The LSU-Kentucky basketball rivalry has mostly been a house of horrors for the Tigers in recent years.
But not on former Tiger standout and current Sacramento Kings guard Marcus Thornton’s watch.
As LSU prepares to host a No. 1-ranked Wildcat squad Saturday afternoon, the matchup has sparked nostalgia for the notoriously hot-and-cold-shooting Thornton.
In 2009, Thornton led the Tigers — who were 12-1 in the Southeastern Conference at the time — into Rupp Arena, where LSU hadn’t won in 20 years.
LSU left Lexington, Ky., that February afternoon with an SEC regular-season championship, and did it in thrilling fashion. Thornton scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half and earned the assist on former forward Tasmin Mitchell’s game-winning 3-pointer in a 73-70 victory.
“That was the highlight of my senior year,” the Baton Rouge native said. “Beating Kentucky in Rupp to win the SEC? That’s a special accomplishment. You play for
championships, and it doesn’t get much greater than that.”
Few players in college basketball were greater than Thornton during his two years at LSU, especially in that spectacular senior season when his individual accomplishments were rivaled only by the team’s success.
Thornton was the consensus SEC Player of the Year, averaged 21.1 points per game and reached the 30-point plateau seven times during the 2008-09 campaign.
He also scored 55 points in the Tigers’ two-game NCAA Tournament run, including a sizzling 25-point performance that kept LSU within striking distance during a competitive second-round loss against eventual national champion North Carolina.
“I’ve played with a lot of good shooters over the years, and that’s usually how you learn to rebound,” said senior forward Storm Warren, who was a freshman during Thornton’s final season at LSU. “I didn’t have to get many rebounds playing with him. You knew the shots were going in.”
A Louisiana boy who starred at Tara High School, Thornton became an instant Hornets fan favorite when New Orleans drafted him in
June 2009.
Thornton’s 14.6 points per game during his rookie campaign made him one of the league’s most prolific rookie scorers before a sophomore slump hit early in his second season.
Mid-season last year, the Hornets traded him to Sacramento, where he flourished in a free-flowing offensive system and earned a lucrative four-year, $33 million contract after the NBA lockout was resolved in November.
“I definitely miss being home sometimes,” Thornton said. “The biggest difference is not being able to see my family. New Orleans was an hour away, so I could see them anytime. But Sac-town is a great place. The fans and people remind me of Louisiana because they’re all passionate.”
One way Thornton maintains a connection with his home state is through his relationship with the LSU basketball program.
“I’m constantly paying attention to the Tigers, tweeting at the team and letting them know I still support them,” Thornton said. “I talk a good bit with Coach [Trent] Johnson, and we have a great relationship. He was my teacher  — our leader — in my best year.”
Thornton especially maintains contact with senior point guard Chris Bass, calling the fellow Baton Rouge native his “little brother.”
“Marcus is texting me all the time, and he’s kind of my mentor,” Bass said. “But he still really cares about the program, and he’s an absolute die-hard fan. Whenever we lose, Marcus is extra-mad and calling to ask what went wrong.”
LSU fell off dramatically in the two seasons following Thornton’s departure — winning just 11 games in each — but this season’s 12-8 squad has shown positive signs, according to the former Tiger great.
“They’re competitive, and you can see the effort,” Thornton said. “It’s a scrappy team that is young and still learning. Their future is bright, and Coach Trent’s got things on the up-and-up.”
While awaiting his NBA fate during the league’s four-month lockout last summer, Thornton joined fellow NBA Tigers like Brandon Bass, Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Garrett Temple for workouts and pick-up games at LSU’s practice facility.
“It was fun to be back in the loop and play ball at home again,” Thornton said. “We organized a lot of games, and I got to play with a lot of guys I grew up with and are
successful guys that wore the purple and gold. It kept me competitive.”
Thornton, who is out of action as he deals with a thigh bruise, said he feels at home in the Kings’ purple uniforms and called them a constant reminder of his LSU roots.
“All the success that’s happened in my career, it’s all coming from Louisiana,” the third-year NBA veteran said. “LSU, my coaches and teammates there helped me become a better man and person. How could you forget that?”
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]