James Thornton joined Park University in the 2021-22 season as an assistant men’s basketball coach. Although, he is not a stranger to the Pirates’ program. He is a 2021 graduate of Park University with a bachelor of science degree in Fitness and Wellness.
Thornton has a long history with Park, as he walked on to play basketball at Park in 2015, but due to multiple knee injuries, he had to walk away from playing basketball.
He has had several coaching experiences in the meantime though, coaching AC Prep’s freshmen team in 2014 and then became an assistant coach at Cristo Rey Kansas City from 2016-2018. He had two additional teams he coached as an assistant in 2018-19 and 2019-20, including Sumner Academy and Barstow High School.
He returned to a former team to became the head coach for Cristo Rey Kansas City and also coaches with the KC Runnin Rebels during the summer.
He has coached under some prominent individuals in the basketball community including, former KU Jayhawk, Billy Thomas, and Missouri Western Hall of Famer, Albert Collins.
Thornton is a native of Kansas City, Missouri.
