Ohio State freshman guards Bruce Thornton (2) and Roddy Gayle Jr. (1) greet Buckeye Nation following the Ohio State 72-60 win over Illinois Feb.26. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File Photo
Ohio State men’s basketball finished 13th in the Big Ten last season. Despite the outcome, head coach Chris Holtmann remains optimistic as they strive for better results in his seventh year.
Holtmann, along with sophomore guard Bruce Thornton and fifth-year senior forward Jamison Battle, spoke at Big Ten Media Day Tuesday.
Here are some takeaways from Minneapolis.
Thornton as primary leader
Holtmann placed an emphasis on Thornton’s leadership and initiative this offseason and said he expects all three returning sophomores to take major steps forward.
“When you go through a season like that, I think you’re looking for the daily work of your guys and what that looks like,” Holtmann said. “I think Bruce has led the way there — the consistency of his work and his approach, I think, has been a really good thing to see, and it’s also certainly been contagious.”
Through the team’s final eight games last season, Thornton led the team with 16.4 points, shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three.
Though he had an up-and-down year on the offensive end, Thornton’s defense never waivered. His on-ball defense and anticipation in passing lanes allowed him to lead the team with 0.8 steals per game.
“When the whole team buys into it, I feel like you can be a good defensive team,” Thornton said.
The entire team will need to come together facing the ball, as Ohio State ranked near the bottom half in steals and forced turnovers per game last year.
Battle will make an instant impact on offense
Battle, a transfer from Minnesota, was known for his 3-point shooting and up-and-down volume scoring. Though he took on a slightly smaller role last season, Battle averaged 17.5 points on 45-37-76 shooting in 2021.
His 2.2 3-pointers per game ranked sixth in the Big Ten in 2022. As an efficient, left-handed, beyond-the-arc shooter, Buckeye fans may find remnants of former Ohio State guard Justin Ahrens, who transferred to Loyola Marymount two seasons ago — but look at Battle’s overall ability to score, too.
If Battle has a smaller guard on him, don’t be surprised if he plays bully ball on a drive.
Holtmann said he wasn’t looking to add a player of Battle’s “caliber” but is happy they got one who has “proven to score the ball.”
“[Battle] gave us nightmares and fits constantly, he was a guy you have to be aware of and he’s been a really good addition with his maturity,” Holtmann said.
As one of the oldest members of the squad, although a newcomer himself, Battle will need to be a primary leader and scorer for this still-young team.
Is Holtmann ready for Big Ten expansion?
Ohio State’s head coach said he was happy for the Big Ten to expand to 18 teams, adding USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon.
“Our league is positioned as well as any league in the country, and I think all those schools bring a different element,” Holtmann said. “They’re all going to be really exciting places to play, for guys to go and really experience playing at some of those venues that are as iconic as there are in college basketball.”
A blueblood, UCLA is coming off back-to-back Sweet 16 finishes and comes in with the No. 13 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. Head coach Mick Cronin is no rookie to big games — he should expect a lot of them in what Holtman called “the deepest conference in college basketball.”
USC’s 2023 recruiting class ranks third nationally and includes two of the top guards in No. 2 incoming player Isaiah Collier and No. 28 player Bronny James. While the Trojans have not had much success the past two seasons, head coach Andy Enfield will bring a lot of star power to the Big Ten next season.
Washington and Oregon haven’t had much success recently, though each brings a storied history to the conference. The Huskies haven’t made the tournament since Jaylen Nowell was named Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2019, and the Ducks haven’t qualified since 2021.
With a team that placed as high as No. 23 in the Associated Press rankings but ended up missing the NCAA tournament, Holtmann has a lot of work to do before historically good programs join the conference.
Holtmann will be able to experience the expansion when the Buckeyes play UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta Dec. 16 at 3 p.m.
Until then, the Buckeyes tip off their season against Oakland Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
