User:Kajora1290/sandbox

Daniel E. Thornton

An American journalist, basketball coach and entrepreneur who began these careers in the early 1990’s.

Thornton's journalist career centered around the world of college and high school sports, while also venturing into the world of local government. His writing abilities also led to the publication of the book "Kajora" in 2015.

Also during the 1990's and 2000's he established himself as a noteworthy basketball coach having found work at the high school, college, travel and professional levels during a nearly 30 year span. Thornton has worked for the likes of Western Michigan University (1996-97, NCAA D1), Kalamazoo College (2015-16, NCAA D3), Kalamazoo Valley Community College (1998-09, NJCAA D2), before taking on the title of Head Coach and General Manager of the Grand Rapids Galaxy, a professional team (https://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/2016/06/is_grand_rapids_ready_for_a_wo.html), that is a member of the WBCBL, (2016-17).

Thornton also owned The Kalamazoo Heat, a travel basketball program that landed over 90 percent of his graduating seniors in colleges with scholarships during the program's lifespan (1999-2018). The program won six state championships and often worked with over 100 athletes per spring/summer season.

He is among just a handful of coaches with over 1400 career wins from all levels of play (https://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/sports/2018/02/09/dan-thornton-pennfield-girls-basketball/319123002/), which includes over 300 high school varsity victories in Michigan (https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/article/a-milestone-to-remember-area-basketball-coach-is-closing-in-on-his-800th-win/). His high school varsity record stands at 318-74, while earning a top ten state ranking with each of the three varsity programs he’s guided.

The expansion Grand Rapids Galaxy posted a record of 12-2 under Thornton, including becoming the No.4 rank team in the country in his lone season with the team.

Thornton’s business experience started in the early 1990’s when he began venturing into the real estate field, building up a portfolio of rental properties and rehab/“flip” homes.

During the Great Recession of 2008-10, Thornton aggressively focused on flipping and restoring homes/automobiles. His ability to see value in troubled markets successfully propelled his businesses forward during down times.

His YouTube channel is set to launch February 1st, 2020, which will focus on helping to educate young entrepreneurs learn how to flip homes, day trade stocks and guide young home buyers.