Ohio State Signee Bruce Thornton Named Georgia Gatorade Player Of The Year

Thornton is now a finalist for the national player of the year award, which will be announced later this month.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Mar 16, 2022 8:09 PM EDT

Ohio State four-star point guard signee Bruce Thornton was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Georgia on Wednesday in recognition of his athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.

The 6-foot-1 and 205-pound Thornton, who was considered the eighth-best point guard and No. 42 prospect overall in the class of 2022, averaged 17.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.5 assists to lead Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton to a 23-8 record and trip to the Class 7A quarterfinals this season.

Thornton has also volunteered locally as a youth mentor with Waters Outreach, a non-profit organization for underprivileged children, and Seeds of Harvest, a non-profit reading and literacy organization. He also spent time as a youth coach with the Special Olympics.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Bruce is the best player in Georgia,” Woodstock (Ga.) Etowah head coach Jason Dasinger said of Thornton, who scored 25 points in a 96-63 win over his team back in December. “He may not have the highest scoring average of everyone, but that is by his choosing. He impacts the game more than any player I have ever coached against.”

After committing to the Buckeyes on Thanksgiving Day 2020, Thornton signed with the program this past November, joining Utah four-star shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr., Florida four-star small forward Brice Sensabaugh, Missouri four-star center Felix Okpara and Cincinnati three-star shooting guard Bowen Hardman in the Big Ten’s top-rated class.

Thornton finished his high school career with 1,554 points. He was a three-time first-team all-state selection who led the Eagles to the third state title in school history as a junior, and will now bring that championship pedigree to Columbus.

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