From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about hype. What are you most hyped about heading into the 2026-27 season? You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Hype Week” articles here.
For Ohio State men’s basketball fans, it will be an odd feeling tuning in next November and not seeing Bruce Thornton on the floor as the captain of the team. However, they will be able
to see five-star freshman Anthony Thompson.
As of May 6, 2026, Thompson is the No. 9-ranked prospect in the 2026 class, according to the 247 Sports Composite. He is the top player in the state of Ohio and the No. 3-ranked small forward, behind Tyran Stokes and Bruce Branch III.
Stokes is going to Kansas, and Branch is going to BYU, both on the 2026 schedule for Ohio State.
Thompson is the fourth-highest-ranked Buckeye prospect in 247Sports history, behind Greg Oden, BJ Mullins, and Jared Sullinger. He is higher ranked than the likes of William Buford, D’Angelo Russell, Malaki Branham, and Deshaun Thomas.
The skilled left-handed shooter had his breakout season at Lebanon High School, earning first-team all-conference and honorable mention all-state honors as a sophomore when he averaged 15.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
After that, he transferred to Western Reserve Academy for his junior season, averaging 22 points per game that year. He also participated in the Adidas 3SSB circuit in 2025, averaging 22.8 points and 5.7 rebounds. He shot 59% from the field and finished fourth in the league in scoring.
He chose Ohio State over Indiana, but at one point released his top seven schools, which were Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Purdue, Ohio State, North Carolina, and Texas.
According to Adam Finkelstein, the Director of Scouting for 247 Sports, Thompson provides multiple matchup issues on both sides of the ball.
“Thompson is a skilled lefty forward and natural scorer with extreme length. He’s a potent shot-maker who leans back into a high release that is virtually unblockable, allowing him to make threes and pull-ups with very little separation,” Finkelstein said. “While his tough shot-making ability is his best offensive asset, we’re gradually starting to see him put more pressure on the rim. He has a terrific right hand in the paint, increasing vertical pop at the rim, and the ability to decelerate and maneuver the lane with Euros and long strides. This 3SSB season, he averaged 22 points per game on 53% shooting, 39% from three, and 88% from the free-throw line.”
Finkelstein added, “Defensively, he has great playmaking metrics (1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals), and is particularly adept at flying out to block shots on the perimeter. His length allows him to close gaps and erase mistakes in a hurry, but too often that’s because he’s not fully locked in for the entire possession.”
When Thompson committed to Ohio State, he told Paul Biancardi of ESPN that his relationship with Coach Diebler was a driving force.
“My relationship with the coaching staff was different. They recruited me hard and consistently made me a priority,” Thompson told ESPN. “Coach Diebler really cares about all his players. He is on the court working with his players during individual workouts. He was very consistent in his communication and recruitment of me. I know I can rely on him to help me. I watched the team practice. They had great energy and buy-in.”
Thompson is a projected lottery pick in the 2027 NBA draft, according to (very) early mock drafts. He will have an expectation to come to Columbus and be one of the best players in the conference and likely the best player on the team.
With the last player ranked this highly for Ohio State being Jared Sullinger, Thompson is a prospect that hasn’t been seen in Columbus since 2010 and will be a must-watch for fans, no matter how you currently feel about the program.
