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#3 Tyler Thornton
Position: Guard
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 190
Year: Junior
City/State: Washington, D.C.
High School: Gonzaga
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Tyler Thornton Bio
Courtesy: Duke Sports Information
Updated: 09/28/2012
Career
  • A vocal and emotional leader for the Blue Devils ... has the ability to spark Duke and ignite the crowd in a variety of ways
  • A hard-nosed player who applies constant ball pressure with solid footwork and strength ... pesky nature on defense rattles opposing ball handlers into turnovers and bad shots
  • A strong ball handler and passer with an underrated shooting stroke
  • Willing to dive on the floor, take charges and dig out rebounds against bigger opponents in the paint
  • Has shown the ability to impact the game as a reliable lead guard as a starter or coming off the bench
  • Displayed a knack for sparking the Blue Devils with timely shooting and key defensive stops
  • Has steadily improved his conditioning and quickness
  • Will be looked upon in 2012-13 to help anchor a backcourt that features just one other upperclassman
  • Averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 68 career games (22 starts) ... also has 102 assists, with a 1.8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and 47 steals
  • Has committed more than two turnovers just six times in 68 career games

2011-12
  • Played in 34 games with 19 starts ... started Duke's final 13 games of the season, averaging 25.6 minutes per game during that stretch
  • Averaged 4.1 points and 2.0 assists per game ... logged a 2.01:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which was the highest of any Duke player who averaged more than 12 minutes played per game
  • Scored in double figures three times, including a career-high 13-point outburst against Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament (3/9)
  • Shot .351 (27-of-77) from three-point range and .379 (39-of-103) from the floor ... also hit 75.0 percent (33-of-44) of his free throws
  • Logged 31 steals with four three-steal games ... had three steals in three of Duke's final nine games
  • Did not commit a turnover in 13 games ... had one turnover or less in 24 games ... did not commit more than three turnovers in a game all season
  • Posted seven points, a career-high seven rebounds, six assists and three steals in 33 minutes against Lehigh in the NCAA Tournament (3/16)
  • Scored a career-high 13 points in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal game versus Virginia Tech ... attempted a career-high 16 field goals, including 13 attempts from beyond the three-point line ... hit three three-pointers in the win while also carding three steals
  • Scored seven points with two assists and shot 4-of-4 at the free throw line at Wake Forest (2/28)
  • Hit a crucial three-pointer in the 85-84 win at North Carolina, sinking his long-range jumper with 2:09 remaining to cut a 10-point deficit to 82-75 (2/8)
  • Played 29 minutes against Maryland, contributing seven points and two assists ... went 5-of-5 from the free throw line (1/25)
  • Dished out a career-high eight assists against Wake Forest ... six of his assists led to three-pointers by teammate Andre Dawkins (1/19)
  • Scored 12 points against Western Michigan, all of which came from a perfect 4-for-4 shooting performance from the three-point line (12/30)
  • Did not commit a single turnover in 28 minutes against Colorado State ... matched a career high with four assists against the Rams (12/7)
  • Hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:10 remaining against Kansas in the Maui Invitational Championship game ... followed with another three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining to put the game away (11/23)
  • Gave Duke a spark off the bench against Belmont, contributing 10 points, three steals and two assists...hit all three shots from the floor (11/11)
  • Had his best scoring stretch of the season over Duke's final six games, averaging 7.0 points per game
  • Hit seven consecutive three-pointers from 12/30 to 1/7 ... hit all four three-pointers against Western Michigan (12/30)
2010-11
  • Played in 34 games with three starts ... averaged 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game
  • Posted a .448 field goal percentage (13-of-29) and .839 free throw percentage (26-of-31) ... made 16 consecutive free throw attempts to close the season
  • Had a 1.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio
  • Finished third on the team with seven charges drawn
  • Registered two points and two assists against Hampton (3/18) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
  • Was 2-of-2 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for six points against No. 24 Temple (2/23)
  • Finished with six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals against Georgia Tech (2/20)
  • Converted all six of his free throw attempts in the final minute at Miami (2/13) for a season-high six points
  • Earned his first career start at Maryland (2/2) and finished with three points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals
  • Played 22 minutes against Wake Forest (1/22) and had one point, one rebound, two assists and one steal
  • Made a three-point field goal and was 2-of-2 from the foul line for five points at N.C. State (1/19) ... also had two rebounds, one assist and one steal in the game
  • Came off the bench to spark an 11-0 run with Duke trailing 38-32 in the second half against Maryland (1/9) ... recorded a career-high four steals to go along with two points in the contest
  • Recorded three assists, one point and one steal in six minutes against UAB (1/5)
  • Had four assists and two points at UNC Greensboro (12/29)
  • Made all four of his free throw attempts for four points against Elon (12/20)
  • Tallied four assists with zero turnovers in 14 minutes against Saint Louis (12/11)
  • Scored five points and grabbed two rebounds against Colgate (11/19)
  • Dished out two assists against Miami [Ohio] (11/16) in the CBE Classic
  • Made his collegiate debut against Princeton (11/14) in the first round of the CBE Classic with two points, two assists and two steals in nine minutes off the bench.

High School
  • Four-year letterwinner at Gonzaga under head coach Stephen Turner ... two-time team MVP
  • Only player in school history to play on teams that won 20 or more games in all four years on varsity ... holds the Gonzaga record for career wins
  • Played in the Capital City Classic ... finished with four points, three assists and one steal in a 117-108 win
  • Honored as the Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year in 2010 ... named the House of Hoops Male Basketball Athlete of the Year for the Washington Metropolitan area
  • Led the Eagles to three straight Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament titles ... holds the ACIT record for most steals
  • Averaged 14.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game and shot over 80 percent from the foul line as a senior
  • Earned first team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and All-MET honors ... also named team MVP after leading Gonzaga to a 28-7 record
  • Named the MVP of the Gonzaga D.C. Classic and the Hoophall Classic in 2010 ... also named to the all-tournament team at the Iolani Classic and Alhambra Invitational
  • Had 18 points and four assists in a win over Mater Dei in the finals of the Gonzaga D.C. Classic
  • Scored a season-best 26 points in a 74-50 win over Bishop Ireton ... also had a 25-point game in a 69-56 win over St. Mary's Ryken
  • Earned team MVP honors after averaging 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a junior
  • Led the Eagles to a 29-5 record while earning first team All-WCAC and All-MET selections in 2009 ... also named to the all-tournament team of the Gonzaga D.C. Classic
  • Helped Gonzaga to a 34-1 record and WCAC and city titles as a sophomore ... averaged 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game for the season
  • Earned third team All-WCAC honors and the Gonzaga Coaches Award in 2008
  • Claimed D.C. Sports Fan Freshman of the Year accolades after posting 8.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a freshman
  • Named second team All-WCAC ... first team all-tournament team selection at the Frank Spencer Invitational
  • Won the Gonzaga Mr. Assist Award winner as a freshman
  • Played AAU basketball on D.C. Assault with Blue Devil teammate Josh Hairston ... helped the team to championships at the Adidas Super 64 in 2007 and 2008
  • Named MVP of the 15-under Adidas Super 64 in 2007 and of the 16-under division in 2008

Personal
  • Born Tyler Damascus Thornton on April 5, 1992 in Silver Spring, Md.
  • Son of Damascus and Real Thornton
  • Father, Damascus, is an auditor while mother, Real, is an operations manager
  • Maintained over a 3.3 GPA throughout his high school career
  • Active in the Washington, D.C. community tutoring at elementary schools and serving meals to the homeless through the Gonzaga College High School's Campus Kitchen Project and McKenna's Wagon
  • Also volunteered as a basketball instructor at a clinic for intellectually challenged adults
  • Favorite athlete is Deion Sanders

 


 
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