Duke Basketball alum Tyler Thornton, who spent four years with the program and has been an Assistant Coach at Howard University under fellow Duke alumnus Kenny Blakeney. Thronton has been the Director of Player Development under Blakeney, his second coaching stop after serving as graduate manager for Marquette University under Steve Wojciechowski in 2014-16.
Thornton graduated from Duke University in 2014. At Duke, Thornton played an instrumental role in the team’s Elite Eight trip in 2012-13 and its 26-9 overall record during the 2013-14 season. During the Elite Eight run in 2013, Thornton shot an impressive .392 (31-79) from beyond the arc and added 79 assists, which was good for second on the team. He was named a team captain for the 2013-14 campaign and started 25 of the team’s 35 outings.
Avery has been an assistant coach at Duke since July, 2023, his first full-time college coaching position. He was the 14th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves after leaving the Blue Devils at the culmination of his freshman year.
The second-team All-ACC pick and third-team Parade All-American in 1999 was one of a then-school record four first-round draft picks in 1999, joining No. 1 overall pick Elton Brand, No. 11 pick Trajan Langdon and No. 13 pick Corey Maggette. The record was later tied during the 2022 draft. Brand, Maggette and Avery were the first Mike Krzyzewski-coached players to leave Duke early for the NBA.
