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Former SEC Player of the Year joins LSU basketball's support staff

On3 imageby: Matthew Brune08/15/25MatthewBrune_
Marcus Thornton LSU
Marcus Thornton LSU

LSU alumni continue to come back and support the basketball program, this time as former LSU SEC Player of the Year Marcus Thornton has joined the LSU Basketball program’s support staff for the 2025-26 season. Thornton will serve in an off-court role in mentoring players and assisting in the player development aspect of the program under the direction of Coach Matt McMahon, as announced on Friday afternoon.

Thornton earned SEC Player of the Year honors and consensus first team All-America honors in the 2008-09 season in which the Tigers captured the Southeastern Conference championship under first-year coach Trent Johnson.

LSU was 27-8 that season, 13-3 in the league and reached the second round of the SEC Tournament.

Thornton averaged 21.1 points a game (tops in the SEC), making 78 three-pointers with 75 assists and 56 steals. Thornton played two years at LSU after playing his first two years at Kilgore (Texas) College. As a junior under Coach John Brady, he averaged 19.6 points (second in the SEC).

He presently is sixth in career scoring average (minimum 1,000 points scored) at 20.41 points per game at LSU and finished his two years with 1,347 points, 23rd all time. His 168 career three-point field goals are 10th all-time at LSU.

The 38-year-old Thornton was a second-round pick of the Miami Heat in 2009 and he played for seven NBA teams a total of 483 games with an 11.9 career scoring average, including 21.3 points per game for Sacramento in 2010-11 after coming there in a trade in the latter third of the season. He would average 18.7 points in 2011-12 in his first full season with the Kings.

*LSU press release

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LSU ended last season 14-18 overall and 3-15 in conference play, but after a strong offseason and a revamped roster, LSU had coach Matt McMahon is optimistic that his team has the pieces to compete in the SEC this year and make the NCAA Tournament.

LSU’s Southeastern Conference Schedule

(HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS)

January

Sat. 3 – At Texas A&M

6 or 7 – SOUTH CAROLINA

Sat. 10 – At Vanderbilt

13 or 14 – KENTUCKY

Sat. 17 – MISSOURI

20 or 21 – At Florida

Sat. 24 – At Arkansas

27 or 28 – MISSISSIPPI STATE

Sat. 31 – At South Carolina

FEBRUARY

Sat. 7 – GEORGIA

10 or 11 – ARKANSAS

Sat. 14 – At Tennessee

17 or 18 – At Texas

Sat. 21 – ALABAMA

24 or 25 – at Ole Miss

Sat. 28 – OKLAHOMA

March

3 or 4 – At Auburn

Sat. 7 – TEXAS A&M

11-15 – SEC Tournament (At Nashville)

LSU will announce its full non-conference schedule when it is completed. The Emerald Coast Classic games in Niceville, Florida have already been announced for Nov. 28-29 with LSU playing Drake in the opening round and either Georgia Tech or DePaul. Two neutral site games will be announced the week of Aug. 18.

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