Derryck Thornton to USC: Latest Transfer Details, Comments and Reaction

Derryck Thornton announced his intention to transfer from Duke University on April 10, following a single season with the Blue Devils, and the 5-star guard will make his home on the West Coast with USC.

Per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Thornton's father, Derryck Thornton Sr., said Friday his son would be joining the Trojans.

Per Josh Gershon of Scout.com, Thornton went into detail about his son's decision to play for USC: "He really got along with (associate head coach) Tony Bland, (head coach) Andy Enfield and the whole staff."

Thornton Sr. continued to praise the development skills of USC's coaching staff as the biggest reasons for his son's decision: "Andy being a skill development guy in the NBA, (assistant) Jason Hart being a former NBA player, the style of play being uptempo and the Pac-12 producing so many pros, Derryck thought it was the best fit for who he was as a player."

A combination of factors facilitated Thornton's decision to transfer from the ACC power following his freshman season, but he cited his desire to play closer to his hometown of Chatsworth, California. 

"I have loved my time at Duke, but I want to pursue the opportunity to play college basketball closer to home," Thornton said in a statement, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello. "I want to thank my teammates and coaches for their support this year. The relationships I have with them will always be special to me."

However, Thornton's transfer was also evidently the product of sparse playing time. 

Although he arrived at Duke as the third-ranked point guard and 14th-ranked player overall in his class, he averaged just 7.1 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 39 percent from the field in 26 minutes a night as questions cropped up regarding head coach Mike Krzyzewski's tactical usage of the talented point guard. 

% of Shots at Rim	FG% at Rim	% of Shots 2P Jumpers	FG% on 2P Jumpers	3P%
32.8	51.9	32.8%	32.9%	32.5

"Coach K likely did overpromise, as is typical in recruiting," 247Sports' Jerry Meyer told the site's Kevin Ryan. "However, it became evident quickly that a high ball-screen offense centered around Thornton was not the best approach for Duke."

Thornton also faced the prospect of jockeying for playing time with incoming 5-star point guard Frank Jackson, who has been heralded as a key piece of the Blue Devils' championship blueprint. 

This is a huge get for the Trojans, who continue to add quality players after making the NCAA tournament last year for the first time since 2011. They are currently ranked fifth among Pac-12 teams in recruiting this year. 

Thornton won't be able to play next season, but he does have three years of college eligibility remaining for a USC program trending in the right direction after winning at least 20 games last season for the first time since 2008-09.

Now that he's decided to latch on with the Trojans, Thornton will have a chance to redeem himself after posting some shaky numbers during his time in Durham. 

Beyond the basic box score figures, Thornton shot just 32.9 percent on two-point jumpers and converted a so-so 51.9 percent of his attempts at the rim last season, per Hoop-Math.com. 

Thornton's time as a standout at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, suggests he'll be far more effective if USC embraces his desire to play in a more pick-and-roll heavy scheme that values his playmaking, so the floor general should be able to make his freshman woes a thing of the past. 

Recruit star ratings and rankings courtesy of 247Sports.com. Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.