Jake Diebler typically talks about pleasure as a calling card of his program. There’s been a warranted outpouring of pleasure for Bruce Thornton breaking Ohio State’s all-time scoring report and making his first NCAA Tournament.
But there’s one other participant who reveals infectious pleasure on the basketball court docket and is progressively bringing increasingly more pleasure to Buckeye followers: Freshman ahead Amare Bynum.
As Ohio State enters its first NCAA Tournament in 4 years, Bynum is exhibiting the potential to be a famous person subsequent season. For now, nonetheless, the Buckeyes are searching one other sturdy efficiency from their budding teen in opposition to No. 9 seed TCU within the first spherical of the Big Dance.
“I love coaching him,” Jake Diebler mentioned after Ohio State beat Indiana on March 7. “I see so much in the way he approaches each day, and the joy he has. I see a lot of – it reminds me a lot of Bruce when he was a freshman. He’s gonna have his own career, and it’s not about, we’re not comparing players. Just (Bynum’s) approach and joy. And I think that’s why we’re seeing growth almost by the week.”
Bynum’s path to changing into an impression participant charted a well-recognized course for proficient Ohio State freshman hoopers.
John Mobley Jr. grabbed a beginning spot within the Buckeyes’ lineup within the eleventh recreation of his freshman marketing campaign final season, and Bynum did the identical in 2025-26, overtaking then-starting energy ahead Brandon Noel forward of Ohio State’s recreation in opposition to North Carolina on Dec. 20. He posted double-figures in his first two outings within the beginning lineup, then collected a season-high 20 factors in a loss at Washington on Jan. 11.
A 3-game lull adopted, together with a zero-point efficiency in opposition to Minnesota on Jan. 20, however then Bynum discovered some consistency. Always a menace to attain on the inside along with his mix of high-flying athleticism and ability ending across the rim, Bynum added a 3-point element to his recreation, capturing 13-of-28 (46.4%) from downtown within the Buckeyes’ final 9 contests coming into the NCAA Tournament.
“Being more poised, taking open shots and having confidence,” Bynum mentioned of what’s brought about him to enhance in an interview with Bucknuts and the Columbus Dispatch after Ohio State’s Big Ten Tournament win over Iowa on Thursday. “I see all my other guys have confidence, so keep having confidence, they’re gonna have confidence in me, so just keep moving.”
Speaking of that Iowa recreation, a flashback to certainly one of Ohio State’s craziest highlights this 12 months, that includes Bynum:
On the season, Bynum averages 9.7 factors, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per recreation, capturing 50.2% from the sphere and 31.8% from past the arc. But he introduced his greatest sustained degree of play throughout Ohio State’s four-game profitable streak to lock up a No. 8 seed within the NCAA Tournament. He picked up 12.7 factors and 6 rebounds per recreation in that stretch, capturing at a 66.7% clip. His protection stored taking leaps, too, a flexible cog within the Buckeyes’ team-wide enhancements on that finish of the ground.
The most memorable efficiency of Bynum’s season got here in an 18-point, nine-rebound effort on Senior Night to assist defeat Indiana and successfully clinch Ohio State’s Big Dance bid. He created separation for the Buckeyes with a 14-point first half, draining each his 3-point makes an attempt and including his normal sensational dunk.
Bynum often pops off with an enormous celebration after huge performs. He’s having enjoyable on the hardwood. He’s discovering pleasure.
“I love Ohio State,” Bynum mentioned. “It’s been great. Learning from everybody, it’s been fun out there, all the games are fun, just learning something new every day.”
Bynum’s sizzling stretch stopped in the Buckeyes’ close loss to No. 1 seed (each for the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments) Michigan within the quarterfinals of the convention tourney, as he managed simply 5 factors on 1-of-5 capturing in opposition to 7-foot-3 middle and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Aday Mara and the Wolverines’ stout frontcourt. Diebler felt his freshman phenom may have attacked extra. He needs him to take action within the Big Dance.
“I had to pull him aside, I think, on his way over to the huddle at a timeout and just say, ‘Hey, man, stay aggressive. We need you to be aggressive,’” Diebler mentioned on Monday. “I think he’s been playing at a really high level. We’ve seen a maturation in his game as the season’s progressed. We obviously have a great deal of belief in him. He’s earned everything that he’s gotten this year, and he’s earned the ability to impact winning for this team like he has. And so I just want him to keep being himself. I think that’s the message to him.”
There may very well be alternatives to be aggressive in opposition to TCU. The Horned Frogs have a bodily frontcourt with respectable defensive metrics with energy ahead David Punch and middle Xavier Edmunds, however though Punch averages two blocks per recreation, no main contributor for TCU stands above 6-foot-8. Bynum matches that top on the 4 for Ohio State. And he’s anticipating his first NCAA Tournament.
“It’s amazing,” Bynum mentioned. “I heard Ohio State hasn’t been in a while, so my first year, it’s going to be fun at March Madness. … So it’s going to be fun. We’re going to make a big run.”
With an offseason to pack on some muscle and refine his recreation, Bynum may turn out to be certainly one of Ohio State’s largest stars. For now, he’ll focus to find pleasure in victory over TCU. Tipoff between the Buckeyes and Horned Frogs is at 12:15 p.m. Thursday on CBS.
“As far as his ceiling goes, I think he’s got pro potential,” Diebler mentioned. “I think he’s got an ability to be a huge impact player next year. And I’m confident he’s going to reach those heights at some point in the near future because of how he approaches things and how he works. But the thing that’s special about him is he’s just focused on getting better and helping us win right now, and he does that by working on his game. And as long as he continues to do that, the sky’s the limit for him.”
