Chicago, Ill. - William and Mary men's basketball signee Marcus Thornton was named the 2010-11 Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year on Thursday. The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, is in its 26th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes. Thornton, who led Bishop McNamara to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) semifinals and a 21-9 record, becomes the first W&M signee to earn Gatorade State Player of the Year honors. He signed with the Tribe in November and will be eligible to play for the Green and Gold in the fall of 2011.

The first Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Bishop McNamara, Thornton averaged 23.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game this season. The 6-3 guard helped the Mustangs earn an invite to the prestigious 51st Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, March 17-19.  A 2011 Washington Post All-Met selection and the 2011 WCAC Player of the Year, he is Bishop McNamara's career leader in 3-point field goal percentage (44 percent) and ranks second in career points (1,176).

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Thornton as Maryland's best high school boys basketball player. Thornton, who maintains an impressive GPA in the classroom, has volunteered as a tutor at his school in addition to donating his time on behalf of the Special Olympics as well as food and clothing drives for the needy. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March, Thornton joins an elite alumni association of past state boys basketball award winners, including Dwight Howard (2003-04, SW Atlanta Christian Academy, Ga.), Chauncey Billups (1993-94 & 1994-95, George Washington HS, Colo.), Jason Kidd (1991-92, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS, Calif.), Paul Pierce (1994-95, Inglewood HS, Calif.) and Chris Bosh (2001-02, Lincoln HS, Texas).

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport- specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Thornton and fell signee Thomas Schalk (Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley) join a W&M roster that returns 12 of its 13 players from the 2010-11 campaign.  The Green and Gold advanced to the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament before falling to CBI participant Hofstra. It total, the Tribe returns 85.6 percent of its scoring, 81.9 percent of its rebounding and 93.9 percent of its assists to go along with four of its five starters.