It was a long night, one that nearly stretched into the next morning. But just before midnight, Marcus Thornton’s phone rang.
He was a Boston Celtic — or, at least, he has a chance to be one.
“I was glad to hear my name called,” said Thornton, the leading scorer in William and Mary history. “It’s kind of a big deal and it’s just a surreal feeling. All players work for this moment, and to have a successful career and this opportunity, it’s a blessing.
“I kept hearing that I was projected late second round to undrafted, so to have my name called is a good feeling. I look forward to the challenge.”
Thornton, the 45th overall pick in the NBA Draft, knows it will be a challenge to make Boston’s roster. Not only did the Celtics have a guard-heavy roster to begin with, they drafted two guards ahead of Thornton — Louisville’s Terry Rozier (16th overall) and Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter (28th).
With Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, and Phil Pressey already there, there isn’t much room.
“That’s a lot of guards,” Thornton said. “I know for me, I just have to focus on doing what I can do. Just be myself, a scorer and a facilitator.”
Danny Ainge, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, gave no hint of future moves with his overloaded backcourt.
“I like them all,” he told reporters Thursday night. “We may have to make some tough choices.”
Thornton became W&M’s first NBA Draft pick since Keith Cieplicki, a seventh-rounder in 1985. The last Tribe player taken in the first two rounds was Jeff Cohen, who was the 23rd overall pick in 1961.
“It’s really exciting,” Tribe coach Tony Shaver said. “I told people I wouldn’t be surprised if he got drafted in the middle of the second round, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t drafted at all. Fortunately, it was the first one.
“I heard someone say that not coming from a high-level program would hurt him, and I couldn’t disagree more. This kind of confirms that great players can come to William and Mary and play at a high level. This should help us down the road.”
Shaver stressed the importance of Thornton simply getting his foot in the door.
“There’s no guarantee he’ll make the team, but obviously they’ll give him a chance in camp to prove himself,” he said. “If it doesn’t work out for him there, others will be aware of him.”
Johnson can be reached at 757-247-4649.
![Baseball 757Teamz Top 15 #2 Cox 7, Kempsville 6 Michael Barreiro’s RBI bunt single with 2 outs in the bottom of the seventh capped a four-run seventh inning, securing the victory for the Falcons. #7 First Colonial 10, Landstown 5 Wes Stubbe, Ryan Dugan, and Joey Karpovich combined for 7 hits for First Colonial. Cade Howlett earned the win on the mound, striking out 5 batters. #14 Princess Anne 15, Bayside 0 Brae Williams hit his first career home run, and Reid Vandergrift added a 2-run homer. Luke Sweeney showcased strong pitching, allowing only 3 hits through 5 innings. Beach […]](https://www.dailypress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/202306011631TMS_____BESTREVW_B4488E18F790DA0D4D6910F30FFFB39_41170-4.jpg?w=620 "Baseball 757Teamz Top 15 #2 Cox 7, Kempsville 6 Michael Barreiro’s RBI bunt single with 2 outs in the bottom of the seventh capped a four-run seventh inning, securing the victory for the Falcons. #7 First Colonial 10, Landstown 5 Wes Stubbe, Ryan Dugan, and Joey Karpovich combined for 7 hits for First Colonial. Cade Howlett earned the win on the mound, striking out 5 batters. #14 Princess Anne 15, Bayside 0 Brae Williams hit his first career home run, and Reid Vandergrift added a 2-run homer. Luke Sweeney showcased strong pitching, allowing only 3 hits through 5 innings. Beach […]")
