Tiaunna Briggans (left), the mother of Ohio State men’s basketball player Bruce Thornton, takes a photo next to her three sons. Credit: Courtesy of Tiaunna Briggans Cole Young (right) walks out with his family, including his mother, Shanna Young, at the Covelli Center on Senior Day. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
March 4, hundreds of basketball fans held their breath at Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes were in a tight game against Nebraska, with a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive for the NCAA Tournament.
Of these fans, Tiaunna Briggans — the mother of Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton — nervously sat in the family section, repping a No. 2 jersey. Her solemn face was buried in her hands, a position she remained in as Thorton’s teammate stood at the free-throw line.
He knocked down both, and 20 minutes of gameplay later, with the time nearing midnight, the Ohio State men’s basketball team secured a 116-114 double-overtime victory.
For Briggans, these are the everyday emotions that come with being a sports mom.
“Good, bad or ugly, you got to show up,” Briggans said.
Hailing from Fairburn, Georgia, Briggans has flown back and forth for three consecutive years season to watch her son play on the biggest of stages.
She admits, at times, being a sports mom can be tough.
“I’m struggling,” Briggans said. “You want so much for your kids. You don’t want it more than them, but you just want to help them in the best way possible without being overbearing.”
The delayed flights, tough losses and mounting pressure student-athletes experience are just a few of the conflicts that have arisen, she said. However, being a former Division I athlete herself, Briggans is able to navigate the murky landscape of not one, but two student-athletes.
Her other son, Bryce Thornton, plays football for the Florida Gators.
“That pressure is tough,” Briggans said. “And if you got to get it from your mom, that’s not good. Your mom is not supposed to have that pressure on you.”
Briggans isn’t the only sports mom who feels this way.
Less than a mile away, Shanna Young — the mother of Ohio State men’s volleyball player Cole Young — often sits among the spirited crowd of Buckeye fans at the Covelli Center.
The 6-foot-10 standout senior has started all four years at Ohio State, which Shanna Young knows is a rare opportunity, given the amount of talent her son is surrounded by.
“All these kids were No. 1 athletes in their schools,” Shanna Young said. “Now they’re here [at Ohio State], and they’re all No. 1 athletes and they all can’t play. So, that’s hard for a parent to watch that.”
She said to combat this issue, the mothers of the men’s volleyball team meet often and have a group text designed for them to communicate. This direct line of communication provides a safe community for the mothers outside of the sport, she said.
Shanna Young said her son’s introduction to sports wasn’t like most athletes’.
“Cole got in trouble when he was in high school,” Shanna Young said. “His dad and I had been trying to get him to play volleyball because he’s so tall. So, his punishment was he had to go out to tryouts the next day.”
Shanna Young said that was “the best trouble he ever got in.”
What started off as a punishment turned into a passion for her son during his sophomore year of high school. After only one year of club volleyball, he committed to Ohio State — only 20 minutes away from his high school.
It’s a decision Cole Young said he credits to his mother.
“I’m more so of a momma’s boy than a dad’s boy,” Cole Young said. “But she’s actually the reason why I play volleyball. She’s always been there for and supported me, sports, school, life in general. We have a really great relationship.”
Cole Young said he’s learned many things from his mother over the years, but one of the most important lessons is the value of sacrifice.
“No matter the circumstances and how much sacrifice it may take, family is more important than anything,” Cole Young said.
Through ups and downs, both of these sports moms seem to have demonstrated the true meaning of sacrifice. And though they’re proud of the feats their children have achieved on the court, they’re even more grateful for who they’ve grown to be off the court.
Whether it be academically, physically or spiritually, Briggains and Shanna Young said both of their children have grown to demand excellence in almost every aspect of their lives.
Briggans said that while being a sports mom has been tough to navigate, she advises any parents who are or could be in the same situation to follow one piece of advice.
“Allow your child to lead,” Briggans said. “Just follow them and support them in the best way that you possibly can without making them feel like they’re doing it for anyone but themselves. They have to enjoy it, and they have to want it.”
