Marcus Thornton (basketball, born 1993)
Canton Charge | |
2018–2019 | Seoul SK Knights |
---|---|
2019–2020 | Élan Chalon |
2020–2021 | Niners Chemnitz |
2021–2022 | Medi Bayreuth |
2022–2023 | Fortitudo Bologna |
2023–present | Lavrio |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Marcus Alexander Thornton (born February 9, 1993) is an American professional
On February 25, 2015, Thornton surpassed 2,052 career points to overtake Chet Giermak's long-standing school record. Giermak's mark stood for 65 years – the longest-lasting NCAA Division I school record in the nation at the time it was broken.[1]
High school career
Thornton, a native of
He made the most out of his two-year varsity career at Bishop McNamara. Thornton scored 1,254 points, set the school career scoring average at 19.9 points per game, three-point field goal percentage (.430), and three-pointers made (161).[2] He was named the Gatorade Maryland State Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 23.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, all while competing in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, the toughest high school basketball conference in the country.[2][3] In his final game for Bishop McNamara, he scored a career high and school record 43 points.[3]
College career
Thornton became the first William & Mary Tribe signee to be named a Gatorade state player of the year.[3] He chose William & Mary over other schools partly because of its academic reputation and partly because of the attention then-assistant coach Jamion Christian paid him during recruitment.[2] Although Christian ended up taking an assistant coaching job at VCU the spring before Thornton enrolled, it did not affect his decision to attend.[2]
The 2011–12 season, his freshman year, saw the Tribe go 6–26 and finish third from the bottom of the CAA standings.[4] He averaged 11.1 points, scoring 355 on the year, and was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team.[3][5] He increased his scoring to 18.8 points per game in 2012–13 while he began to establish himself as a player who could create his own shot late in a possession.[2] Thornton was named Second Team All-CAA, becoming just the second W&M player to earn a second team honor in his sophomore year.[3] After scoring 565 points that season, entered his junior year just 80 points shy of 1,000 for his career.[5]
Thornton
Entering his
For the second consecutive season, William & Mary earned a berth in the
On March 30, the Associated Press named Thornton an honorable mention All-American.[14] He was the first W&M player since 1981 (Mike Strayhorn) to earn the distinction and only the sixth overall to that point.[14]
College statistics
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011–12 | William & Mary | 32 | 14 | 27.8 | .371 | .336 | .707 | 2.4 | 1.3 | .3 | .2 | 11.1 |
2012–13 | William & Mary | 30 | 30 | 36.3 | .440 | .435 | .827 | 2.8 | 2.8 | .9 | .5 | 18.8 |
2013–14 | William & Mary | 32 | 30 | 35.6 | .435 | .403 | .779 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 1.1 | .2 | 18.7 |
2014–15 | William & Mary | 33 | 33 | 36.7 | .456 | .402 | .830 | 2.8 | 2.9 | .6 | .1 | 20.0 |
Career | 127 | 107 | 34.1 | .430 | .402 | .789 | 2.6 | 2.4 | .7 | .2 | 17.1 |
Professional career
NBA Draft and Summer League
On June 25, 2015, Thornton was selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, making him the first William & Mary player ever taken in the modern draft format (two rounds; since 1989).[15] He later joined the Celtics for the 2015 NBA Summer League and averaged 5.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in eight games.[16]
Sydney Kings (2015–2016)
On July 22, 2015, Thornton signed with the Sydney Kings for Australia's 2015–16 National Basketball League season.[17] On October 10, 2015, he made his debut for the Kings against the Cairns Taipans. In 29 minutes of action as a starter, he recorded nine points, three rebounds and three assists in an 87–63 win.[18] On November 1, he scored a season-high 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting in a loss to Melbourne United.[19] He appeared in all 28 games for the last-placed Kings, averaging 12.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, but shot just 37.7 percent from the field and 28.1 percent on three-pointers.[20]
Maine Red Claws (2016)
On March 1, 2016, Thornton was acquired by the
Consultinvest Pesaro (2016–2017)
On July 30, 2016, Thornton signed a two-year deal with Italian side
Canton Charge (2017–2018)
On November 3, 2017, Thornton was included in the opening roster of
On February 21, 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Thornton to a 10-day contract; he was then assigned back to the G-League.[26] On March 4, he was reported to not have his second 10-day contract offered by the Cavaliers and returned to Canton Charge.[27] Thornton never played a game for the Cavaliers.
Élan Chalon (2019–2020)
On July 4, 2019, he has signed with
Niners Chemnitz (2020–2021)
On July 28, 2020, Thornton signed with Niners Chemnitz in Germany.[29]
He averaged a team high 13.9 points and 4.2 assists in 33 games during the 2020-2021 season.
Medi Bayreuth (2021–2022)
On June 28, 2021, he has signed with Medi Bayreuth of the Basketball Bundesliga.[30] In his two seasons in Germany's top tier league for Niners Chemnitz and Medi Bayreuth, Thornton averaged a convincing 13.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.9 rebounds across 58 games.[31]
Fortitudo Bologna (2022–2023)
Lavrio (2023–present)
On August 14, 2023, Thornton signed with Greek club Lavrio.
Personal life
Thornton is the son of Wayne and Debra Thornton.
References
- ^ "Tarpey, Thornton propel William & Mary past Towson 65–50". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fairbank, Dave (January 1, 2015). "W&M's Thornton combines talent with old-school work ethic to become a star". Daily Press. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Marcus Thornton bio". TribeAthletics.com. College of William & Mary. 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ^ "2011–12 William & Mary Tribe men's basketball team". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Marcus Thornton stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ "2013–14 William & Mary Tribe men's basketball team". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Brady, Erik (February 17, 2015). "Dreams of the big dance: William & Mary's NCAA quest". USA Today Sports. USA Today. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Men's basketball: Is this the year of 'The Dance'?". wm.edu. College of William & Mary. November 13, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ a b Holtzman, Kellen (February 25, 2015). "Marcus Thornton makes history as Tribe topples Towson". The Virginia Gazette. Williamsburg, Virginia. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ Rendleman, John (February 28, 2015). "Pairings set for CAA Tournament; Seahawks #2 seed, four-way tie for regular season title". WWAY TV. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "2014–15 All-CAA Men's Basketball Release" (PDF). CAASports.com. Colonial Athletic Association. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ Fairbank, Dave (March 5, 2015). "W&M's Thornton CAA Player of the Year". Daily Press. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Valiant Second-Half Rally Falls Just Shy in NIT First Round at Tulsa". TribeAthletics.com. College of William & Mary. March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "Marcus Thornton Named Associated Press All-American". TribeAthletics.com. College of William & Mary. March 30, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ "Celtics Select Rozier, Hunter, Mickey and Thornton in 2015 Draft". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ^ Casciaro, Joseph (July 23, 2015). "Celtics draft pick Thornton will play in Australia next season". TheScore.com. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
- ^ "KINGS NAB DRAFT PICK MARCUS THORNTON". NBL.com.au. July 22, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ "R1 REPORT: SYDNEY DOMINATE CAIRNS TO OPEN SEASON". NBL.com.au. October 10, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
- ^ "UNITED TOO STRONG FOR KINGS". SydneyKings.com. November 1, 2015. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ Himmelsbach, Adam (February 28, 2016). "Celtics draft pick Marcus Thornton joins Red Claws after season in Australia". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ "Red Claws Add Marcus Thornton". OurSportsCentral.com. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
- ^ "Walden Powers Red Claws Past Raptors 905". NBA.com. March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ^ "Thornton è biancorosso!" [Thornton is red and white]. VictoriaLibertas.it (in Italian). July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Celtics renounced rights to 2015 second rounder Marcus Thornton". Sportando.com. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "NBA G League tips off today: here are the team rosters". Sportando.com. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- ^ "Cavs Sign Marcus Thornton To 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- ^ "Marcus Thornton: Contract with Cleveland expires". CBS Sports. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ Lupo, Nicola (July 4, 2019). "Marcus Thornton signs with Elan Chalon". Sportando. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Maggi, Alessandro (July 28, 2020). "Marcus Thornton inks with Chemnitz 99ers". Sportando. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ ""Ein Scorer wie er im Buche steht!" medi bayreuth verpflichtet Marcus Thornton". medi-bayreuth.de (in German). June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Marcus Thornton verlässt die easyCredit BBL". bbl-profis.de (in German). August 11, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
External links
- Team USA Basketball bio
- College statistics @ sports-reference.com
- Marcus Thornton Finding his Feet Down Under