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- Thread starter brodybuck21
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MARVYMARV14
Hall of Fame
Kid is one of those power dribbling sturdy pg's kind of like Kyle Lowry... Can finish strong and shoot it...loving this pick up more and more
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
Great article on Thorton. Will post some highlights. He is going to be a great one.
Adam Jardy
Buckeye Xtra
Bruce Thornton is proving himself to be the exception. Now a five-star prospect in the Rivals.com national rankings, the Alpharetta (Georgia) Milton standout and 2022 Ohio State verbal commitment enters the summer as a legitimate top-15 prospect with a growing future.
You just might have to look a little closer.
“He’s a winner,” Rivals.com basketball analyst Jamie Shaw said, drawing parallels to former Ohio State player Scoonie Penn and Michigan State’s Mateen Cleaves. “Those type of guys that you might look at them initially and have questions, but then once they start playing they start racking up positive plays upon positive plays and wins upon wins.
“His team always seems to be better and his teammates always seem to be better when he’s on the floor.”
In a recap from the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, which took place May 14-16 in Suwanee, Georgia, Shaw singled Thornton out as one of seven top performers from among the 250 teams ranging from the U14 to U17 levels. It comes on the heels of a junior season at Milton that brought home a Class 7A state championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the Geico Nationals Tournament.
He was also named the state’s player of the year at his division. As a senior, though, his primary goal consists of recapturing one of those awards even at the expense of his own numbers.
“He said, ‘Next year, I’m gonna have to take a step back from my scoring to allow (2023 five-star guard and teammate Kanaan Carlyle) to grow. My goal this year is to lead the team in assists and win state,’ ” said Adam Gibbs, Milton assistant coach and director of The Skill Factory TSF, Thornton’s AAU program. “I don’t know too many kids who that would be their goal.”
That’s not to say he can’t put up those numbers. Barfield said Thornton had a 49-point effort for Milton last season during which he didn’t have a single dunk. And yet, in another game, he didn’t take a single shot and finished with around 13 assists in a blowout win.
“He doesn’t need the baseline videographer,” Milton coach Allen Whiteheart said. “He just gets it done. He just grinds out 25-, 30-point performances daily. That’s who he is.”
Shaw said those skills are evident even in an AAU game.
“All eyes are on Bruce,” he said. “Everybody knows that Bruce is the man, even the other all-stars on his team. He commands that type of respect. He doesn’t really need to necessarily say anything, he just commands that presence because they know that if they work their butt off they’re gonna get the ball back.”
Although his profile figures to continue to grow with the return of in-person recruiting and live AAU events this summer, Thornton isn’t planning to use the summer as an opportunity to create more recruiting interest from other schools.
Barfield said the commitment Thornton made to Ohio State last November won’t waver for two key reasons: Chris Holtmann and Jake Diebler.
“He loves that coaching staff,” Barfield said. “From what he told me, it’s just about being comfortable. Bruce is one of those kids that just wants to be comfortable and it’s about trust, and he trusts those guys up there.”
Much more…
Adam Jardy
Buckeye Xtra
Bruce Thornton is proving himself to be the exception. Now a five-star prospect in the Rivals.com national rankings, the Alpharetta (Georgia) Milton standout and 2022 Ohio State verbal commitment enters the summer as a legitimate top-15 prospect with a growing future.
You just might have to look a little closer.
“He’s a winner,” Rivals.com basketball analyst Jamie Shaw said, drawing parallels to former Ohio State player Scoonie Penn and Michigan State’s Mateen Cleaves. “Those type of guys that you might look at them initially and have questions, but then once they start playing they start racking up positive plays upon positive plays and wins upon wins.
“His team always seems to be better and his teammates always seem to be better when he’s on the floor.”
In a recap from the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, which took place May 14-16 in Suwanee, Georgia, Shaw singled Thornton out as one of seven top performers from among the 250 teams ranging from the U14 to U17 levels. It comes on the heels of a junior season at Milton that brought home a Class 7A state championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the Geico Nationals Tournament.
He was also named the state’s player of the year at his division. As a senior, though, his primary goal consists of recapturing one of those awards even at the expense of his own numbers.
“He said, ‘Next year, I’m gonna have to take a step back from my scoring to allow (2023 five-star guard and teammate Kanaan Carlyle) to grow. My goal this year is to lead the team in assists and win state,’ ” said Adam Gibbs, Milton assistant coach and director of The Skill Factory TSF, Thornton’s AAU program. “I don’t know too many kids who that would be their goal.”
That’s not to say he can’t put up those numbers. Barfield said Thornton had a 49-point effort for Milton last season during which he didn’t have a single dunk. And yet, in another game, he didn’t take a single shot and finished with around 13 assists in a blowout win.
“He doesn’t need the baseline videographer,” Milton coach Allen Whiteheart said. “He just gets it done. He just grinds out 25-, 30-point performances daily. That’s who he is.”
Shaw said those skills are evident even in an AAU game.
“All eyes are on Bruce,” he said. “Everybody knows that Bruce is the man, even the other all-stars on his team. He commands that type of respect. He doesn’t really need to necessarily say anything, he just commands that presence because they know that if they work their butt off they’re gonna get the ball back.”
Although his profile figures to continue to grow with the return of in-person recruiting and live AAU events this summer, Thornton isn’t planning to use the summer as an opportunity to create more recruiting interest from other schools.
Barfield said the commitment Thornton made to Ohio State last November won’t waver for two key reasons: Chris Holtmann and Jake Diebler.
“He loves that coaching staff,” Barfield said. “From what he told me, it’s just about being comfortable. Bruce is one of those kids that just wants to be comfortable and it’s about trust, and he trusts those guys up there.”
Much more…
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ShowMeBuck
You know what? Chicken butt.
Watching Thornton at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. He’s a THICK dude.
Game ends as he hits a buzzer beater for 3 from one stride past half court for the Milton win
Wow.
Game ends as he hits a buzzer beater for 3 from one stride past half court for the Milton win
Wow.
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