North Carolina State University Athletics
Inge And Thornton Are Headed In Different Directions
7/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 17, 2001
By Tony Haynes
After being so close together for all these years, former NC State basketball players Kenny Inge and Damon Thornton are headed in very different geographic directions these days.
While Thornton is currently playing with the L.A. Lakers' summer league team on the West Coast, Inge is just a few weeks away from leaving for Lithuania, where he'll be playing professional basketball this fall.
It's an interesting separation given the fact that the two players have seemingly roamed in each other's shadows for years. After playing his high school basketball at Atlantic Shores Christian in Norfolk, Virginia, the 6-8 Thornton became NC State coach Herb Sendek's first recruit in 1996.
Inge, who played with Thornton at Atlantic Shores in 1995-96, followed the same path by joining the Wolfpack a year later. Naturally, they ended up in the same graduating class this year because Thornton took a medical redshirt following his freshman season.
Now armed with NC State degrees, the two Tidewater area products will be playing for pay from here on out.
After being passed over in the NBA Draft, Thornton is trying to impress the Lakers who will have three roster spots open when training camp begins.
"Once he got passed over at the 33rd pick by Vancouver, which had shown some interest, it was probably best that he didn't get drafted because he didn't get locked into a low draft pick with a particular team," said Wolfpack assistant Mark Phelps, who coached Thornton in high school. "By not being drafted, he was able to field offers from different teams and pick the best scenario that he felt would give him the best chance of making a roster."
Following the draft, Thornton was contacted by the Lakers, Detroit and Atlanta. After consulting with his agent, he decided to go with the two-time defending NBA champs.
"He went out there the first of July," Phelps said. "They play games against other NBA rookies and free agents. Dante Calabria (former UNC guard) is on his team."
While Thornton is hoping to secure an NBA contract, Inge will look to begin a professional career overseas.
"Kenny signed a contract with a team in Lithuania," Phelps said. "He's going to leave the first part of August. He signed a pretty good contract for a guy that didn't get drafted."
Inge will be following in the footsteps of former Pack guards Rodney Monroe and Chris Corchiani, who have carved out fairly lucrative careers in Europe.
Like Inge, former Wolfpack center Ron Kelley could also end up traveling across the Atlantic. The 6-9 native of Emory, Texas is considering offers from a couple of teams.
