Ohio University

Updated June 16, 2025

Lamar Thornton joined the men's basketball staff in March 2019 and primarily handles the Bobcats' defense. In his second season at Ohio, the bobcats won the MAC Tournament in the 2020-21 season and knocking off Virginia, the defending national champions, in the first round. 

In 2024-25, Thornton helped the Bobcats build an effective defense. They held their opponents to 76.5 points per game and a .457 field goal percentage. The Bobcats advanced to the MAC Semifinals for the fifth year in-a-row. Thornton also helped coach four All-MAC nominees: AJ Clayton, Shereef Mitchell, Jackson Paveletzke and Elijah Elliott. Clayton was also named Lou Henson Player of the Week and Oscar Robertson Player of the Week during the season.

2023-24 saw the Bobcats win 20 games for the second time while on the staff at Ohio. The Bobcats' defense held opponents to 70.0 points per game, while only shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the line, while forcing 13.7 turnovers a game and adding 7.1 steals a contest. The Bobcats finished third in the MAC in the regular season and advanced to the MAC Semifinals for the fourth-straight year and he helped coach Jaylin Hunter and Clayton to All-MAC honors, while Hunter also earned NABC All-District, Academic All-MAC and NABC Honors Court Recognition. The entire Bobcats squad also earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award. He also coached Hunter, Elmore James and Mitchell to MAC Player of the Week honors. 

In 2022-23, the Ohio defense held opponents to 73.1 points a game and a .445 field goal percentage, .340 three-point field goal percentage and a 67.9 percent free throw percentage. Ohio also forced 12.4 turnovers a game and had 6.7 steals a game. He helped coach Dwight Wilson III to All-MAC and NABC honors and Jaylin Hunter earned All-MAC Honorable Mention. A.J. Brown and Elmore James were named to the All-Freshman Team. Wilson and Ben Roderick were named Academic All-MAC, while Roderick earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-District Team. 

2021-22 saw Ohio win 25 games and advance to the CBI quarterfinals. The defense held opponents to 67.9 points per game and 44.3 percent shooting percentage from the field. They also held opponents to 31.5 percent from three and 76.1 percent from the line. Ohio also forced 14.2 turnovers a game and recorded 7.5 steals a game. Ben Vander Plas, Jason Carter and Mark Sears earned All-MAC and NABC All-District Honors, while Sears was named a Lou Henson Award Finalist. Vander Plas, Carter, Ben Roderick and Tommy Schmock earned a spot on the Academic All-MAC Team, while Vander Plas was named an Academic All-American for the second-straight year and was named the Division I Men's Basketball Academic All-America® of the Year. 

2020-21 saw Ohio return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine years. Ohio won the MAC Tournament after defeating Buffalo, 84-69. In the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats took down the defending national champion Virginia Cavaliers, 62-58, inside Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.

Thornton helped coach point guard Jason Preston, who was selected 33rd overall by the Orlando Magic and then acquired by the LA Clippers in the 2021 NBA Draft. Preston - Ohio's 20th Bobcat to be drafted - was Ohio's first NBA draft pick since 2003. Preston was named MAC Tournament MVP, First-Team All-MAC, Academic All-MAC and was a Lou Henson Award Finalist. 

Joining Preston on All-MAC teams were Dwight Wilson III and Ben Vander Plas, who were All-MAC Third Team. Meanwhile, freshman guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team, while sophomore guard Lunden McDay (Akron, Ohio) was named to the MAC All-Defensive Team. 

In 2021, Ben Vander Plas was named 2020-21 Academic All-America, Ohio's first since Dave Jamerson in 1990. Vander Plas was joined by Preston, Ben Roderick and Dwight Wilson III on the Academic All-MAC team.

2019-20 saw Ohio go 17-15, with OU winning the first-round MAC Tournament game against Central Michigan before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jason Preston was named Second Team All-MAC, Ben Vander Plas was named All-MAC Third Team, while Lunden McDay was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. 

Before joining the Bobcats, Thornton was on Jeff Boals' staff at Stony Brook as an assistant coach. In his two seasons with Stony Brook, Thornton was instrumental in player development, life skills, scouts and recruiting.  With that assistance, Stony Brook finished second in the America East with a 24-9 overall record and helped Stony Brook to its most successful year in the Division I era.  While at Stony Brook, Thornton helped the Seawolves to a postseason appearance in the 2019 College Basketball Invitational (CBI). With that assistance, center Jeff Otchere earned American East Defensive Player of the Year, Akwasi Yeboah earned American East First Team, Elijah Olaniyi earned American East Third Team and Miles Latimer earned American East Rookie Team.