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CLEVELAND – When things threatened to go sideways, Ohio State turned to freshman Amare Bynum to get back into the game. With the game against West Virginia in the balance during a second overtime period, the Buckeyes leaned heavily on their captain, senior Bruce Thornton.
After their 89-88 win at Rocket Arena on Dec. 13, Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler said the resemblance doesn’t end there.
“I see a lot of similarities in the way that (Bynum) approaches the game in every single day to how (Bruce) did as a freshman,” he said, gesturing to the freshman seated to his left and then the senior to his right. “That’s why you’re seeing him play at a higher level with more consistency, because he shows up every single day.”
The significance of the comparison Diebler made is not lost on anyone who has spent time around the men’s basketball program for the last four years. After being the primary recruiter for Thornton, Diebler has gone on to become his head coach during the last two seasons while furthering a relationship that has been nurtured by a shared high-level work ethic on a daily basis. Diebler has often described Thornton as not an every-day player but an “every-rep player,” one whose consistency has helped shape him into the first four-time captain in program history.
Give Diebler the chance to speak about Thornton, and he’ll probably ask how much time you have. But during the 2025-26 season, Diebler has also saved some unique praise for Bynum, who has quickly ingratiated himself to the coach through his work ethic and the joy that he brings to the program on a daily basis.
“Completely different players,” Diebler said. “We’re not comparing talent or game or anything like that. I just see a very similar approach. Those guys play with a joy. They play with a toughness, and they were both really mature freshmen. When you have that kind of combination you typically end up having a special player.”
Against the Mountaineers, the Buckeyes needed both of them to avert a potentially season-altering loss. Trailing by 16 points with roughly 14 minutes to play, Diebler called timeout after the Buckeyes failed to come up with loose balls or even dive after them on consecutive possessions and promptly lit into his team. His red-faced tirade didn’t produce immediate offensive results, but about two minutes later the Buckeyes got the ball to the freshman who just missed a chance for an and-one but sunk both free throws with 12:26 left to make it a 51-39 West Virginia lead.
It was the start of 17-4 run for Ohio State during which Bynum scored nine straight points for the Buckeyes and had an offensive rebound that led to a Christoph Tilly bucket. The freshman finished with a career-high 17 points and added eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 36:02 to help pace Ohio State’s methodical comeback.
“(Diebler) just said be aggressive and calm down a little bit and just stay humble,” Bynum said. “Like what Bruce says, you can’t get all those points back in one possession so we dug it out and kept going.”
While Bynum kept Ohio State afloat, it was Thornton who brought the Buckeyes home. After being limited to only two points during the first half, Thornton scored 10 of his team-high 21 points during the second overtime including the game-winning shot with 3.6 seconds left.
“It’s just experience, playing so many games, being in so many situations,” Thornton said. “We’re built for these moments and it showed today.”
It wasn’t just Thornton’s production Diebler wanted to talk about postgame. As the Buckeyes were digging out of their 16-point hole, the coach said Thornton took over a couple huddles and even delayed him getting in to talk to his team on occasion.
“I think one time he sat in my seat and got it all sweaty,” Diebler said with a laugh. “I trust him. I trust his voice.”
The same is becoming increasingly true for Bynum. As Ohio State now enjoys a week away from games before facing North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta on Dec. 13, the team’s most- and least-experienced contributors are expected to remain as they have been to this point in their respective careers.
“It’s the way Bruce has approached each day,” Diebler said. “Amare has a very similar approach. Amare, it doesn’t matter how hard our lift is, how hard our practice is, he just keeps showing up at a high level. That’s been really impressive to see.”
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at [email protected], on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: One-two punch of Amare Bynum, Bruce Thornton pushed Ohio State past WVU
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After their 89-88 win at Rocket Arena on Dec. 13, Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler said the resemblance doesn’t end there.
“I see a lot of similarities in the way that (Bynum) approaches the game in every single day to how (Bruce) did as a freshman,” he said, gesturing to the freshman seated to his left and then the senior to his right. “That’s why you’re seeing him play at a higher level with more consistency, because he shows up every single day.”
The significance of the comparison Diebler made is not lost on anyone who has spent time around the men’s basketball program for the last four years. After being the primary recruiter for Thornton, Diebler has gone on to become his head coach during the last two seasons while furthering a relationship that has been nurtured by a shared high-level work ethic on a daily basis. Diebler has often described Thornton as not an every-day player but an “every-rep player,” one whose consistency has helped shape him into the first four-time captain in program history.
Give Diebler the chance to speak about Thornton, and he’ll probably ask how much time you have. But during the 2025-26 season, Diebler has also saved some unique praise for Bynum, who has quickly ingratiated himself to the coach through his work ethic and the joy that he brings to the program on a daily basis.
“Completely different players,” Diebler said. “We’re not comparing talent or game or anything like that. I just see a very similar approach. Those guys play with a joy. They play with a toughness, and they were both really mature freshmen. When you have that kind of combination you typically end up having a special player.”
Against the Mountaineers, the Buckeyes needed both of them to avert a potentially season-altering loss. Trailing by 16 points with roughly 14 minutes to play, Diebler called timeout after the Buckeyes failed to come up with loose balls or even dive after them on consecutive possessions and promptly lit into his team. His red-faced tirade didn’t produce immediate offensive results, but about two minutes later the Buckeyes got the ball to the freshman who just missed a chance for an and-one but sunk both free throws with 12:26 left to make it a 51-39 West Virginia lead.
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It was the start of 17-4 run for Ohio State during which Bynum scored nine straight points for the Buckeyes and had an offensive rebound that led to a Christoph Tilly bucket. The freshman finished with a career-high 17 points and added eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 36:02 to help pace Ohio State’s methodical comeback.
“(Diebler) just said be aggressive and calm down a little bit and just stay humble,” Bynum said. “Like what Bruce says, you can’t get all those points back in one possession so we dug it out and kept going.”
While Bynum kept Ohio State afloat, it was Thornton who brought the Buckeyes home. After being limited to only two points during the first half, Thornton scored 10 of his team-high 21 points during the second overtime including the game-winning shot with 3.6 seconds left.
“It’s just experience, playing so many games, being in so many situations,” Thornton said. “We’re built for these moments and it showed today.”
It wasn’t just Thornton’s production Diebler wanted to talk about postgame. As the Buckeyes were digging out of their 16-point hole, the coach said Thornton took over a couple huddles and even delayed him getting in to talk to his team on occasion.
“I think one time he sat in my seat and got it all sweaty,” Diebler said with a laugh. “I trust him. I trust his voice.”
The same is becoming increasingly true for Bynum. As Ohio State now enjoys a week away from games before facing North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta on Dec. 13, the team’s most- and least-experienced contributors are expected to remain as they have been to this point in their respective careers.
“It’s the way Bruce has approached each day,” Diebler said. “Amare has a very similar approach. Amare, it doesn’t matter how hard our lift is, how hard our practice is, he just keeps showing up at a high level. That’s been really impressive to see.”
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at [email protected], on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: One-two punch of Amare Bynum, Bruce Thornton pushed Ohio State past WVU
Continue reading...
