Freshman Thornton impresses versus VCU, twice.

Quinn Casteel
Assistant Sports Editor
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William & Mary freshman Marcus Thornton plays so fast he makes VCU’s hyper-speed Havoc style-of-play almost look slow.

The dread-headed, 6-foot-4 170-pound point guard dropped 50 points in two outings against VCU this season, and turned some heads in the process. Shaka Smart said after the game on Wednesday that Thornton, along with sophomore guard Brandon Britt, was the main reason the Tribe were able to play the Rams so close.

Thornton had 28 against VCU on Wednesday night going 10-of-12 from the floor. He hit 5-of-6 three pointers, two of which came from NBA range in the final minute of the game seemingly out of frustration. The rest of his points came off his unique crossover move, beating his man and slashing to the basket.

“With their pressure, it gives me a lot of room to just beat my man,” said Thornton. “If they’re going to check me full-court that allows a lot of space for me to dribble left, right and make a play. I like a fast-paced game, so it’s easier for me to get in the lane and make plays and get my teammates shots.”

Although the textbook way to beat a full-court press such as VCU’s is to pass the ball across the court, William & Mary’s press break consisted of Thornton dribbling through three, four or all five defenders in a row. And for the most part, he was effective only turning the ball over four times in 34 minutes.

When asked if he has been dribbling through entire defenses for his whole life he said, “Yeah, somewhat. When you get pressure that far out, it just leaves so much space and I think I dribble the ball pretty well and can get around my defender and make the big play.”

It turns out Thornton is used to dribbling his way through some of the best athletes in the nation at his level. He won Gatorade Maryland State Player of the Year when he was a senior at Bishop McNamara, a private school near Washington DC which is a member of the prestigious and highly competitive WCAC. UNC’s Kendall Marshall, Georgetown’s Jason Clark and VCU’s own Treveon Graham are just a few current Division I players to have come out of the conference.

“(Thornton) was well-coached by Marty (Keithline) at McNamara, so he was more prepared for it than a lot of kids,” said Tribe head coach Tony Shaver. “He’s had typical freshman inconsistencies but I like him in a William & Mary uniform, I’ll tell you that.”

Having gone for 22 and 28 in his first two games against the Rams, Thornton has shown that he is at his best when he’s against the best. Graham and Briante Weber are the standouts of what was another solid recruiting class for VCU, and Thornton consistently beat them to the rim.

“He’s got a great career ahead of him,” said Shaver. “We want to take advantage of his abilities.”