Success of St. Michael-Albertville's Thorn Family Drawing Statewide Recognition

It seems the state of Minnesota is learning something the St. Michael-Albertville area knew all along.

That Thorn family is pretty special.

Christine Thorn, who led the girls' basketball team to the State 4A Tournament this past week, was the center of attention for the Knights, as Twin Cities media wanted to know:

What makes the Thorns so good?

Christine, of course, proceeded to lead all scorers in the Knights' loss to Eastview.

The bulk of the Thorns' success has come on the wrestling mat. There, Michael won three state championships as an individual, and three with the Knights team. David took four individual titles (one of less than 20 wrestlers in history to do that at the time) and won three championships with the Knights.

Tommy, so far, has captured two individual titles and has made three trips to state with the Knights wrestling team, winning the runner-up trophy the last two years in the "big school" class.

Did Christine ever think of wrestling?

"I asked my dad in kindergarten. He immediately said, 'No!'" she said.

But you can see the grit, guts and self-sacrifice every talented wrestler has on the baksetball court when Christine laces up. She flops, drives among big bodies and dives for loose balls the way a wrestlers goes in for a "shot."

"She'll have bruises on her knees from the first week of the season to the last game. You can see it every time out there. She really is hard on her body," girls' coach Kent Hamre said. "But she's the player you love to have. She brings that intensity every time out."

Christine, a sophomore, said her youngest brother, a sophomore, played hoops in the driveway. Otherwise, life was wrestling.

Tommy brings all of that experience to the table, and the athleticism, said wrestling coach Dan Lefebvre.

"He's smart. He has all the tools, but what makes him so strong is he knows how to break down his opponent in the best way," he said. "That's only going to get better as he gets older."

Want to know where the intensity comes from? Watch the kids' father, John, during any game. He rarely, if ever, sits down.

When John's lighter-weight wrestlers, including Tommy, are on the mat, he's pacing behind the Knight bench, as he serves as Lefebvre's assistant coach.

Thursday, at Target Center, he watched from the mezzanine, and never took a seat near his wife, Brenda, in the crowd.

Has Christine ever seen him sit in her four seasons of varsity ball–which, by the way, includeds three trips to state now and a 1,000-point career?

"Never. He's always moving," she said with a smile.

Christine also joined the Knights' cross-country team last fall, and that squad made a state meet appearance. The girls' track team has also made a trip to state, and she's run for that squad over her high school career.

"She's made for the big stage," Hamre said. "She puts that pressure on herself. Once she gets going, she's as good as anybody."

Her little brother might earn the same praise, as Tommy continues to build a name for himself, and has a shot to join Dave and Mike as a wrestler at the University of Minnesota.

In addition to two state titles, he has a national Cadet title under his belt, and  is just getting started.

"It's a pretty special family," Hamre said.