AJC’s Mr. Basketball gets offers from Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Auburn, Michigan, Georgia Tech, UGA, Alabama, more
Kentucky's John Calipari is charging fast and furiously after the AJC's Mr. Georgia Basketball (AP)
*Memphis is latest to offer (click here)
In the short span of seven days, the AJC’s Mr. Georgia Basketball has turned into one of the hottest names in college basketball.
Georgia Tech, UGA, and Alabama have offered scholarships to Westlake High’s Marcus Thornton, who was officially granted a release from his letter-of-intent with Clemson last Friday.
Kentucky coach John Calipari has expressed heavy interest in Thornton, along with representatives from Texas and Florida. There is also speculation that Tennessee, Michigan, LSU and Auburn, among others, will also join the recruiting race. (Note: See Monday night’s updated list at the bottom).
“We’re very surprised by all the attention,” said Thornton’s father, Billy. “People told us to anticipate it, but you don’t really know what is going to happen. It has been very overwhelming, and we feel very blessed.”
The 6-foot-7 Thornton had a much lower profile when he committed to Clemson before his junior season, and then signed with the Tigers over Wake Forest and Maryland last November.
Will Hewitt take advantage of second chance? (AJC)
Thornton’s Q rating went off the charts after a monster senior season. He averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds while leading Westlake to the state championship game in Georgia’s largest classification. Also, Thornton is very attractive to scouts as an honor student with a 3.7 GPA.
Here are tidbits from the conversations between a few colleges and Thornton’s family:
- Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt: “One of the things (Hewitt) was saying was how they missed out on Marcus early on. He was apologetic about it. He said by the time he knew about him in the early time frame, Clemson had scooped up Marcus. (Hewitt) was commendable to Clemson, about how they had indentified him early. He talked about Georgia Tech’s needs with Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors (declaring for the NBA Draft) and how there were some big opportunities there for Marcus.”
- Georgia’s Mark Fox: “He was a very personable individual. He almost seems like a Southerner. To me, he seems like a natural fit to Georgia. When you call his cell phone, his ringback tone is the song “Georgia On My Mind.” That was very touching. Georgia had the advantage seeing Marcus a lot on the AAU circuit a lot because they were following Norcross High’s Jeremy Lamb (signed with UConn). They had the chance to observe Marcus, and were relenting in the fact that they never got to recruit him. This became a new opportunity for Georgia, as Marcus became available again.”
- Kentucky’s Calipari: “He is a very impressive. He talked to us about what has transpired at Kentucky, and that he has eight people leaving (five underclassmen declaring for the NBA Draft, and three graduating seniors). He has some definite personnel needs. (Calipari) said he has to be able to recruit people who can hit the floor right away. He was using the term ‘He can’t hide them (any incoming recruits)’ because anyone that comes there is going to have to be a contributor. But he has a lot of people to choose from, I’m sure.”
Thornton has had a good relationship with Alabama’s Anthony Grant since his coaching days at Virginia Commonwealth. He is also waiting to see who will be Clemson’s next coach. Thornton only requested his release after Clemson’s Oliver Purnell resigned to take Depaul’s head coaching job last week. Purnell was a major reason why Thornton picked the Tigers.
Next to offer? (AJC file)
“Marcus is intrigued by a lot of big-time coaches expressing interest,” his father said. “He had his mind absolutely set on Clemson, and he’s still a little disappointed that (Purnell) left. Not to say he won’t end up going to Clemson, because they are very much in consideration.
Loading ...“Right now, the (recruiting process) is like being a kid in a candy store. By the same token, we’re ready to move forward with everything so Marcus can begin preparing for the next stage of his life.”
What’s next for Thornton? He will come up with a list of his top schools by the end of the week, and then set up either recruiting trips or in-house visits during the next NCAA contact period, which is April 16-21.
Click here to go to video of Thornton.
Updated at 11 p.m. Monday: As expected, the colleges have been offering scholarships at a dizzying pace on Monday. Thornton’s current offer sheet consists of Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Auburn, UTEP, along with the other four mentioned earlier — Georgia Tech, UGA, Alabama, and Clemson. Thornton is anticipating conversations with Memphis and Tennessee on Tuesday.
Marcus has already agreed to accept in-home visits with Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and UGA in two weeks, and still deciding among other schools.
Check back with the AJC for more updates.
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178 comments Add your comment
VolNation
April 12th, 2010
4:58 pm
Charles considering that their are millions of Kentucky fans and just a few thousand Bulldog fans I think that the averages would favor more idiot UK fans dont you?
bruce mac
April 12th, 2010
4:59 pm
Come to uga–you wont even have to go to class or study–just play basketball like our football players—special treatment
VolNation
April 12th, 2010
5:00 pm
Albert what is a bulldog fan doing on a basketball thread anyway? For that matter why are their any Bulldog fans on a thread about basketball?
82Dawg
April 12th, 2010
5:01 pm
GeorgiaTechRocksBulldogs…..I got your moron. I did not bring football up you idiot. Go big blue did and I asked him or her a question so STFU…nerd. It has nothing to do with you
Albert
April 12th, 2010
5:02 pm
VolNation or you a vol or uk fan?
Legend of Len Barker
April 12th, 2010
5:04 pm
@Bisquit24: I didn’t say Orton wasn’t good. He’s a very raw talent and not ready for the NBA right now. Cousins wasn’t exactly the greatest player in the world, either, this year. There are some big holes in his game, too. He’s still more NBA ready than Orton at this point, though.
Kentucky fans griping about football: At least we didn’t hire Charlie Bradshaw.
GeorgiaTechRocksBulldogs
April 12th, 2010
5:05 pm
82Dawg why are you even on a sports board? You guys are irrelevant in both Football and basketball.
Seriously why are their Georgia fans on a sports board anyways?
GoBigBlue
April 12th, 2010
5:07 pm
Uh yeah, Charles. Georgia fans are among the most obnoxious bunch of idiots in college sports. And for what? Your basketball team is horrible and your football team has not won anything of substance in decades. Hell, Florida, LSU and Bama has won multiple national titles in football while Georgia remains a middle of the road SEC team- nothing more. You idiots are like South Carolina- the arrogance of Bama and the trophy case of Vandy.
VolNation
April 12th, 2010
5:08 pm
Albert, why would a Ky fan have Vol in their name? Are all Dawg fans as dumb as U?
With that I am out of here. I will come back if and when Georgia becomes relevant again in sports.
See you guys in about 20 years.
Albert
April 12th, 2010
5:09 pm
Vol Nation idiot, you’re the one bragging about Calipari—duh
VolNation
April 12th, 2010
5:13 pm
82 Dawg are you and Albert the same poster? You seem to be as smart as him. lol!
GoBigBlue
April 12th, 2010
5:15 pm
Bobby Knight? LOL You mean the same coach who kicked his son and choked another player? The same coach who told women just enjoy being raped since you can’t fight it? The same coach whose NUMBER ONE assistant coach had numerous NCAA violations including landing New Mexico on probation while he was the head coach? Yes we all should heed that moron’s opinion! LOL
82Dawg
April 12th, 2010
5:17 pm
VolNation do not bring me into your childish games. I was on reading, and asked a simple question and the nerd from tech attacked me
Jake Fury
April 12th, 2010
5:19 pm
@ Jane Doe: How about this…John Calipari is a bad coach, evidenced by his inability to take a team with 5 NBA players to the Final Four.
Further evidenced by his inability to win a National Championship game with a 9 point lead with 2 minutes remaining.
He’s a terrible floor coach and he’ll never be able to win in the dance.
VolNation
April 12th, 2010
5:21 pm
One last word before i go. After reading the Georgia fans post on here I do feel sorry for you guys. I hope that your athletic prgram gets in gear because it will only help the SEC. At this point I am tired of seeing how sorry your athletic program is and dont really enjoy seeing how far you guys have dropped.
It truly is sad to see a once proud athletic Dept become the laughing stock of the SEC.
VolNation
April 12th, 2010
5:23 pm
82 Dawg why dont your moronic self come on up to Knoxville and root for a real program?
GoBigBlue
April 12th, 2010
5:24 pm
LOL Jake Fury- put down the crack pipe. What Cal did with these freshmen was remarkable. Never win in the dance? I suggest his record speaks otherwise. Just face it- you are jealous and bitter because Georgia sports is IRRELEVANT.
82Dawg
April 12th, 2010
5:25 pm
VolNation….I don’t want to be confused with the chain gain if I was to wear the school colors, Sorry…..
GoBigBlue
April 12th, 2010
5:26 pm
JawJa- ARROGANCE OF BAMA AND THE TROPHY CASE OF VANDY! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
VolNation
April 12th, 2010
5:27 pm
GoBigBlue, I agree, dont let these losers get to you. UGA is a joke!
GoBigBlue
April 12th, 2010
5:28 pm
BTW VolNation- way to represent in the NCAA tourney- great job by Pearl and the boys.
VolNation
April 12th, 2010
5:29 pm
82Dawg how original. Did you come up with that all by yourself. Damn, UGA fans are all ignorant. lol! How freakin sad!
Delbert D.
April 12th, 2010
5:31 pm
Don’t take him, Hewitt. He’s just another one and done.
Jason
April 12th, 2010
6:03 pm
BrokeBackJacket you are really dumb. UGA has been to 1 final 4 not 2 dummy. Your basketball progam is a joke. Marcus come to Georgia Tech!!!
The University of Georgia Tech
April 12th, 2010
6:42 pm
he will go play for hewitt and be another nba guy that makes you say he played at ga tech and they won how many games?
Dave
April 12th, 2010
6:57 pm
My Goodness, upon learning about the issue, Calipari was the one who alerted appropriate people concerning Camby’s extra benefits and the NCAA Clearinghouse CLEARED Rose to play at Memphis yet jealous people still feel the needs to put the guy down.READ THE FACTS FOLKS!!!!!
KJ
April 12th, 2010
7:01 pm
“Georgia sports is IRRELEVANT.”
I believe you meant “are” irrelevant. But there’s that hillbilly education shining through. Kentucky basketball fans are the most pathetic losers in the nation, and that’s saying something.
Mike
April 12th, 2010
7:16 pm
I met Marcus’s father about 10 years ago. He’s one heck of a role model.
Monticello Dawg
April 12th, 2010
7:47 pm
Go Big Blue- you mentioned UGA had the trophy case of Vandy. In that case congrats to the Commodores for having 132 SEC titles, 37 national championships cause that is what the Dogs have. 8 different sports represented- 4 on the men’s side, 4 on the women’s side- can any other SEC school match that?
Big Blue News » Blog Archiv
April 12th, 2010
8:20 pm
[...] Calipari has expressed heavy interest in Westlake’s (GA) Marcus Thornton [...]
Mark E.Daugherty
April 12th, 2010
9:28 pm
Go big blue. Cal’s not just going to offer a scholly to just anyone. If he evaluates this kid and offers he has to be a good one. I guess he’s a good guage to which prospects are real impact players. If he don’t come to UK I hope he goes to UG. I think Fox is just a couple of good players away from haveing a really good team. Fox probably did as good as job as anyone last year with what talent he was working with.
Anonymous
April 12th, 2010
9:54 pm
Boy i thought tech fans were annoying Kentucky fans are even worse. Kentuckys good in one sport and you think your athletic programs are better than ours. It kinda funny how a team wins one game and the fans get the confidence that they have a better program than UGA. Hopefully Marcus makes the best decision for himself and not for you haters.
christof
April 12th, 2010
10:27 pm
Rita loves Jane- not tarzan.
GA Tech Man...
April 12th, 2010
10:53 pm
Probably end of at UK, they cheat better than anyone in the history of college basketball, they now have the master of cheating…Coach Cal
Chuck Uga
April 12th, 2010
11:03 pm
Man, the idiots are coming out of the woodwork (Big Nick, UKRULZ, GOBIGBLUE, most of the Tech fans).
Tennessee?! LMAO!! He isn’t going to pick Tennessee with all those schools to choose from. Pearl is pretty much done in Georgia now that Mark Fox has proven his worth. As far as Ga Tech, yeah, right, they’re a great basketball program. I like Hewitt as a person, but seriously, Tech is not what they used to be. Lawal and Favors gone? Looks like UGA will beat Tech at their place next season.
Thornton will sign with either Clemson or Kentucky unless UNC comes calling (which they will). Too bad he won’t sign with UGA, Fox will have the Dawgs in the Big Dance next season.
Chuck Uga
April 12th, 2010
11:12 pm
Forgot to mention the esteemed genius VolNation. UGA hoops irrelevant. The team that absolutely destroyed UT in Athens. The program that will win at least one of the two games against UT for the foreseeable future. Ask Pearl who is most afraid of…he’ll tell you Mark Fox. And Richt versus Derek Dooley?!! October cannot come fast enough for us Dawg fans. The waxing of the Vols in Sanford will quicly remove the memory of last season’s confusion in Neyland.
English
April 12th, 2010
11:20 pm
Do yourself a favor and please stay in the state of Georgia. You’re extra talented student-athlete and have a chance to keep the spotlight of great local recruits stay close to home. Stay in the great state of Georgia. Also, don’t go to Kentucky by any means.
Go Georgia State Panthers!
Terry
April 12th, 2010
11:24 pm
Hey stop picking only on Ky!!!!!! you all should pick on Duke & NC some to I know they cheat to just like any other college!!!!
bank walker
April 12th, 2010
11:56 pm
It is very sad all these tennershee and kensucky low lifes have to come on here and blabber their jabber. There is not one athletic or intelligent molecule in their whole body. What freakin losers! Marcus, come to UGA, and play in front of your family and represent your state, and don’t listen to these chumps from other schools that have to beg for recruits to go there, because they play sissy ball in the states in which they live. Hahaha, tenneshe and kensucky, the two trashiest states in the land, with Rhode Island producing more D-1 talent than the both combined. Now go shut up and go wipe the snuff dribble off your chins, you chump losers…hahahaha!!
dd
April 12th, 2010
11:59 pm
You folks are a bunch of IDIOTS!!
Big Blue News » Blog Archiv
April 13th, 2010
12:06 am
[...] Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Marcus Thornton has received a scholarship offer from UK and already agreed to accept an in-home [...]
World Wide Wes
April 13th, 2010
12:09 am
Kentucky fans, Cal didn’t even want Bledsoe until he knew Josh wanted him. Two Cal didn’t get uMemphis their #1 Class for 2010. IN FACT if Cal was still at Memphis I doubt he would have gotten the Barton Brothers. Three don’t believe the crap that he wouldn’t offer a package deal. He had done it basically every year for the last ten years. (Henry Brothers, Morris Twins, Wagner, Beavers, and more. Four you might say your back but you have a coach who has five first rounders and couldn’t get past the elite eight. What does that say about your coach? Why would anyone think your back when you can’t win it all with five first round picks in a less than stellar year as far as talented teams are concerned. Six your assistant coach is a drunk. Seven Cal will be caught cheating sooner than later and if you think you are back you will soon be the laughing stock of the NCAA
Will
April 13th, 2010
12:12 am
Several of you have turned this into a calipari bash. You say he is a criminal yet the NCAA has found him not guilty at either school. All he does is win 30+ games per year and is in at least the elite eight if not the final four or championship game. Why would anyone listen to Bob Knight? Cal wins at a higher level than whoever your coach may be. He wins in recruiting, he wins games and that is what makes you mad. So if not this guy then another 5 star player will be wearing blue. I pull for all sec teams and hope each school is competitive and this young man seems to be a player that will help whatever team he chooses. So hope your coach wins a recruiting war against the best coaches in the land. Just be an sec school.
Bank Walker
April 13th, 2010
12:19 am
Marcus I think U R so cute!
Wldctky
April 13th, 2010
12:21 am
I am loving all the UK contempt…because contempt is bred from jealousy, so that means WE ARE BACK!!!
Wldctky
April 13th, 2010
12:28 am
Bank Walker… brush your tooth and go to bed!
Todd Jeffries
April 13th, 2010
12:39 am
Funny how no one knows what they are talking about.
Find proof that Cal has ever paid a player … In fact find proof that he has ever even been accused of a recruiting violation.
Guess what you won’t find it because he hasn’t …
Camby accepted money his jr year at UMass from an agent, not the school or cal. Not a recruiting violation.
Rose didn’t take his own test, even though the NCAA said at first he did and cleared him to play.
Both things that Coach Cal had nothing to do with.
If you ask the NCAA, and check because UK did before hiring him, then Cal is one of the few coaches to never be accused of a recruiting violation by the NCAA. They told UK he was clean as they come.
So get your story straight if you want to hate on UK!
BigBlueBalls
April 13th, 2010
12:43 am
Reel him in Cal, Mr. Thornton will look great in Kentucky Blue.
Go Big Blue!!!
Jack
April 13th, 2010
1:31 am
I’m a UK fan, but there are no winners on this comment thread. It is like tall kindergarten.
This kid has options at a lot of good places. UK needs bodies as well as talent, so I think UK has a pretty good chance. It won’t be b/c UK cheats though. It will be b/c we can give the kid an education and, if he develops, a great shot at the NBA. Which is what a good basketball program is supposed to do.
UKWILDCAT25
April 13th, 2010
2:01 am
Actually… If you want to get technical about it. In terms of entire athletic departments. UK ranks 13th in the Nation. Georgia ranks 31st. Here is the link. Maybe all of you UGA fans will shut your mouths now. We have the better athletic program and here is the facts to prove it!
http://www.nacda.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nacda/sports/directorscup/auto_pdf/apr8DIDcup