Who Is Tyler Thornton? Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer's New Assistant Coach
Who is Tyler Thornton?
Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer’s new Assistant Coach.
According Jon Rothestein post on X https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1928251392197542027
Before becoming Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer’s new Assistant Coach Tyler Thornton was Assistant Coach as well as Director Of Player Development at Howard for Kenneth Blakeney who is a former Duke player where he became a key member of Hall of Fame Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s back-to-back NCAA Championship teams in 1991 and 1992. As a senior co-captain in 1995, he led with skill and strategic vision, graduating with a BA in History and setting the stage for a distinguished career beyond the basketball court.
During his second season, Thornton coached highly talented Makur Maker, who became the first 5-star recruit to commit to an Historically Black College or University (HBCU) since ESPN started ranking prospects in 2007.
In his first season, he coached Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) All-Time Leading Scorer Charles Williams where he earned All-MEAC honors. He also witnessed Wayne Bristol, Jr. winning 2019-20 MEAC Rookie of the Year.
Before his arrival at Howard, Tyler Thornton served as a graduate manager for the Marquette University men’s basketball team for two season (2014-16) for former Duke player former Duke Assistant Coach Steve Wojciechowski who then was Head Coach.
According to https://hubison.com/staff-directory/tyler-thornton/194
https://hubison.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/kenneth-blakeney/1102
Tyler Thronton played for former Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski who retired following 2022 -2023 season who was replaced by then Duke Associate Head Coach Jon Scheyer now Head Coach Jon Scheyer!
As a freshman at Duke in 2010-2011,
Tyler Thornton who was a guard 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.
As a sophomore at Duke in 2011-2012,
Tyler Thornton who was a guard 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)
As a junior at Duke in 2012-2013,
Tyler Thornton was Named to the Allstate NABC Good Hands Team
One of 10 finalists for the Sports Illustrated College Athlete of the Year ... the award celebrates one female and one male collegiate student-athlete who have demonstrated excellent performance on the field and in the classroom, sportsmanship and commitment to community
Appeared in all 36 contests with six starts ... averaged 3.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game ... his 1.3 steals per contest ranked 10th in the ACC ... ranked second on the squad in steals with 46 ... also second on the team in assists (79)
Had two or more steals 17 times overall ... dished three or more assists on 10 occasions
Shot .392 (31-of-79) from three-point range and .406 (41-of-101) from the floor ... also sank 68.0 percent of his free throws (17-of-25)
Totaled seven points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field against top-seeded Louisville in the NCAA Elite Eight (3/31) ... also added two rebounds and an assist
Sank two three-pointers to total eight points against Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament (3/24) ... also pulled down six rebounds in the win
Totaled five points, four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal against Maryland in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals (3/15)
Hit two three-pointers and dished five steals without committing a turnover in 30 minutes of action at Virginia Tech (2/21)
Nabbed a season-high four steals against Maryland (2/16), with three coming in the final 10 minutes of the second half
Hit three treys to lead Duke past North Carolina (2/13) ... also grabbed four rebounds, including two on the offensive end
Turned in his second double-figure scoring performance of the season and fifth of his career in a win over Davidson (1/2) ... scored 10 points while playing 24 turnover-free minutes ... hit 2-of-3 attempts from three-point range
Scored eight points and registered four assists to help Duke defeat Elon (12/20) ... shot 3-of-4 from the floor and 2-of-3 from three-point range in the win ... extended his turnover-free streak to 64:39 over a three-game span before committing a turnover with 5:45 remaining in the second half
Played 18 turnover-free minutes against Temple (12/8) ... contributed two assists and three points in the win
Earned his third start of the season in an 88-50 victory over Delaware (12/1) ... recorded three points and a career-high 10 assists in the contest ... became the first Blue Devil since Nolan Smith (3/13/11) to register 10 or more assists in a game
Dished three assists and snatched two steals to help Duke defeat No. 2 Louisville (11/24) for the Battle 4 Atlantis title ... also pulled down one rebound and hit one trey in the win
Grabbed three steals in a win over Minnesota (11/22) in the Battle 4 Atlantis opener
Collected three points, four assists and a rebound against Florida Gulf Coast (11/18)
Drew a charge for the second consecutive game in a win over No. 3 Kentucky (11/13) ... had two points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal against the Wildcats
Matched a career high with 13 points against Georgia State (11/9) ... added four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win ... went 3-of-6 from three-point range versus the Panthers
For his career at Duke Tyler Thornton was A team captain for the 2013-14 season ... will be looked upon to help anchor the backcourt
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 ... has committed more than two turnovers just 15 times in 104 career games
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
Displays a knack for sparking the Blue Devils with timely shooting and key defensive stops
Has steadily improved his conditioning, quickness and shooting stroke
Averaging 3.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 104 career games (28 starts) ... has 181 assists, with a 1.9:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and 93 steals
A crafty defender that uses his strength and active hands to harass opposing guards
Active in the community with the Read with the Blue Devils program and the Duke Children’s Hospital ... also began working the SONS (Students Of New Success) program, which was created to both educate and mentor at-risk males at CC Spaulding Elementary School the fall of 2012
According to https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/tyler-thornton/4385
Following becoming Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer’s Assistant Coach Jon Scheyer had this to say about Tyler Thornton !
"I'm thrilled to welcome Tyler back to Duke,". "Having coached him during his playing career, I saw firsthand his exceptional basketball IQ, relentless competitiveness and natural leadership. He's a winner in every sense - someone who brings out the best in those around him. We're fortunate to have him home."
Following becoming Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer’s Assistant Coach had this to say about returning to Duke having opportunity to be Jon Scheyer’s Assistant Coach!
As a former Duke player, it's incredibly humbling to return to the program as a member of the coaching staff. I'm grateful for the opportunity to help the next generation of players achieve their dreams,"
My passion for the game has always been rooted in doing whatever it takes to win. I'm ready to support Coach Scheyer and contribute in any way that helps our program continue to compete at a championship level."
According to article on goduke.com”