in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at the Honda Center on March 24, 2016 in Anaheim, California.

Duke freshman guard Derryck Thornton is offering a new spin on the idea of a one-and-done. The Blue Devil announced he will be pursuing a transfer option to join a new college basketball home for the 2016-2017 season.

“I have loved my time at Duke, but I want to pursue the opportunity to play college basketball closer to home,” Thornton said in a released statement on Sunday. “I want to thank my teammates and coaches for their support this year. The relationships I have with them will always be special to me.”

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski offered his best wishes in a public statement as well.

“We wish Derryck the best and appreciate his contributions to our team this season,” Coach K said. “We support his decision and want only what is best for him in the future.”

A highly-touted recruit out of high school, Thornton appeared in 36 games for Duke and averaged 7.1 points and 2.6 assists per game in his freshman season. So what went wrong that caused Thornton to look for other options? A desire to play closer to home on the west coast appears to be in order, judging by some initial reaction seen on Twitter. That may be difficult to tell for sure, but his uncle certainly was not happy about how things played out in Durham.

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.