The most prolific scorer in Ohio State men’s basketball history has a new home.
On June 24, Houston traded up and tabbed former Buckeye Bruce Thornton with the first pick in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft, making him the 57th Ohio State player to be selected in the league’s draft. Thornton was in attendance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, hearing his name get called in person by NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum.
Widely projected as a second-round pick in mainstream mock drafts leading into the day, Thornton was taken with the 31st overall pick of the draft.
“Just to hug my mom, just to say we made it, all the sacrifices were definitely worth it,” Thornton told ESPN. “I’m just trying to be a winner. I’m just trying to win games and impact winning as much as I possibly can.
“I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m built for the moment.”
Thornton’s mom, Tiaunna Briggans, said he had worked out for 18 NBA teams leading up to the draft.
He is the first Ohio State player taken in the draft since Brice Sensabaugh was the No. 28 pick in the 2023 draft. Thornton and Sensabaugh were freshmen together at Ohio State in 2022-23.
“He’s just a winner who gets things done,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said of Thornton on the broadcast. “He’s one of the most respected players and competitors in college basketball, not only for the last four years but for a long, long time. He’s tough and efficient.
“What he really does is lead. He’s a terrific pick here for Houston.”
Sensabaugh was coincidentally on the same day at Ohio State as part of the program’s annual “Vet Week,” when former players come back for a few days during the summer to work out against the current team. In between sessions, coach Jake Diebler said he’d spoken with Thornton the day of the first round of the draft and texted with him the morning of the second day.
“Every NBA scout I’ve talked to or NBA decision-maker, I’ve told them, there’s not a lot of guarantees in this but I can guarantee you your coach is going to love Bruce Thornton,” Diebler said. “He’s going to work hard every single day and he’s going to impact winning every single day. There’s a lot of excitement about him, his potential at the next level and his future.
“We’re excited to see how that plays out, but all he needs is just a crack of the door open and he’s going to bust through and make it happen, there’s no question.”
The first four-time captain in Ohio State history, Thornton arrived on campus as a four-star prospect and the No. 51 national player in the 2022 class according to the 247Sports.com composite. He immediately slotted into the starting lineup, where he would remain for all four years save for one game he missed with a migraine during his junior season.
Thornton steadily improved his production each season, capping his career by averaging 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists and helping the Buckeyes return to the NCAA Tournament after a three-year absence. In 136 career games – all starts – Thornton averaged 15.9 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 48.6% from the floor, 38.1% from 3 and 82.9% from the free-throw line.
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He was a third-team all-Big Ten pick as a sophomore and then a second-team selection in both his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, he also was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor, given annually to one male and one female senior from each school who “have attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.”
As a senior, Thornton set the men’s all-time scoring record at Ohio State in a senior day win against Indiana. He ended his career with 2,164 points, surpassing Dennis Hopson’s career total of 2,096.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Houston takes Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton in second round of NBA draft
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
