AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > March > 08 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USAl Thornton’s a bear!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mario West returned to practice yesterday after missing Tuesday with flu-like symptoms so that apparently takes care of that. Don’t have anything new otherwise on the Yellow Jackets so I’m gonna chat a little about the first game at the ACC tournament.
Al Thornton’s a bear!
OK, that about sums it up. Well, not really. I don’t think the foul that sent him to the line for the game-winning free throw should have been called with 1.5 seconds left in the game, and perhaps not with 18 minutes left in the game. There was some contact, but he may have initiated it, and the contact wasn’t that substantial either.
Still, that cat can do it. He can shoot, drive, rebound, defend a little. He creates space for himself inside when he needs it and, as we saw, can draw a foul not and then. He’s scored 157 points in FSU’s last six games - or since Tech held him to 16. He would have been my vote for ACC POY even before this, but now, jeez, is it any wonder Paul Hewitt said he’s one of the very best players he’s seen in his seven years in the ACC.
And to think, Thornton hasn’t always been a star.
He was a stud at Perry (Ga.) High, to be sure, and named MVP of the Georgia and Georgia-Tennessee high school all star games. But his academics were shaky, he wasn’t recruited heavily, took a while to qualify, and did not enroll at FSU until Jan. 2003, about seven months after graduating from high school.
He redshirted, was 10th on the team in scoring as a redshirt freshman (3.2 ppg) with an average of 1.8 rebounds, went up to 9.1/4.4 as a sophomore, 16.1 and 6.9 last year and (in ACC games) 23.5 and 8.8 this year.
Folks, that is progress, and proof that not all NBA-caliber talent is stamped straight out of high school. And he’s humble as heck.
So in the past five games, he’s averaging 28 points and 11 rebounds including a 45-point game last weekend against Miami, which as I write is smoking the ACC’s hottest team, Maryland, in the second half. (This conference is so wild.)
Does Tech have a player on its roster capable of this kind of story, someone relatively benign or under the radar out of high school (for whatever reason) who has the tools to really blossom? Aminu (different kind of player, but meets some of the early career criteria)?
P.S.
Regarding our lost dog … after searching and searching in the neighborhood on foot, by bike (about 15 miles worth of back-and-forth on all streets in many directions) and car, knocking on the doors of homes and businesses, posting flyers, visiting the Humane Society and Fulton County Animal control, my son and I went out after dinner to put up more fliers.
The first one Patrick put up, a guy says, “Hey, I work right down the street at Key Lime Pie,” a local salon in Virginia-Highlands, “and we found a dog that looks like that last night around 9.”
So Patrick and I go to Key Lime, and my son puts a flier on the counter and asks a couple of young ladies, “Have you seen a dog that looks like this?”
Bless them, they got so excited they nearly cried.
Turns out Rupert was discovered out back of the place about 20 minutes after we’d noticed him missing. The young ladies that found him called the 800 number on his tag. Those folks said the dog had not been reported missing, although it seems to me like they should have been able to look up the number on the tag and tell the caller the phone number for the owner.
So they re-named Rupert, opting to call him Franklin, and took him with them for pizza. The Rupester was a model guest, I’m told, happy as could be, and spent the night with one Rae Lynn at her home in East Cobb County, some 20 miles from home.
Anyway, at about the time we were accounting for Rupert’s whereabouts at Key Lime, Rae Lynn’s mother made a connection through his tags (the rabies tag, I think), tracing the dog’s original owner (we adopted him six weeks ago from a lady who takes in strays, throwaways, etc.). That lady, Liz, called our house.
So even if we hadn’t made the Key Lime breakthrough, Rupert was going to be re-connected with his family.
Anyway, Ray Lynn’s mother brought the dog from East Cobb to Virginia-Highlands last night, and while waiting, I took my son home so he could take his shower.
When we got the call, my twin daughters Tori and Roni wanted to claim Rupert with me, even in their pajamas. So they put on Crocs, and away we went.
The Rupester acted like he’d never been gone, happy as ever.
Rae Lynn and the Key Lime Elves — as their manager referred to the young ladies who showered Rupert with love and attention — asked that we bring the bowser by for an occasional visit. That will not be a problem, as the kids’ bus stop is about 100 yards away.
A lot of people prayed for Rupert. My youngest daughter, Roni, said she prayed six times and, “God was my target, instead of saying Lord.”
Sometimes, there are happy endings.
Thanks for the concern from those who offered it,
Matt
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: Basketball
Comments
By jjgrogan
March 8, 2007 4:32 PM | Link to this
Yeah…dogs are the best!!! Always glad to see you. Never complain. Always appeciative. Gotta love’em!!
How can Maryland not be ready to play???
By stings to lose
March 8, 2007 5:06 PM | Link to this
someone indicated a few days ago that the ACC refs would let them play in the tourn…evidently not true.
Maryland played like they thought Mia would not be inspired…Hope Tech does not fall into that trap!
By GT_JJ
March 8, 2007 5:34 PM | Link to this
Wow! I don’t think the Jackets needed any reminder about what can happen in the ACC (they’ve lost one to WF already), but they got a wake-up call anyway. I cannot recall a year when the conference was as competitive as it has been this year. Every single team is not only capable of beating any other team, but has done so on at least one occasion. In fact, after making that claim, I decided to back it up with facts. I checked the schedules; every one of the teams playing today on Thurs. already has at least one win against one of the four teams with a 1st round bye. So, the top seed playing today (without a doubt, the team considered to be the hottest team coming into the tourney) gets knocked out by the last place team. Crazy.
Don’t let your guard down, Jackets!
By Brad in KY
March 8, 2007 6:06 PM | Link to this
There are probably players on every single major conference team that fit your early career criteria. I don’t think it’s all that helpful. Most of these guys were stars in high school and many start slow in college. What doesn’t happen is that by the end of their career they dominate one of the best conferences in the country. What makes the difference? That’s the big question, but I don’t think simply looking at the pattern of Thornton’s early career will be too helpful.
By Matt Winkeljohn
March 8, 2007 6:48 PM | Link to this
Brad, I’m not suggesting that looking at Thornton’s pattern will be helpful. I’m not suggesting that in the least.
I’m pointing out that not all NBA-caliber players are obvious pros-in-waiting from the day they set foot on campus (but more are than not). It is becoming if not the norm,than the rule rather than the exception that the NBA plucks underclassmen because if you make it to your senior year, the jury is usually in and it says if you weren’t a superstar already, you’re not going to cut it in the NBA.
Wait and see how many lottery picks in June are underclassmen rather than seniors. The disparity will be distinct.
More typically, significant college seniors tend to be better than average players but not superstars. They’re that way for two reasons: 1. they’ve been around long enough to get a lot of experience, and 2. they weren’t good enough to leave early for the NBA draft.
Thornton doesn’t fit He would’ve been a first-round draft choice last year if he opted to leave early, like his former teammate, Alexander Johnson, but he stuck around. Another example might be Wisconsin’s Alando Tucker of a player like Thornton who has progressed steadily without jumping early. Most guys as good as these two are gone before they get to be seniors.
Look at all the NBA draft projections. How many include within the projected lottery range kids who are currently seniors?
Point: A large percentage of future NBA players never make it to their senior years in college.
Thornton not only did, but he did so with out being a George Mason-type senior, which is to say good but not great. He’s great, at least for a college player.
By yeller jacket
March 8, 2007 11:28 PM | Link to this
11 min left in GT / Wake game and we have forced 19 turnovers yet only up by 4. This game makes me sick to my stomach. How can we be the 6th seed yet rewarded w/ two games at 9pm. Nobody is at the game and the kids should be asleep. Why don’t we just aim to finish 10 seed or lower. Then we can play at 12pm in front of a sell out crowd.
By Dante21
March 9, 2007 12:40 AM | Link to this
Tech is a fraud……..and this a TECH season ticketholder posting. How on earth can you consistently become unglued against the “DREGS”of the conference because you’re sleeping in a hotel instead of your dormroom.
Defense is no more than an option with very little support from the players when they play outside AMC.
Simply put, it is best that TECH go to the NIT…..instead of the DANCE, because the DANCE will only expose them alot quicker than the NIT. (assa”….Kiddie Show)
By Dante21
March 9, 2007 12:58 AM | Link to this
BEY—BYE NCAA! How many more times can a team get embarrassed before the AD decides thay may want to do something about it.
Any team that can look that good for a week, only to follow that up with an embarrassment of the highest magnitude against the one of the weakest teams in then nation.
By trade Vick for CalvinJohnsn!
March 9, 2007 5:55 AM | Link to this
First of all Wake is by far not one of the weakest teams in the nation!! They just happen to play in the BEST league in college basketball! GT just didnt look right last night and young had a terrible game….and i hope after missing that last freethrow young decides he needs to come back next year to work on his game! GT has more wins against the top 50 than almost any other team!! GT is still NCAA worthy….even after there unlucky loss against wake. Dante21…your a idiot…u sound more suited to cheer for UGA.
By Josh
March 9, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this
Young had a terrible game!? HE SCORED 30 POINTS! We looked pretty good last night. There were some lapses on defense, but when a team is raining threes like Wake was, it’s hard to win. I’ve NEVER seen a team shoot like that. They were 16/23 from behind the arch, and I can’t remember them missing those seven. Plus, the refs were calling every little foul. It really hurt our aggressive defensive style. Also, if Duke makes it in, and we don’t, there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with the system. Duke’s record is 22-10. Our’s is 20-11. We both finished 8-9 in the ACC. We own the tie-breaker over them. We both finished 8-8 against the top 50. Our biggest win came against Memphis (#5). Their biggest win came against Georgetown (#9). They were swept by UNC. There is very little difference when comparing the two teams. However, they are ranked #21 in the nation, and we are worried about making the tourney.
By Ben
March 9, 2007 10:08 AM | Link to this
What a completely useless dog tag company. What is the point of having a tag with an 800 number if they won’t even help when someone calls? If I were you, I’d get my money back and buy a tag with your own number on it. Why waste the tag on a company that obviously doesn’t really care about your pet?
By Thad's Free Throw
March 9, 2007 11:33 AM | Link to this
trade Vick for CalvinJohnsn!, I guarantee that Thad Young missed his last free throw on purpose, hoping that we would grab the rebound and get a put back. As far as I am concerned, the Jackets executed the last play perfectly…all except for the shot (although it rimmed in and out!) Hopefully the resume is good enough for the committee!!! Go Jackets!!!
By ben
March 9, 2007 12:08 PM | Link to this
I hope the Chan bashers (and I am one of them) will bash Hewitt more for his Wake Forest loss. You’ve got a guy killing you in overtime. Put Mario on him and leave him there. Stop trying to show the world how ** smart you are with your substitutions and shut the guy down.
By 3 Rivers jacket
March 9, 2007 2:54 PM | Link to this
Hey we are deserving of an NCAA bid by any guidelines. This was one classice game. Ot was like Boise-Okla. and finished as late. Yeah I am not happy about losing but this team could do a litle something in the big dance. You idiots that want to fire Hewitt are worse than the idiots who wantd to fire Gailey. Did anyone expect us to win out. Plus the future is nothign but bright. Dante 21 is anything but bright.
By D Hedrick
March 15, 2007 9:20 PM | Link to this
What is Al Thorton major in college? Anyone know?