Brian Charles Thornton (born April 22, 1985) is an American

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

player. He played for the 2007 NCAA national champions, the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...

. He plays for the United States national team and appeared in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Career

College

Thornton played volleyball for UC Irvine from 2004 to 2007. In 2004, he played 16 games, averaging 9.31 set assists. The following season, he averaged 12.57 set assists and had 1,320. Thornton then had 1,548 set assists in 2006. His 13.70 average led the nation. He also made the All-American second team."Brian Thornton"
teamusa.org. Retrieved August 25, 2012. In 2007, Thornton helped UC Irvine win the NCAA Division I men's volleyball national championship. He averaged 13.27 set assists, and he made the All-American second team and the NCAA All-Tournament team. Thornton's 1,645 assists that season was a new school record. His 4,662 career set assists was also a school record.

International

Thornton joined the U.S. national team in 2009. He helped the team win gold medals at the 2009 and 2010 Pan American Cups. In 2011, Thornton played in the FIVB World League, NORCECA Men's Continental Championship, and FIVB World Cup. He averaged 5.19 assists per set, and his 514 assists was the most of any U.S. setter that year. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thornton had two points. Thornton played professionally in France in 2010-11.

Personal

Thornton was born in Huntington Beach, California, on April 22, 1985."Brian Thornton"
. london2012.com. Retrieved August 25, 2012. He attended San Clemente High School. Thornton is 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 187 pounds. He has two younger siblings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Brian 1985 births Living people Olympic volleyball players for the United States Volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball players Sportspeople from Huntington Beach, California American expatriates in France Jastrzębski Węgiel players American men's volleyball players