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Duke coach Jon Scheyer has acquired former Blue Devil guard Tyler Thornton as an assistant coach for the 2025-26 season.
CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported the development on Thursday via X.
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Before accepting the job in Durham, Thornton worked as an assistant and director of player development for MEAC-affiliated Howard under former Duke guard and now Bison coach Kenny Blakeney.
Thornton, who is the second coaching hire this season following former Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz assistant Evan Bradds, will fill the void left by former Blue Devils assistant coaches Jai Lucas and Will Avery. Miami hired Lucas as its new coach in March, while Avery is set to leave Duke this season (per 247Sports).
Tyler Thornton played four seasons for Duke and served as team captain in the 2013-14 season. The guard shot 45% from the 3-point area and compiled 79 assists during the season to help the Blue Devils qualify for the Elite Eight.
Tyler Thornton is expected to bring solid player development skills to Duke
The hiring of former Duke guard Tyler Thornton to Jon Scheyer's coaching staff seeks to bolster the player development department.
He was a former team captain under the tenure of five-time national champion coach Mike Krzyzewski, so he is no stranger to building up the morale of every player during games.
Thornton also has close ties to the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia) area, which Duke hopes to further enhance in its future recruitment activities. He was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the district in 2010 when he played for Gonzaga College High School.
Following the season that had freshmen Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach lead Duke to a Final Four finish, Jon Scheyer's Blue Devils step into 2025-26 with the best lineup in the country.
Twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer headline the newly built freshman-laden corps along with five-star power forward Nikolas Khamenia, four-star commit Sebastian Wilkins and five-star Italian-Senegalese guard Dame Sarr.
Jon Scheyer also picked up 6-foot-10 Rice center Ifeanyi Ufochukwu from the transfer portal. Ufochukwu played 25 games in two seasons with the Owls, averaging 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
Duke will have four returnees this season, led by Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba II.
What can you say about the addition of former team captain Tyler Thornton to Duke's coaching staff? Let us know your views in the comments section.
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