Ohio State junior guard Bruce Thornton racked up another preseason recognition on Monday when he was named one of 20 players on the watch list for the 2025 Bob Cousy Award, given to the top point guard in Division I men’s college basketball.
Thornton earns the honor due to his status as Ohio State’s unquestioned best player and team leader as well as one of the best all-around point guards in the Big Ten. Last season, the Fairburn, Ga., native was named third-team All-Big Ten after leading the Buckeyes in points (15.7 per game), assists (4.9), steals (1.2) and minutes (33.7), while shooting 42.7 percent from the field and tacking on another 3.7 rebounds per contest.
He also finished the year with the nation’s second-best assist-to-turnover ratio (168-to-42) and was one of three Buckeyes ever to have more than 100 assists and fewer than 50 turnovers in a season.
Thornton is expected to produce similar numbers this year on a Buckeye backcourt and overall Ohio State team that has high expectations under first-year head coach Jake Diebler, which has allowed him to earn some other notable recognitions before his junior season even begins.
He was also named to the 10-member preseason All-Big Ten team released on Oct. 1, and landed at No. 8 on NCAA men’s basketball analyst Andy Katz’ top 18 list of Big Ten players for the 2024-25 season.
The Cousy Award — named after Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and former Holy Cross and Boston Celtics guard Bob Cousy — will have its 20-player watch list narrowed down to 10 in late January, then down to five in late February until a winner is declared in March.
Thornton, who is looking to become Ohio State’s first Cousy Award winner since the honor was created in 2003-04, is one of five Big Ten guards featured on the watch list, joining Indiana’s Myles Rice, Penn State’s Ace Baldwin, Jr., Purdue’s Braden Smith and Rutgers’ Dylan Harper.
Other notable names on the list include Duke’s Tyrese Proctor, Alabama’s Marcus Sears and Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV.
