Tupper: Thorne picks Illini at crucial moment – Herald & Review
CHAMPAIGN – At the precise time the head coach needed to generate some positive news for an Illini basketball program under fire, John Groce fired a bull’s-eye Saturday.
Groce landed a commitment from Mike Thorne, the highest ranked center transfer in the country, getting him to pick Illinois and cancel planned trips to Kansas and Kentucky in the process.
When’s the last time Illinois beat both Kansas and Kentucky for a recruit they also had offered? Let’s take a wild guess and say never.
Now let’s be clear. Thorne is not the second coming of Jahlil Okafor, the freshmen center who led Duke to the national championship.
Thorne is not a flashy, explosive athlete. He’s not going to wow you with his ability to create space from the top of the key, nor is he a surprisingly deft jump shooter. You’ll never see him shoot a 3.
But Thorne is exactly what Illinois needs for the one season he’ll be on the roster. He’s an old-school, low post, grab-it-and-dunk-it center who averaged 10.1 points and 7.3 rebounds a game last season for Charlotte.
Thorne would probably still be at Charlotte, but when the school opted to dismiss his head coach, Alan Major, Thorne decided he’d play his final season elsewhere.
That’s when Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and Pittsburgh got involved.
If Groce had an edge, it may be that he and Major were assistant coaches together on Thad Matta’s staff at Ohio State. So there was, as they say, a history that may have helped influence Thorne.
When Groce and assistant coach Jamall Walker visited with Thorne and his parents earlier this month, they connected. And when Thorne got on the Illinois campus this weekend, he met the team and had a meeting with AD Mike Thomas.
But perhaps the biggest factor might have been that Groce could look him in the eye and tell Thorne with complete honesty that he’d be Illinois’ starting center starting in November.
Thorne may be an old-school center, but he’s a modern-day communicator. He announced his decision on his Twitter account, saying, “After praying and thinking everything out, I’ve chosen to spend my last year of eligibility at Illinois. Appreciate all the schools who gave me the opportunity! I feel this is the best place for me to grow and reach my goals.”
There are many reasons landing Thorne was a major coup for Groce, and not the least of it was his glaring need to create some positive news in the wake of a dismal end to the 2014-15 season.
But beyond that, there’s a hole in the middle after the graduation of center Nnanna Egwu.
Maverick Morgan is unproven. Darius Paul, who returns to the program after a season at junior college, may be better suited at forward. Ditto for redshirt freshman Michael Finke.
But with Thorne, the big fella can slide into the starting spot and Groce and use Morgan, Paul or Finke as a backup, depending on how they develop.
I realize Morgan has disappointed through two seasons. But he would hardly be the first center to wait until his junior year to blossom into something that could at least be called serviceable. After investing two years in his development, it’s worth waiting to see if the investment pays off.
Finke, I feel, is more of a stretch-4, which means a power forward with deep shooting range. This eases any pressure that would have been on him to help in the middle.
Furthermore, it comes at a time when the Big Ten Conference seems to be rediscovering the center position. Michigan State just added a commitment from highly rated big man Caleb Swanigan. Maryland did the same with Diamond Stone. Indiana is adding big man Thomas Bryant and Ohio State will welcome 6-10 freshman Daniel Giddens.
Also on Saturday, Purdue center A.J. Hammons announced he is returning to school for another season.
Without Thorne, Illinois faced an instant matchup problem.
With him, they’ve got a big bodied, fifth-year senior who can hold his own.
Thorne’s best game of the season came against a Big Ten foe. It happened in Charlotte’s double overtime win over Penn State, a game in which Thorne scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
Now Groce can zero in on the team’s other major need, point guard.
Marcus LoVett, the senior from Chicago Morgan Park High School, finally got around to taking his ACT on Saturday. He’d be a perfect fit if he’s academically solid and if he, like Thorne, buys Groce’s sales pitch.
Groce is also talking with Villanova point guard transfer Dylan Ennis and Miami point guard transfer Manu Lecomte.
If Groce could add LoVett and Thorne to a class that already includes Paul, Jaylon Coleman-Lands, Aaron Jordan and D.J. Williams, it would be a terrific haul.
It could bend an arrow that was trying hard to point down.
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