Quinn Corna is one of Ohio’s walk-ons for the class of 2026. The freshman has seen time in four of Ohio’s games and contributed six points against UC-Clermont.
Corna came to Ohio from Upper Arlington High School in Columbus, Ohio, where he scored 1,051 career points. Corna was named the 2022 Ohio Capital Conference Co-player of the Year with Ajay Sheldon.
Before winter break, The Post chatted with Corna about his family, his dog and adjusting to college life.
The Post: What are three things you can’t live without?
Corna: No. 1 is my family because my parents do a lot for me and I have two siblings who I am pretty close with. They’re my main support system. No. 2 is basketball, obviously. It keeps me busy, it’s what I spend most of my day doing and I love the game. Then three is probably my dog. I love my dog.
TP: What kind of dog is it?
Corna: It’s a sheep dog, and it’s actually a COVID puppy. I’d never had a dog and then COVID hit and we decided to get one. We decided it was a good time to get one and everyone was home. It got a lot of attention.
TP: Yeah, do you have either like a lot of land or like some sheep for that dog to herd or animals?
Corna: No, not really, but she is outside most of the day. She likes to be outside, so we just let her really roam our whole yard. She’ll come inside occasionally.
TP: What’s your dog’s name?
Corna: So I actually named my dog. I named it Bean, which is Kobe’s middle name, Kobe Bean Bryant. My dog is a girl, so my mom and sister wanted it to be a little more girly so they added Willa. So it's Willa Bean.
Photo provided by Quinn Corna.
TP: You mentioned your sister, are your siblings older or younger?
Corna: She’s a senior at Miami (University)
TP: Oh wow.
Corna: Yeah, (laughs) the rival school, but she’s rooting for (Ohio University) this year.
TP: You’re from Columbus, right?
Corna: Yeah, Columbus, Ohio
TP: So what’s your favorite part of Columbus?
Corna: I live in a pretty good location. I’m about 15 minutes from Ohio State, so I grew up biking to basketball and football games. I love the spot I’m in.
TP: Yeah, so being a freshman, what’s one of the biggest adjustments you’ve had to make so far, going to college?
Corna: Just being independent, I mean, you’re kind of on your own once you get here. We have a good support system like our coaches keep us going and make sure we’re where we need to be and we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, but we still have to be independent at the same time. Our parents aren’t here to do stuff for us. I’ve learned a lot the few months I’ve been here.
TP: What was your first big ‘Holy cow I’m on my own’ moment?
Corna: I actually came down here early. I came down here on the 15 of June. When I first got here, we were the only guys on campus, along with maybe the football and volleyball team. You were just on a college campus by yourself. We were going to class in the summer too, we had two classes. That’s kind of really when it hit, when I first got here, I was like ‘This is the real deal.’
TP: Did it take you a while to kind of navigate Athens because it's just a small group of you?
Corna: A little bit, but being with other guys helped. We all figured out different things and we were around each other all summer, so we figured it out pretty quickly.
TP: Do you have a favorite spot on campus?
Corna: The Sook Academic Center. That’s somewhere we can go to study. If we need to talk to someone, Sarah Hall is usually there. That’s a good resource for us as student athletes to be able to go.
TP: Yeah! So, what has been your favorite part about playing for Ohio so far?
Corna: The guys. At first, they welcomed me with open arms. We just have such a brotherhood here.
TP: Cool. You kind of had a big moment recently. You got your first points as a Bobcat. What did you feel in that moment, basketball aside, what was going through your head?
Corna: That was obviously a pretty cool moment. That’s something I’ve dreamed of as a little kid so it was cool. To get to do it at a place like Ohio University, both my parents are graduates from here, it was a cool moment. I think the coolest thing was to see how happy my teammates were for me. They went pretty crazy. Overall, great moment.
