Duke freshman point guard Derryck Thornton Jr. is transferring to USC, his father announced on Friday to Scout.com.
Thornton, a five-star prospect coming out of high school, started 20 games in his lone season at Duke. He averaged 7.1 points and 2.6 assists, but he saw his minutes fluctuate during most of ACC play despite being the only pure point guard on the roster.
The 6-foot-2 Thornton will sit out the 2016-17 season as a redshirt. He will have three years of eligibility remaining at USC.
"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 released by Duke on April 10, when he decided to leave the school. "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."
Thornton also had considered Kansas, Washington and Miami, but his bond with the Trojans' coaching staff made the difference.
"He really got along with [associate head coach] Tony Bland, [head coach Andy] Enfield and the whole staff," Thornton's father, Derryck Thornton Sr., told Scout.com. "He liked all four staffs, but it was really the trust level at USC with Bland and the staff and the comfort of being home."
The USC roster suffered a massive exodus in the offseason. Starters Julian Jacobs and Nikola Jovanovic left for the NBA draft, Katin Reinhardt -- who started about half of USC's games -- transferred to Marquette, and three reserve players -- Darion Clark, Malik Martin and Malik Marquetti -- also asked for a transfer.
