Coach Bruce Capers' Gordon State College team was in good position as they attempted to extend their eight game win streak going into the post season tournament.

Even though his Highlanders were up 20 points, he didn't like the attitude of self-proclaimed knucklehead Raynere Thornton coming out of halftime, so he pulled him from the game.

"I didn't like the way he was playing," Capers said. "I didn't like his body language coming out of the first five minutes of the second half, so I benched him."

The opposing team stormed back to cut Gordon State's lead as Thornton sat on the bench lamenting how crazy his coach was for keeping him seated. Capers knew the other team was going to go on a run and he didn't care -- he was teaching one of his best players a lesson.

Gordon State went on to win the game without Thornton. That's something the 6-foot-7 forward carried with him the rest of the season, but it didn't only benefit him. As usual, Thornton had a profound effect on his teammates.

"I tell you what, every game after that his focus was on another level and it benefitted the whole team," Capers said.

Only one Division I offer had come for Thornton when he walked across the stage at Marreitta High School. Even though it piqued his interests, he didn't have the grades to qualify, so he was headed to junior college.

Junior college is full of lessons, including the one Capers taught him. Nothing comes easy, and everything must be taken seriously -- focus is paramount.

"I was a knucklehead in high school," Thornton said. "Junior college kind of taught me to take stuff seriously."

Capers left Aiken Technical College in South Carolina to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia. When he took the job at Gordon State, he stumbled upon Thornton in the normal process of recruiting.That's when the pair started forming a relationship they would both cherish.

Thornton's self assessment as a knucklehead rang true for Capers, especially at the start of their time together. All he needed was someone to be tough on him like a father figure so he could mature and succeed on the basketball court, and Capers filled that role, according to the junior college coach.

"He was a relationship kid," Capers said. "I got to know him over a period time. I think we built that trust with each other. It was clear what he wanted. It was clear what I wanted. It was clear what we both had to do. Like men, we made commitments to doing it."

Gordon State went 22-9 in Thornton's last season while he averaged 10.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He also recorded two triple-doubles and was near the mark several other times.

Arkansas Little-Rock, DePaul, Florida Atlantic, Georgia, Iona, Iowa State, Kansas State, Memphis, St. Louis and UTEP offered him during and after his season. UCONN and UCLA also showed interest in bringing the springy forward on. It ultimately came down to Georgia, Iowa State, Kansas State and Memphis.

Just like his relationship with Capers brought him to Gordon State, his relationship with head coach Tubby Smith is ultimately what brought him to Memphis. An official visit to Memphis where he stayed at the Peabody Hotel, visited a Memphis Grizzlies practice and the Memphis Tiger football Spring Game sealed the deal.

"Mainly coach Tubby," Thornton said when asked what brought him to Memphis. "He's a cool dude, a cool coach. I'm coming from a cool coach, so to be able to correspond on and off the court as a father figure and family is what I was looking for."

Now that he is in Memphis, the forward is making himself at home. Three trips to Soul Fish Cafe and another to Ching's Hot Wings has him loving the food. It wasn't the atmosphere or food that was the worry, though. Integrating new players into a system is incredibly difficult, and Memphis has seven of them.

Losing five players to transfer and another to loss of eligibility to play at the Division I level left Memphis to mine the junior college ranks. Even then, the only teammate Thornton was familiar with was forward Kyvon Davenport who he faced consistently in his junior college days.

These new players have been put through fundamental drills and basic workouts since arriving in Memphis this summer, then team bonding exercises, which Thornton says is basically scrimmaging. According to the forward, he vibes well with whoever is on his team during scrimmages, whether that's Jeremiah Martin, Jamal Johnson or Kareem Brewton. The fit has been seamless.

"We're basically getting the feel for how each other plays," Thornton said.

Smith's offense relies on unselfishness. Before a late season slide, the Tigers were one of the best teams in the nation at sharing the basketball. Thornton feels like he can fit right into the Hall of Famer's motion heavy offense.

Assists and rebounds were never a problem for Thornton at Gordon State, something that has carried over to his short time at Memphis. He has been a standout early because of his all-around game. Making the right pass or jumping above everyone else for the rebound are staples, but so are vicious dunks and hitting open shots.

According to some, Thornton can be overly unselfish in his attempt to get everyone involved. He loves seeing his teammates "do great and making them better players." Capers thinks his former forward knowing how to play comes from growing up in an environment rich with basketball talent. His uncles and cousins were successful on the hardwood as was his father.

"He always toyed with the triple-double," Capers said. "I think he can threaten in every category. That's just his game. He's always been a throwback player. He can pass, he can dribble, he can shoot and he can rebound. He fits right in. He's not looking to be the leading scorer. He wants his assist numbers to be high. He wants his rebounding numbers to be high, and sometimes in the process, there goes his scoring."

There are no plans of changing how Thornton plays, at least not on his end. That's the way he plays and that's why coach Joe Esposito pushed so hard for him to be a Memphis Tiger. He's an all-around player who is currently working on his defense and three-point shooting so he can help spread the floor for a team that desperately needs it.

"Raynere wants to do the right thing," Capers said. "He's a perfect team guy."