As he slays the Jayhawks in Maui
It’s probably mostly forgotten now, but when Tyler Thornton signed with Duke, he was basically brought in as insurance in case classmate Kyrie Irving left early for the NBA (it’s also probably forgotten that there were concerns by many about Irving’s athleticism and his ability to play in the NBA).
Irving did in fact leave after his freshman year while Thornton stayed all four. He was never a freak like Irving nor was he expected to be. He was brought in because he was a solid, reliable guy who had excellent character and who might develop into a solid role player.
Which is exactly what happened.
There were a number of excellent guards at Duke with Thornton, so he didn't start consistently. However, he was always reliable and occasionally excellent as he was against Kansas in 2011.
Duke was playing the Jayhawks in the Maui Invitational and was in a tight game down the stretch. Thornton had a chance to make an impact and he did, hitting two key threes.
The first one was a fairly standard shot but on the second one, for some reason, his legs flared out almost comically.
Comical or not, it put Duke up 66-61 and in position to win the tournament.
Thornton went into coaching after his playing career ended and is now an assistant for fellow former Blue Devil Kenny Blakeney at Howard.
