After coming up huge once again for the Tigers in two wins last week over Florida and the first at Kentucky in 20 years, Marcus Thornton was awarded SEC Player of the Week for the 2nd time this year. He scored 32 points, had 5 assists and 5 rebounds against the Gators at home on ESPN and had 23 points (15 in 2nd half), 9 rebounds, and 4 assists Saturday in Lexington on CBS. His averages for the week: 27.5 ponts, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
One of the assists led to the game winning shot from Tasmin Mitchell against Kentucky. Thornton was the decoy and dribbled off Tasmin’s pick, attracting two defenders, leaving Mitchell open for the three pointer.
Thornton is doing it all for LSU this year including shooting 40% three pointers and 75% free throws, while only sitting for less than 9 minutes a game. There is no doubt that he leaves it all out on the floor each night and now the nation is starting to learn who he is after the two performances that earned him this honor were on national TV. As posted before, Thornton is the same height and build as a few NBA players you might know….. Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd…. Anyway, since Thornton will definitely be leaving LSU this year as he is a senior, the NBA is obvious as the next level for him. I think he could make a good fit there. He is very athletic and aggressive for his size. But I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, he still has a few more games to play as a Tiger.
In related news, Coach Trent Johnson was officially named as a finalist for National Coach of the Year. Go back and read every post we’ve written on Coach, we’ve had nothing but praise for him all year. And it’s not always just a comparison to his predecessor….. the man can flat out coach. He took a 13-18 team from a year ago and with no added help/players of significance, righted the ship and is now sitting at 25-4, a #11 ranking, and holds the SEC title. The remaining finalists are Jaime Dixon (Pitt), Darrin Horn (S. Carolina), Jim Calhoun (UConn), John Calipari (Memphis), Lorenzo Romar (Washington), Bill Self (Kansas), Brad Stevens (Butler), Bruce Weber (Illinois) and Roy Williams (North Carolina).
In my extremely biased opinion, it’s a no-brainer. Coach Johnson all the way. But, we will have to wait ’til the Final Four in Detroit to find out…..speaking of Detroit, how in the hell, with everything wrong with that town; unemployment rate highest in the country, shit economy, etc…..how can they support 4 professional sports teams (Pistons, Tigers, Red Wings, and Lions)? Hopefully the Final Four this year is the beginning of a comeback for the city…what a mess up there. An New Orleans is worried about losing one of their two teams (Saints & Hornets)…..
Anyway, congratulations to Marcus Thornton for his achievements and for Coach Johnson’s nomination and recognition. It is certainly a great time to be a Tiger fan. See you tomorrow night for the final home game vs. Vanderbilt. The 5 graduating seniors will also be recognized….Senior Night. Be the first 1000 there (i think it’s 1000) to get a poster 
GEAUX TIGERS!!!
-Bury Me on the 50
I hope they have a co-player of the year for the SEC and give it to Thornton and Meeks……and yeah if Johnson isn’t coach of the year I am a monkey’s uncle, which would be kinda cool cause monkey’s are awesome
I am glad I had a chance to read your post, if you have more information on positions let me know or post it here.
Mike