The University of Detroit Mercy women’s basketball program and interim head coach LaTanya Collins have announced the hiring of former Division I men’s basketball standout Damon Thornton to the staff as an assistant coach with the Titans.
Thornton starred collegiately with North Carolina State from 1996-2001, before playing professionally overseas for many seasons.
“I am excited to announce Damon Thornton as our final addition to our women’s basketball staff,” Collins said. “Damon has played at a high level and has the ability to develop players at all positions. Building a roster from scratch, his skill set will be instrumental in our growth as a team.
“I am confident Damon will be able to implement strategies that will allow our team to see measurable improvement on the court. I am also confident his positive attitude and even temperament is just what’s needed as we embark on this journey of building a championship culture and program. We are excited to have Damon as a part of our Titan family.”
Prior to his hiring with the Titans, Thornton worked as the Assistant Director of Basketball for FastBreak Sports in Manhattan, New York, from 2017-20, where he led kids ranging 5-to-13 years old in age-appropriate basketball drills, games and other events, while also training and supervising coaches and officials, among other duties.
Thornton, a native of Norfolk, Virginia, has coached at the AAU level since 2010, coaching for the Wave Basketball (Va.) 16U, Norfolk Grizzlies 15U, Hillsong Hustlers 15U and FastBreak Sports 12U teams.
While at NC State, Thornton played in 110 career games and averaged 7.9 points and 7.0 rebounds, while shooting better than 55% from the floor for the Wolfpack. He was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team during his first season in 1996-97 and totaled 865 points, 771 rebounds, 146 blocks and 110 steals during his NC State career.
He played professionally for nine seasons overseas, playing in Europe, Asia and South America, winning a championship while playing for a team in Argentina in 2006.
Thornton earned his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Sports Management from North Carolina State University in 2001.
