Tag Archives: Tyler Thornton

High School Hoops Edition No. 13

barnes1Ames defeated Roosevelt 75-42 on Tuesday night. Harrison Barnes scored 14 points as Ames advanced to the State Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. The Little Cyclones are the number one seed in the tournament and will face number eight seed Iowa City West on Wednesday March 11.

Harrison Barnes' mother denied rumors circulating that Barnes will transfer to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season.  Barnes is the number one rated player in the Class of 2010 and is being pursued by top basketball schools across the nation including Duke and Kansas.

Andre Dawkins scored 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Atlantic Christian defeated Covenant 90-61 in the Virginia Independent Schools tournament quarterfinals. Dawkins scored 16 points in the semi-finals as Atlantic Shores defeated Norfolk Christian 76-63. James McAdoo, a highly rated 6'8" sophomore, scored 37 points for Norfolk.

DeMatha edged Gonzaga 62-61 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship game. Tyler Thornton scored 14 points for Gonzaga. Quinn Cook scored 13 points to lead DeMatha.

High School Hoops Edition No. 11

kelly-iiiRyan Kelly and Mason Plumlee are on a collision course as high school basketball play-offs are underway.  The two Duke commitments are the favorites to compete for the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association championship.  The Championship game is on Saturday February 28, 2009.

Ravenscroft defeated Cary Academy 70-46 to win the TISAC Conference Championship.  Ryan Kelly posted a double-double of 31 points and 10 rebounds.  He was named the TISAC Conference Player-of-the-Year for the second straight season.

Mason Plumlee scored 13 points and had a team high seven assists as Christ School defeated Spartanburg Day School 76-68 to advance to the CAA Conference Championship game.  On Saturday afternoon, Christ School won the championship with a 63-49 victory over Asheville Christian Academy.  Plumlee scored 11 points and blocked five shots.

Eric Bledsoe is a Class of 2009 point guard, from Birmingham, Alabama, whose name has recently surfaced as a Duke recruiting target.  Bledsoe scored 11 points and had five steals as Parker HS defeated Woodlawn 49-33.  Bledsoe was named the 5A Northeast Regional Most Valuable Player.

DeMatha defeated Gonzaga 68-65 on Friday night in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play.  Quinn Cook scored 25 points in the victory.  Cook is a Class of 2011 point guard that is starting to draw rave reviews.  Duke commitment Tyler Thornton scored four points for Gonzaga.  In a game earlier in the week, Cook dropped 25 points on O'Connell in a 64-53 win.

Out in Iowa, the Ames Little Cyclones finished the regular season undefeated at 21-0.  Harrison Barnes scored 28 points as Ames defeated Des Moines Hoover 65-59 on Friday night.  Barnes recently visited Duke and took in the game against Carolina in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

High School Hoops Edition No. 10

kelly-150x150High School basketball seasons across the nation are starting to come to a close and teams are looking toward upcoming conference and state play-offs.  Ryan Kelly scored 33 points and secured 17 rebounds in his last regular season game at Ravenscroft.  The Ravens defeated Cary Academy 88-65 to finish the season at 24-6 and 6-0 in conference play.

Christ School defeated Greensboro Day 50-33 and locked up a #1 seed in their upcoming tournament.  Mason Plumlee had a bit of an embarrassing moment on a dunk attempt in the game.  The Greenies are now 29-2 and 11-0.

Gonzaga knocked off Bishop McNamara 61-55 on Friday night to retain 1st Place in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.  Tyler Thornton scored 13 points as the Eagles improved to 22-3  and 13-2.

Andre Dawkins scored 20 points as Atlantic Shores routed Alliance 98-35 on Friday night.  Dawkins made two 3-pointers in the game.  On Thursday, Dawkins made five 3-pointers and scored 27 points as Atlantic Shores rolled over Broadwater 99-43.

Harrison Barnes squeezed in a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium between two Ames Little Cyclones victories.  On Thursday, Barnes scored 25 points and made seven 3-pointers as Ames defeated Fort Dodge 92-43.  On Tuesday, Barnes scored 15 points as the Little Cyclones rolled to a 80-43 victory over Indianola.  Nine of Barnes points came via the deep ball.

Be sure and stay tuned to Blue Devil Nation to keep track of Duke commitments and recruiting targets throughout the upcoming conference and state play-offs.  BDN will continue to bring you recaps with links to articles from newspapers across the country.

Josh Hairston talks of his first Duke-UNC game in Cameron

Class of 2010 commitment, Josh Hairston took time to talk with Blue Devil Nation Premium about experiencing his first Duke-Carolina game in Cameron.  He dsc05640touched on the play, his chats with other Duke commitments and Harrison Barnes.  Talk about it on our Blue Devil Nation Premium message board.

What did you think of the game and Cameron itself?

I thought it was a very good game and that Duke played very hard.  You've got to give to Carolina, they're  every good team, but Duke gave them a run for their money.  Just walking in the gym with my Mom and seeing all the players and the fans, they were yelling and screaming and I just turned to my Mom and smiled.  It was just crazy, unlike anything I ever experienced anything like that before.

We spent the night so I was able to stay a little longer and wait for the coaches to get down with the press conference.  I got to talk to all the guys  and they just said they had it and they lost to a very good team.  They gave credit to their guys.  I really enjoyed myself.

So, are you looking forward to playing in an environment like that?

I am.  I was talking to Ryan Kelly [private] about it and told he was lucky because he will be a part of it next year.  Me and Tyler have a couple of more years left.  He was there with me.

Harrison Barnes was at the game with you.  Did he enjoy himself? 

Aw man, he really enjoyed himself.  A lot of people were making a big deal because he had on a Duke shirt ... him and his sister.  Tyler and I were talking to him and introduced him to everybody.  He had a great time

Did you get a positive feeling about Harrison?

I did!  I got a real positive feeling.  Harrison is one of those kids who keeps his feelings to himself.  What I took from the visit was it was very positive.  I think if Duke stays on him, they'll get him.

It gets pretty hot when Carolina comes in ...

We walked in and it was cool outside, but as soon as you stepped into the gym, even where we picked up our tickets was cool, but then we got into the gym and it was like the heat was turned all the way up.  As soon as I sat down, I started sweating and it was so hot from all the people inside.  You could see it was hot because all the players were slipping on the court, so it was just crazy.

Were you able to talk with Coach K?

I didn't talk with him one on one, but Coach talked to Tyler, Harrison and me about how the team fought and overall he was happy with how his guys played.  But it was a little disappointing to lose.  We were in the locker room before the game.

So, you were able to check out the locker room atmosphere?

I went back there for the UVA game and they get hyped up but with the UNC game it was unlike anything I'd ever seen.  You could hear yelling and screaming from outside the locker room and everybody was  getting hyped.  I kind of got hyped and I wanted to go out there and play!  Harrison was joking with me because he wanted to find an extra jersey and play.

I appreciate your time and good luck the rest of your high school season.

Yes sir, anytime, thanks. [/private]

High School Hoops Edition No. 9

ryan-kellyThis edition of High School Hoops begins by looking at the Class of 2009 commitments. Ryan Kelly scored 22 points and recorded three blocked shots as Ravenscroft defeated Durham Academy 94-43 on Friday night. On Tuesday, Kelly scored 23 points in a 69-54 win over Cary Academy. Ravenscroft hosts John Wall and Word of God on Wednesday, February 4.

Mason Plumlee scored 16 points on Friday night as Christ School defeated Asheville Christian Academy 84-59. Tony Kimbro added 12 points and Marshall Plumlee recorded five blocked shots. On Tuesday, Mason Plumlee scored 14 points in a 69-29 blowout of Carolina Day School.

Moving to the Class of 2010 commitments, Andre Dawkins scored 30 points in the first half on Tuesday evening in a 98-46 victory. Dawkins made six 3-pointers in the game. On Friday night, Atlantic Shores defeated Isle of Wright 62-45 with Dawkins scoring 20 points.

Tyler Thornton scored 11 points as Gonzaga defeated St. John's 66-52 in our nation's Capital on Friday night. Thornton missed a couple of free ones and was 1-for-3 from the charity stripe.

Moving on to recruiting prospects, Josh Smith scored a career high 43 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and blocked seven shots in leading Kentwood to a 62-60 victory over Kentridge, in the Les Schwab Kent Shootout, on Friday night. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has the full game details posted as does the Seattle Times. Smith is on a scoring rampage in recent games. He scored 40 points, on Tuesday, as Kentwood defeated Jefferson 56-45. Kentwood lead 39-38 at the end of the 3rd Quarter and outscored Jefferson 17-7 in the final period.

Harrison Barnes recorded a double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds as Ames defeated Southeast Polk 72-43. On Friday night, Ames took to the road and defeated West Des Moines Valley 63-40. Barnes scored 18 points in the victory.

Brandon Knight scored 47 points as Pine Crest defeated North Broward Prep 89-63. Knight made six 3-point shots in the game. As of Tuesday, January 27, Knight was averaging 30.3 points per game and had made 75 3-point shots in 19 games. He is also making over 78 percent of his free throw attempts.

BDN’s Slater gets talent guru Tom Konchalski’s thoughts on Duke committments

Tom Konchalski has been the editor and publisher of the highly respected High School Basketball Insider Report for more than thirty-five years. Currently, more than 225 colleges subscribe to his service. He is one of the select McDonald's All-American voters. After a weekend at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, Mr. Konchalski sat down with Blue Devil Nation to talk about some Duke commitments and prospects.

Mason Plumlee
Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee: First of all, he has surprising athleticism. He can really jump. The trouble is his body lacks flexibility. He's got to get pliable. I really think he needs a person to work with him on that. He plays too erect. He never really bends his knees. He tries to back people down. He's got the quickness. The main thing he lacks is flexibility. He's got the size. He's very coachable. [private] He'll be a four-year player there and I think he'll be a good player in time.

 

Ryan Kelly
Ryan Kelly

Ryan Kelly: Ryan has so much more fluidity to his game right now. He really does so many things. He's got nearly a perfect skill set for a guy 6'9." He's not going to be a three. He's a step out four man, who has very good skills. Defensively, he'll be capable of defending the four, but he just needs to get stronger. Plumlee less so, but also most kids coming from high school need to get a lot stronger.

 

 

Andrer Dawkins
Andrer Dawkins

Andre Dawkins: He's a very good shooter... 6'4"...plays in a system. He's a guy that you don't need to get fifteen shots per game. He'll play within the system. He will knock down the three-pointer, but he's very patient. He doesn't really look to create his shot that much, but he'll take the shots that come to him. He'll be a very good system player. He's a big off guard that can shoot the ball. He's a good example of the saying "good shots make good shooters and bad shots make bad shooters."

Tyler Thornton
Tyler Thornton

Tyler Thornton: He's a utility guard. I don't think he's a pure point guard. He's not a great outside shooter, but he has really active hands. I think he'll be a defensive catalyst. He'll be a utility guard...a little point guard...a little off guard. He's a program player. You might say that's a euphemism for a career backup, but he'll be a program player. He'll be part of a winning process. Listen I don't think they're going to beat North Carolina or win the ACC or a national title with Thornton starting for them, but I think he can help.

Joshn Hairston
Joshn Hairston

Josh Hairston: Now, Josh Hairston's got a chance to be really good. He's 6'8," skilled, athletic with a good body, yet hasn't really hit the weights much yet. I think a big part of going after Tyler was that he was a D.C. teammate of his and continue to work D.C. Assault. Nolan was the first player to commit from the program and, if these two also have a good experience at Duke, they will be in good position to get future players as well.

 

John Wall
John Wall

John Wall: He's Evil Knievel without the cycle. He's the most explosive athlete in the class. He's just in a different class. He's 6'3 ½." He tries to just run by people. He plays at one speed. He's got to...if hes going to play and be an elite point guard...learn to play at different speeds. He'll drive by you...dunk on you...throw alley oops, but he's got to learn to not always try to play at one hundred miles per hour. As a point guard right now, he'll get assists mainly because he'll get by people and create numerical disadvantage. Through that...he'll find people, but he's got to learn to play at different speeds. He's just explosive. He's got to shoot it better. He's got to get more selective with his shot and push the ball at different paces. Someone has got to work with him on that...but there is no one in this class at his level of athleticism.

Harrison Barnes: I've never had a chance to see him play yet, but he's supposed to be a terrific player. I was at Reebok, when he was at Nike.

Kyrie Irving: Very good player. His father is in the Hall of Fame at BU. He played at Adlai Stevenson in the Bronx. His name is pronounced "Dedrick," but it's spelled Drederick. He played mostly for Jarvis at BU. He was a very, very good player at BU. He was about 6'3." Kyrie is now 6'1." He transferred in from Montclair Kimberly Academy. He would be eligible today, but they don't play again until Thursday. Right now, he's sort of a combination guard...at least 6'1." I'll tell you what I thought he and Isaiah Epps (Pitt) were the best junior guards in Jersey, but now he may very well be the best. He can shoot the ball very well. He can handle it and he's younger physically. See, Isaiah Epps is going to have to go prep school next year. He's run out of eligibility. I think he's a combination guard, but because of his size...he's 6'1"...wherever he goes they'll probably try to make him into a point guard. He's a talented player. He could play at that level. Would he be an all-American at Duke? Probably not, but he could be very good for them.

Jason Morris: Well, he didn't shoot well today again. His father, Phil, played in NY too. He lives with his mother down in Augusta, but the father played in New York and first talked about him when he was in the sixth grade...but everybody thinks their kid is great in the sixth grade. He goes to a very good school. He's going to play with the Gauchos, but he's played with other organizations in the past. Jason Morris has great explosion with the ball. He really elevates. He's got Otis-like elevation with the ball. He can stop on a dime and explode with his jump shot. I think he'll be very good and he's mature for his age. [/private]