Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Countdown to Craziness on October 3, 2025 at 7 p.m.
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7 p.m.
Men's Basketball
vs Countdown to Craziness
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Men's Basketball
Thornton, Tyler
Tyler Thornton
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- lahoward@duke.edu
- Phone:
- (919) 613-7500
Duke men's basketball four-year letterwinner and former team captain Tyler Thornton joined the coaching staff at his alma mater as an assistant coach in May 2025.
Thornton returns to Duke after spending the past six seasons (2019-25) as an assistant coach and director of player development at Howard University, helping head coach and fellow Duke men's basketball alumnus Kenneth Blakeney lead the Bison to consecutive MEAC tournament championships and NCAA tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024. Prior to his time at Howard, Thornton was a graduate assistant at Marquette University under head coach and Duke basketball alum Steve Wojciechowski.
During his four-year Duke career from 2010 to 2014, Thornton appeared in 139 games with 53 starts, while compiling 433 points, 264 assists, 231 rebounds and 139 steals. He played in all 36 games with six starts during the Blue Devils’ 2013 NCAA Elite Eight run, where he shot .392 (31-of-79) from three-point range and ranked second on the team with 79 assists. That season, he was also named one of 10 finalists for Sports Illustrated’s College Athlete of the Year, recognizing excellence in athletics, academics and community service. Thornton served as team captain in 2013-14 - Scheyer’s first season on Duke’s coaching staff - guiding the team to a 26-9 record, while starting 25 of 35 games. A 2014 Duke graduate, he earned his degree in psychology.
A Washington, D.C., native, Thornton led Gonzaga College High School to four consecutive 20-win seasons and became the program’s all-time leader in career victories. He was a two-time team MVP and earned Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2010. In recognition of his outstanding high school career, Thornton was inducted into the Gonzaga College High School Hall of Fame in 2024.
Thornton returns to Duke after spending the past six seasons (2019-25) as an assistant coach and director of player development at Howard University, helping head coach and fellow Duke men's basketball alumnus Kenneth Blakeney lead the Bison to consecutive MEAC tournament championships and NCAA tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024. Prior to his time at Howard, Thornton was a graduate assistant at Marquette University under head coach and Duke basketball alum Steve Wojciechowski.
During his four-year Duke career from 2010 to 2014, Thornton appeared in 139 games with 53 starts, while compiling 433 points, 264 assists, 231 rebounds and 139 steals. He played in all 36 games with six starts during the Blue Devils’ 2013 NCAA Elite Eight run, where he shot .392 (31-of-79) from three-point range and ranked second on the team with 79 assists. That season, he was also named one of 10 finalists for Sports Illustrated’s College Athlete of the Year, recognizing excellence in athletics, academics and community service. Thornton served as team captain in 2013-14 - Scheyer’s first season on Duke’s coaching staff - guiding the team to a 26-9 record, while starting 25 of 35 games. A 2014 Duke graduate, he earned his degree in psychology.
A Washington, D.C., native, Thornton led Gonzaga College High School to four consecutive 20-win seasons and became the program’s all-time leader in career victories. He was a two-time team MVP and earned Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2010. In recognition of his outstanding high school career, Thornton was inducted into the Gonzaga College High School Hall of Fame in 2024.
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