Duke Transfer Derryck Thornton Is Great Fit For USC Basketball

The transfer of Duke’s Derryck Thornton gives USC basketball a talented point guard who should thrive in Andy Enfield’s uptempo style.

News broke late last week that the USC basketball team had received a major commitment as former Duke point guard Derryck Thornton announced his intentions to join coach Andy Enfield’s program.

The Woodland Hills native brings a unique skill set to bolster the Trojans’ talented young roster and will fit in well in Enfield’s high-octane attack.

As a freshman at Duke, Thornton appeared in 36 games, made 20 starts, and ranked second on the team in assists with 93.

Thornton also proved himself to be a capable scorer who isn’t afraid of the spotlight. In back-to-back games during the 2015 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden, Thornton scored 19 points against Virginia Commonwealth, and backed that performance up with another 14 points against Georgetown in the tournament finals to help the Blue Devils clinch the 2K championship.

Before joining Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke program, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard was one of the most highly sought after recruits of the 2015 class.

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A graduate of Findlay Prep (NV), Thornton averaged 17 points and 7 assists per game during his last season for the Pilots and received more than 20 scholarship offers from programs in the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big XII and Pac-12.

Thornton’s commitment marks the second time in two years that the USC coaching staff has brought in a high-profile transfer from a big-time ACC basketball program.

In June of 2015, 6-foot-7 guard Shaqquan Aaron announced his decision to transfer to USC after spending his freshman season on Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals squad.

Though Aaron is eligible to play this season, as a transfer, Derryck will be forced to sit out the upcoming 2016-17 season per NCAA rules but will have three years of collegiate eligibility remaining.