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USC grad transfer Thornton picks Boston College over Gonzaga

USC v Washington

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Derryck Thornton #5 of the USC Trojans brings the ball up the court against the Washington Huskies during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Huskies defeated the Trojans 78-75. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Derryck Thornton is heading back to the ACC.

On Monday, multiple reports surfaced that the USC grad transfer and former Duke point guard would be heading to Boston College for his final season of eligibility. Thornton was a five-star prospect as a high school junior, opting to leave school and enroll at Duke a year early. He was a part of the class that also included Brandon Ingram, Luke Kennard and Chase Jeter, but he left the program after one up-and-down year that saw him start just 20 games and averaged 7.1 points and 2.6 assists.

Thornton headed back west to USC, where he averaged 7.7 points and 4.3 assists as a junior.

His return to the ACC is most notable for who he did not pick. Thornton was initially thought to be a Gonzaga lean, as the Bulldogs are in the market for a veteran point guard after losing Josh Perkins. Thornton was one of their main targets, but he instead opted on heading to the program that turned Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman into all-league players and, in Robinson’s case, a lottery pick.

That, in theory, is huge for BC, who could use the injection of talent, but even with Thornton in the fold, this doesn’t exactly look like a tournament team.

It’s far more interesting Gonzaga. As it stands, the starting point guard spot looks like it will be Admon Gilder’s -- a grad transfer from Texas A&M that would ideally play off-the-ball -- if freshman Brock Ravet can’t handle the job. The remaining crop of point guard grad transfers don’t appear to be the kind of players that will be able to impact a season for a team that is expected to be as good as Gonzaga is.