After dropping nine of ten games and falling out of any realistic shot at an NCAA bid for the 2022-2023 season at 11-12 overall, and 3-9 in the Big Ten, the Ohio State basketball team has a new captain.
Chris Holtmann talked to the media on Monday and confirmed that he had his team go back through a re-vote for captains to shake things up a bit, and that freshman guard Bruce Thorton was named captain.
Buy Buckeyes Tickets“I just wanted our guys to have a say in re-voting for the leadership on the team, and I just thought it was a good time to do it,” Holtmann said on Monday. “They re-voted and (Bruce) got a significant number of votes. It’s the first time we’ve really had a freshman do that. Typically we do that early in the year and it’s just once on the year — I just think with such a new group, it was important to do it again.”
Thorton joins teammates Zed Key, Justice Sueing, and Isaac Likekele as captains on the team.
The timing is a good one because Thorton played arguably his best game as a Buckeye against Michigan on Sunday. He was more active, assertive, and confident, scoring 22 points and just one turnover in 36 minutes of action on the road.
Bruce Thornton was voted a team captain by his teammates in recent days. The #Buckeyes have guys vote on this at the beginning of the year, but this moved Thornton into a captain's role. Did anyone fall out of the role? Chris Holtmann laughed when I asked and declined to specify.
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) February 6, 2023
It’s unclear exactly when this vote took place other than over the last several days, and Holtmann refused to divulge any details about anyone falling out of captain status. Either way, a little rattling of the tree branches needed to occur, so maybe this is a move that will have a positive effect down the stretch.
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