Player Derryck Thornton

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Alex Murphy

 

[deeyoukayeee]

We don't need Thornton to necessarily be a long-range shooter. We need him to be Ed Cota.

He'd have to reclass in the other direction if we're looking for a kid who turns 21 years old as freshman.

 

[DurhamSon]

AnnoDomini beats and everything.


Could go without the midrange shots, but he's a better passer than I thought, which I'm not sure why I was thinking otherwise given playmaking has always been described as a strength of his.

 

[best4heisman]

I'm a bit concerned about his shooting ability. Afraid he might be a 105ish O Rating guy, which would be the worst production we've gotten from a guard since Rivers. We should be able to expect some nice trick dribbles at least.

 

[DurhamSon]

Yeah that shot... not great.

We're gonna need to work whatever voodoo we did to make Winslow a good three point shooter

 

[rome8180]

If he keeps #2 we all know what kind career trajectory we can expect from him.

 

[rhfarmer]

Very striking resemblance to a young Kenny Smith--seems like a fantastic athlete with great court vision. I shared the court with Smith when I was about 14 or 15 and he was playing for UNC, and he was just in phenomenal shape, was clearly faster with the ball than anyone else was period, and despite his physical superiority kept everyone involved. I know it's a highlight reel, but his game is very impressive, with or without a great jumper.

 

[rome8180]

I couldn't get the replays of his high school games to load the other night, otherwise I'd have a super-detailed scouting report for you guys. I plan to sit down and watch six straight high school games so you don't have to.

 

[StopThePumpFakesShav]

I couldn't get the replays of his high school games to load the other night, otherwise I'd have a super-detailed scouting report for you guys. I plan to sit down and watch six straight high school games so you don't have to.

My wife will be happy about this.

 

[Pantone287]

If anyone wants to waste hours of their time, here are a bunch of Findlay Prep games to watch. I recommend starting with the one against Our Savior, since I know that's a decent game and Thornton played really well in it.

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index#type ... h/findlay/

Man, I don't know how you go through so many of these. I got to the second quarter of Our Savior and had to stop.

It's one thing watching them on DVR, but the ESPN3 player on a 14" screen is brutal.

 

[rome8180]

The Our Savior game will make you feel good about him, at least.

Pantone, there are a ton on Youtube. Just google Findlay Prep videos/full games/whatever. (I watch everything on my computer so screen size doesn't bother me.)

 

[Jtanner]

Getting Derryck was huge for Duke and I also believe it helped in getting Brandon Ingram, but I'm also interested in seeing how it affects Dennis Smith Jr. Clearly Derryck can play and he doesn't seem to project as a one and done player. Duke's the favorite to land Dennis Smith, but I don't think he's willing to share minutes, which is understandable. All that I've heard so far is that both of them are studs so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. In a perfect world Dennis Smith would enroll and Duke next year and the two would compete daily and they'd have the two best point guards in the country. Unfortunately I don't see that happening so we'll have to watch and see. Good thing is I don't have much confidence in the package deal with Tatum, Giles and Smith. I think Duke has the best chance to land Tatum and Giles but not so sure about Smith anymore.

 

[rome8180]

Smith will not end up at Duke, imo.

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Seems like a good kid.
(Didn't watch the interview yet.)

 

[torontoduke]

If his D is as competent as advertised, the Duke press could be very strong with DT picking up the ball full court and the ability of Amile, Ingram (with his terrific length) and Matt Jones/Grayson closing out the passing lanes.

I suspect it will be a year of peaks and valleys, but the team defence should be pretty effective. DT will be crucial in this area.

 

[ElevatorCropDuster]

I suspect it will be a year of peaks and valleys, but the team defence should be pretty effective. DT will be crucial in this area.

Yeah, I just don't know what to think. I'm a bit unclear on our offensive weapons. I think Allen, Ingram, Kennard will be threats. Jones will be a threat as well from 3 point range. Putting Amile and MP3 in at the same time isn't feasible, IMO. The defense can cheat out on the perimeter all day.

I think a lot depends on how credible an offensive threat we have inside. A lot of that weight falls on Jeter. I think we may struggle a bit early, and we will likely hit a freshman wall too, but I think we'll be in good shape toward the end of the season.

 

[rhfarmer]

I suspect it will be a year of peaks and valleys, but the team defence should be pretty effective. DT will be crucial in this area.

Yeah, I just don't know what to think. I'm a bit unclear on our offensive weapons. I think Allen, Ingram, Kennard will be threats. Jones will be a threat as well from 3 point range. Putting Amile and MP3 in at the same time isn't feasible, IMO. The defense can cheat out on the perimeter all day.

I think a lot depends on how credible an offensive threat we have inside. A lot of that weight falls on Jeter. I think we may struggle a bit early, and we will likely hit a freshman wall too, but I think we'll be in good shape toward the end of the season.

I think Amile shows flashes of being a threat on offense. He has a pretty good up and under game, can take his man off the bounce. If Amile can keep a defender at home, the offense will be much better IMO.

 

[rome8180]

Only posting this because at one point you see him hit five threes in a row. I don't love his shooting form. Not sure what it is about it...maybe he shoots using too much of both hands?

 

[ZackM]

His guide hand moves up with his shooting hand. Other than that, his shooting for looks similar to Quinn's.

 

[rome8180]

His guide hand moves up with his shooting hand. Other than that, his shooting for looks similar to Quinn's.

Yeah, that's sort of what I was trying to say. I agree about the comparison to Quinn, especially in the movements of his body and the slight hitch before release.