North Carolina State University Athletics
Thornton Projected As Draft Pick
6/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 26, 2001
By Tony Haynes
Maybe Damon Thornton's luck is about to change. Hampered by injuries that often interrupted his college basketball career at NC State, the powerful forward is now setting his sights on the professional ranks.
And thanks to a series of impressive performances at three different pre-draft camps this spring, Thornton is drawing interest from a handful of NBA teams. As a result, he'll probably have his name called during Wednesday night's NBA Draft in New York.
In a senior season that never really got off the ground following a first semester suspension, the 6-8, 240 pound Thornton averaged 6.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting an even 50 percent from the floor. For his career, Thornton shot 54.7 percent, a figure that places him seventh on NC State's all-time list.
But had it not been for a chiseled body that often betrayed him during his five years in Raleigh, Thornton's overall numbers probably would have been much more impressive. He was a member of the ACC's all-rookie team in a freshman season (96-97) that was shortened by a hip injury.
The very next year, Thornton received a medical redshirt after going down with a broken foot. The 1998-99 campaign wasn't much better as he was slowed down by another hip problem that limited his ability to practice on a regular basis.
In his junior season, Thornton played well until he fractured the pinky finger on his shooting hand about halfway through the Pack's ACC schedule. Then to add insult to injury, he sprained an ankle in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals against Virginia. All together, the injuries caused Thornton to miss 42 games during his college career.
Now healthy, Thornton is playing perhaps the best basketball of his life. Following a stellar performance at a pre-NBA Draft camp in Portsmouth, Virginia, he was invited to participate in the Phoenix camp. While in Phoenix, Thornton made a name for himself by winning a slam-dunk contest. Then earlier this month, he played well at an NBA sponsored camp in Chicago.
If he is selected on Wednesday, Thornton would become the first player to be drafted from NC State since Todd Fuller was taken in the first round by Golden State in 1996.
