Player profile: Marcus Thornton

Photo Credit:  redandblack.com

Previously:  Yante Maten 
Previously:  Juwan Parker 
Previously:  Nemanja Djurisic 
Previously:  J.J. Frazier 
Previously:  Osahen Iduwe 
Previously:  Cameron Forte 
Previously:  Kenny Paul Geno 
Previously:  Houston Kessler 
Previously:  Dusan Langura 
Previously:  Brandon Young 

Marcus Thornton

Height:  6'8"
Weight:  235
Position: PF
Year:  Senior
Role:  Pied Piper

Overview:  Marcus Thornton originally committed to play for Clemson after being named 2010 "Mr. Basketball" in the state of Georgia, but he was released from that commitment and allowed to come to Georgia when head coach Oliver Purnell left Clemson for DePaul.  Even though Mark Fox needed a little help to win the recruiting battle, it was a big get at the time.  Thornton appeared to be the kind of player that could come in and make an immediate impact.


He showed promise as a defender almost immediately during his freshman season, but Thornton's offense was nowhere near polished enough.  He looked timid and, at times, downright lost on the offensive end.  Nonetheless, he showed enough to get Georgia fans excited about his sophomore campaign.

Unfortunately, knee issues and mono took their toll, and Marcus never looked like the promising player he was coming out of high school.  Ultimately, a medical redshirt cost him most of the 2012-13 season.

Marcus easily could have packed it up at this point, but to his credit, he continued working hard and emerged in 2013-14 as a completely different player.  He led the team in rebounds, played tenacious defense, blocked shot, and flashed some quickness and fluidity on the offensive end.  Georgia's overall turnaround can't be credited to a single player, but the conversation probably starts with Thornton's resurgence.

I confess I'm not entirely objective on Marcus.  His quiet perseverance in the face of quite a bit of adversity (nagging injuries and sickness) have absolutely won me over as a fan.  I'll be sad to see him go, but I'm already looking forward to standing and applauding Marcus when Senior Day rolls around.

Expectations:  It's a good thing Marcus has broad shoulders, because there will be times when he has to carry this team inside.  Quite frankly, I expect a fantastic year out of the big fella.

His defense is fine.  Any improvement there should be considered a bonus.  The real question is what kind of improvement Marcus can show at the offensive end.  What we saw out of him last year was night and day from where he was his freshman season, but he still has issues finishing around the basket at times.  I suspect polishing up the post offense has been a point of emphasis with him, and I believe Thornton's scoring numbers will tick up a bit because of that.  Combine that with some steady defense, and he's a guy who could be in the team-MVP discussion once March rolls around.

Areas for Improvement:  Free throw shooting.  Marcus finished last season shooting 65% from the line.  That's a big improvement for him, and it got better and better as the season progressed, but he needs to keep working and get it closer to 75%.  The way Marcus plays, he will get fouled, and he has to make other teams pay when that happens.

2014-15 Stats I Could Get Excited About:  9.9/7.4/1.4 points/rebounds/blocks per game.

Let's go Marcus, and let's go Dawgs!