last two drafts, three Buckeyes have been selected (Brice Sensabaugh, Malaki Branham, E.J. Liddell). How big is that player development piece, and knowing Chris Holtmann and staff have been sculpting that level of talent here in Columbus?
Thornton: "It's really great. And, what says a lot is a lot of former players who played at Ohio State always come back. They come and talk with us. It's great to hear from guys who have been in our shoes, between Jared Sullinger and Michael Redd, those guys who have won at the highest level and know what it takes to get to that next level. It's been cool to form a bond with them."
Gayle: "Evan Turner is another one. Those guys have had a huge impact on the way that I think. During the summer, Jared Sullinger and some of the other guys on the Ohio State TBT team came back and played with us. They were cooking us. But as leaders, they were talking to us. Jared Sullinger told us we weren't being vocal enough. That spoke to me, and it's something to be able to learn from the best."
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
