Tallassee’s Rowen Thornton has dreamt of playing college basketball ever since he picked up a ball as a youngster.
He recently fulfilled that dream by committing to play at Chattahoochee Valley Community College. It was ultimately his AAU experience that helped lift him to the next level as several college coaches watched him play over the summer.
“What really made me want to go to Chat Valley (in Phenix City) was that it's the closest from home, obviously, so I'll be able to come back on weekends, and the fact that the coaches were the most loyal throughout the process,” Thornton said. “Coach (Morris) Scott would call me every day, text me every day. They’re still texting now; they’ve come to a bunch of games, and that’s really what made it easy.”
Not only did AAU help secure a college offer, it also helped Thornton develop as a player, he said.
“It's a lot different from high school, because there's a lot more talent on the circuit,” Thornton said. “I played on the Puma circuit for only two weeks, but the first game I went out there, I’m playing against a 7-footer. It’s a lot different with recruiting. They’re trying to get you to come out there and get coaches involved with you during the whole process.”
Thornton is currently the leading scorer for Tallassee this season with a 23.0 points-per-game average.
“Rowen has been able to develop his entire game, especially as a shooter,” Mixson said. “ If he was just a good set shooter then we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but I have taught him to be able to do a lot of things and he has always tried to perfect it.”
Mixson has seen Thornton fall in love with the process of getting better and putting in the work to grow as a player.
“It's no coincidence that he’s signed a scholarship, because he's a gym rat,” Mixson said. “He just has lived in the gym and put the work in. When you do that, you can't help but to get better.”