From her humble beginnings in the suburban town of Gurranabraher, Co Cork to the bright lights of the American intervarsity sports scene, Edel Thornton’s journey to the upper echelons of university basketball is a compelling tale.
From a young age, playing basketball at the highest level in America had always been a goal for Thornton. Starting out, however, she was at a distinct disadvantage – not too many college basketball scouts are flying across the Atlantic to find talent in Ireland. As well as this, she would be competing against players in America who have access to some of the best facilities and coaching in the world.
When I ask her about this, Thornton doesn’t seem to think it was much of a hindrance.
“They have the facilities there but I think the opportunity you kind of make yourself in my regard. If you want to do something, you do it – regardless of what the facilities are. We have gyms in Cork. We have those facilities. It’s just easier for them to access it.”
Despite the slimmer chance of success, Thorton followed her own principles, and tried to dictate her own fate.
That was a really hard summer just because there was a lot of growing up really fast. I had to make a life decision
After attending elite scouting camps in America, Thorton’s break came in the summer of her fifth year in secondary school. The opportunity came when American college scouts watched her play for the Ireland under-18s at the FIBA European Championships. It wasn’t long before she had received the offer of a full-time basketball scholarship from Quinnipiac University, Connecticut.
With her lifelong dream materialising, Thorton was faced with the reality of a life-changing decision: “That was a really hard summer just because there was a lot of growing up really fast. I had to make a life decision.”
Most students living away from home can testify to the difficulties of adapting to college life. For Thornton, it was especially challenging – she now had the Atlantic ocean between herself and home, and was going through a rigorous training programme.
“The first two months it was really hard because I wasn’t used to this level of physicality. The amount of training sessions we did a day, the amount of weights that we lifted and just the overall being in control of your own life at that point. You had no mum or dad telling you what to do, it was just strictly down to you.”
Despite all this, Thornton settled in quickly to life in the US, thriving during a gruelling preseason campaign. However, just three games into her Quinnipiac career, adversity struck, as she suffered a serious foot injury. Thorton was sidelined for three months: “It was definitely hard, because I had gone through the whole preseason and done everything.”
Thornton refused to be deterred by the injury. If anything, it made her hungrier to be out on the court: “I mean, it was really hard and not where you want to be, but I got to learn a lot about myself.”
“You can take it for granted sometimes when you’re out there and you’re exhausted and you don’t want to be here anymore, but then you remind yourself that you were hurt and you really wanted to be here. So it kind of made me want it a lot more”, she says.
By the time her second year at Quinnipiac came around, Thornton was fully recovered. She played a significant role in her team qualifying for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 women’s basketball tournament. The NCAA is the highest level college teams can play at in America – matches are even broadcast live by ESPN.
I always wanted people to know that I was Irish and that basketball happens here and we’re good at it
Along with her Quinnipiac teammates, Thornton’s involvement in the NCAA Division 1 attracted considerable publicity and attention. In keeping with the prestige of the competition, the squad travelled to the tournament via chartered flight.
Speaking about how she managed to not get caught up in the hype around the competition, Thornton notes that “it was something I’d never experienced before, but it wasn’t out of our comfort zone”.
“We were able to deal with it because we were genuinely so set on winning the game and just so focused. Our coach did a really good job at making sure that we didn’t crumble under the pressure.”
Quinnipiac were ranked as 12th seeds going into the competition. According to Thornton, the lower ranking took the pressure off her side, allowing them to focus on playing the game and enjoying the experience of playing high-level basketball.
Sure enough, Quinnipiac upset two top-tier teams in Marquette and the University of Miami, making it to the sweet 16 knock-out round. The team’s belief that they had nothing to lose is what Thornton credits their success with.
I come from a winning background, and I don’t plan on changing that while I’m here
Ultimately they came up short against the number-one seeded team, the University of South Carolina, who boasted current Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) superstar A’ja Wilson amongst their ranks.
In what was a huge achievement for the Connecticut university, the performance at the tournament also had personal significance for Thornton. Thornton became the first Irish basketball player to ever reach the sweet 16 round.
Thornton is far too modest when I ask her about how it feels to hold this accolade, preferring instead to speak about her teammates and how great the result was for Quinnipiac. She does stress how important it was for her and her family to celebrate her roots while she was in the States: “For me personally, being an Irish girl out there, it was cool and I never let go of home. I always wanted people to know that I was Irish and that basketball happens here and we’re good at it.”
Her success was not confined to that one year – Quinnipiac would go on to play in the NCAA tournament again the following year, making it to the second round before losing out to the University of Connecticut. In her final year, Thornton was a star player for Quinnipiac in the Metro Atlantic Athletics Conference (MAAC) basketball championship, which they won for the third year in a row. In the final held last March, Thornton scored 16 points, while also racking up five assists and six rebounds.
Having come to the end of her American basketball journey for now, Thornton’s next chapter will be back at home. Thornton’s decision to come to Trinity was based on her desire to return to Ireland. She will continue to play basketball for Trinity Meteors while continuing with her studies in behavioural psychology.
Having a player of her experience come to Trinity is an invaluable asset for the women’s basketball team. For Thornton, the best way for her to contribute is to lead by example: “I know I have the knowledge, but I don’t ever want to push it on people … it’s more so that when I’m on the floor I try to lead by example as opposed to verbalising stuff.”
In discussing her hopes for Trinity Meteors this season, Thornton’s main goal is promotion. Currently in Division 1, the side would play in the Super League if they won a promotion this year – the top tier of Irish basketball.
“I come from a winning background”, Thornton says, “and I don’t plan on changing that while I’m here”.
