ROSEMONT, Ill. – The choice isn’t always theirs. When the coaches tell someone to go somewhere or suit up for a specific team in practice, it’s up to the player to oblige.
Make no mistake, though: when it’s up to Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson Jr. to decide who is guarding whom, they know exactly where they’re lining up.
“Just know if Meechie is up top, I’m going to be right there,” Thornton said.
Any hopes for Ohio State to climb back to national prominence under first-year coach Jake Diebler center on the veteran backcourt anchored by the two players with all-conference accolades in their past. A two-time captain, Thornton enters his third year at Ohio State as a preseason first-team all-Big Ten selection in the unofficial media poll conducted jointly by The Dispatch and The Indianapolis Star after being named third-team all-conference by the media a season ago.
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Johnson, in his second year at South Carolina after two years at Ohio State, earned second-team all-SEC honors last year as well. Together, they’ve combined for 1,902 points, 498 assists and 2,764 minutes played. This season, Ohio State’s chances for success are firmly attached to the play of the two veteran guards.
They’ve approached the year with that mindset. In workouts, Johnson and Thornton have been among the most vocal Buckeyes. When players had to earn the right to wear scarlet clothes with Ohio State’s Block ‘O’ in practice, Thornton was the first to do so and Johnson quickly followed. At Big Ten media day, both were picked to represent the 2024-25 Buckeyes.
And when it’s time to compete, the two don’t shy away from going against each other.
“Every day in practice we’ve been pushing each other like no other,” Johnson said. “I’m on him. He’s on me. He’s one of the best players I’ve played against in college basketball. Being able to guard him every day and compete, it’s exciting.”
In his two years at South Carolina, Johnson averaged 13.4 points and 3.2 assists in 31.1 minutes per game. Two years into his career, Thornton has averaged 13.2 points, 3.7 assists and 32.1 minutes per game. Both have been mainstays in the starting lineup: Thornton has started every game save one he missed due to a migraine last year while Johnson started 62 of the 63 games he played for the Gamecocks.
Both can run the point. Both can play off the ball. Most importantly, Thornton said, both want to win at Ohio State. That history, plus their goals for the season, means the two didn’t have to be told to compete head-to-head.
“We guard each other every day in practice,” Thornton said. “That’s something that’s a mandatory thing. No words had to be said. It’s how we’re going to get better, how we’re going to succeed, how the standard of Ohio State transcends because I’m tired of losing.”
Johnson was on the last two Ohio State teams to reach the NCAA Tournament. Last year, he helped South Carolina get back to March Madness for the first time since the 2016-17 season while helping engineer a turnaround from 11-21 overall in 2022-23 to 26-8 in coach Lamont Paris’ second season. Thornton is still in search of his first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Together, Diebler is hoping they can lead the way into March.
“They’re both really great young men and they both really want to win and win for Ohio State,” he said. “They have that in common. I’ve been impressed with how organic and natural that chemistry has seemed.”
Just maybe not when they’re guarding each other.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball: Meechie Johnson, Bruce Thornton practice hard
