Raynere Thornton walked through the doors of the Larry O. Finch Center one day stroking his thick beard and armed with a story about his life off the basketball court here in Memphis.

A kid had recently sent Thornton a direct message on Instagram asking if the 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward could go through a basketball workout with him. Not only did Thornton say yes, he responded right away to the surprise of his new admirer.

It's random acts of kindness like this that differentiate Thornton now from the undisciplined prospect that didn't have the grades to immediately qualify for the Division-I level coming out of high school.

The Marietta, Ga., native took a year off after graduating from high school and then quickly established himself as an inside-outside threat during two seasons at Gordon State. Last year, he averaged 10.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game,

Memphis is hopeful that versatility will translate to the American Athletic Conference. Thornton is one of five junior college transfers brought in by Coach Tubby Smith to help provide stability on this season's roster.

During an interview with The Commercial Appeal, Thornton talked more about what he expects from himself and the Tigers. Here are some highlights:

How did you end up at a junior college?

“I didn’t have the grades coming out of high school, so I didn’t really have a choice. Taking the junior college route, I gained a lot more discipline and stability. Coming out of high school, I had no discipline, no stability. I mean I had guidance, but I still didn’t have discipline to do what my parents and stuff were telling me. So I got a lot of discipline coming out of JUCO.”

What do you mean by discipline? What changed you?

“I was a leader of the basketball team, which forced me to be on time for things. Make sure everybody else was on time for things like workouts. Be there at least 10, 15 minutes early, already be stretched out prior to stretching and making sure everybody was game ready on game day.”

What was attractive about Memphis?

“The fanbase, just the way the fans are in love with basketball here and Coach Tubby. He’s a very cool guy. He kind of reminds me of my father.”

How so?

“Again on the discipline side: Making sure everybody is doing what they’re supposed to do, on time for everything and just pretty much taking the initiative to push us further.”

How would you describe your game to fans?

“Probably an all-around basketball player. I do whatever the coach needs me to do at the moment, basically.”

Are you more of a perimeter player? Do you have a set position?

“Not necessarily. I can play inside and out.”

What have coaches focused on with you in workouts?

“Mainly improving my perimeter shot.”

What are your initial impressions of the team?

“We’ve come together pretty quickly and there isn’t anybody isolated or anything like that on the team. The whole team can play, so I’m getting the feeling we’re going to shock Memphis. We’re going to the shock the American [Athletic] Conference.”

Why were you able to come together so quickly? Did you rally around the fact that some don’t expect this team to be that good?

“That might have been it, honestly. The fact that people don’t think we’re going to be decent kind of pushes us to 110 percent every day.”

What’s different about the experience at a JUCO and Memphis?

“Once again, the fans. There’s certain times I’ll go somewhere, I’ll have on a Memphis shirt and a kid will just walk up to me and ask for my autograph or take a picture with them. It’s not something I’m used to yet, but I definitely like it.”

What’s your favorite part about the city?

“Probably the food. Definitely the food. I don’t really have a favorite place yet. But the barbecue here, I could eat it every day.”

What’s it like living with the other JUCO guys?

“I feel right at home. I feel the same as I felt two years ago when I moved into a junior college. Playing with the same caliber of players. Don’t get me wrong: They’re monsters on the court. But I’m playing with the same caliber of players and I’m living with junior college players, so they know what to expect from me and I know what to expect from them.”

Who are you off the court?

“I don’t mind the little things, like helping people out, doing community service. The other day I had a kid DM me on Instagram and just wanted to know if he could get in the gym and watch me work out or if I could watch him work out. Or we could work out one day. He was actually surprised I replied to him, so I told him that we could definitely get in the gym and work out together. To me, it’s little things that matter on and off the court.”