Texas State men's basketball head coach Terrence Johnson announced the hiring of Dwight Thorne to the staff. He joins the team as an assistant coach.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dwight to the Texas State men's basketball family. He brings a wealth of experience, energy and a deep understanding of the game that will be invaluable to our program," said Johnson. "His commitment to developing young men both on and off the court aligns with our values here at Texas State. We look forward to the positive impact he will have on our players and team culture."
Thorne arrives in San Marcos after a one-year stint at MSU Denver as an assistant coach. He helped the Roadrunners to a 19-10 record and fourth-place finish in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Four players on the team were named to an All-RMAC team that included two first-team selections.
"My family and I are thrilled to join Coach TJ, his staff and the Texas State community. The winning culture and commitment to excellence on and off the court makes this an incredible opportunity, and I'm excited to get to work," said Thorne.
Thorne spent the previous two seasons on staff at UT Arlington as an assistant coach. He was instrumental in coaching Chendall Weaver, who was named the Western Athletic Conference's Freshman of the Year in 2022-23, and David Azore, who was selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team and NABC All-District First Team in 2021-22.
Prior to working with the Mavericks, Throne was a staff member at the University of Denver for five years with the last two as an assistant coach. He was a major factor in breakthrough years for Ade Murkey and Jase Townsend. Murkey averaged a team-high 18.6 points per game in 2019-20 and Townsend increased his scoring output by 10 points a contest to 16.9 per game.
Thorne spent his first three years at with the Pioneers as the director of basketball operations. He helped organize the day-to-day activities of the program as well as handle all travel, food and hotel arrangements.
The 2015-16 season saw him serve as a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech. That season, the Yellow Jackets finished 21-15 and reached the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament.
Prior to his year in Atlanta, Thorne spent a couple of years in the private business sector after a four-year professional playing career. He began his career with PS Karlsruhe in Germany for the 2010-11 season. He also spent time in the NBA Development League prior to returning to Europe and playing two years in Athens as part of Greece's top league before wrapping up his professional career in Zadar, Croatia.
In his four-year career at Colorado, Thorne played in 117 games, scored 750 points, grabbed 234 rebounds, dished out 160 assists, recorded 80 steals and shot 81% from the free throw line. He graduated in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in marketing.
Thorne was born in Dallas and became the first player in Arlington Martin High School history to play on the varsity team all four years. An all-district and all-region performer, he averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game as a junior before posting averages of 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists per contest as a senior.
