'06 NJ F Lance Thomas (Duke Verbal)

[jwinslow]

Time to close this thread. The nine that made it: Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Villanova, Florida, Rutgers, North Carolina, Louisville and Wake Forest.

Scout $

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="3">Lance Thomas: Nine Remain

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Lance Thomas

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</td> <td valign="top"> By Jeff Goodman National Recruiting Analyst
Date: Jul 19, 2005

When you watch one of Lance Thomas' games at the Peach Jam, it's hard not to take a peek down "coach row" to check out the "Who's Who" that is watching the New Jersey forward. Thomas' list sits at nine right now - and he plans to get it down to a handful in the next couple weeks.
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[Moebuck]

Any word on Lance. I know the official thread on him is closed, but I heard rumblings that after the Roundball Classic, he is now considering OSU again. Is there anything substantial to that? I know the Buckeyes were talking him up all weekend. Love to add a PF to our class.

[jimotis4heisman]

EDIT: Merged this thread with Lance's thread.... OSUBucks22

[BuckTwenty]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/s...ghlight=thomas
lances thread

If there are rumblings about him again, might be worth opening that thread back up for discussion... or at least a rumor mill post. It has teeth anyways, fresh off of playing with our four blue-chips (by finishing out the starting lineup) at this year's roundball classic!

[OSUBucks22]

I wouldn't get too excited on the scuttlebutt with Lance Thomas just yet. If he were to visit, then there would be something to be excited about. He's used up all five of his officials, so a visit would have to be out of pocket. That would show his interest in tOSU.
I would still be shocked if he went anywhere besides Duke or Rutgers. His Uncle Monty who's been handling his recruiting said in an interview on Monday that it was still those two and that they were waiting to see about transfers and early entries. Someone who has been in contact with Lance and Monty throughout the recruiting process says that the added interest (according to reports) in tOSU and Florida are likely smokescreens. UF doesn't have any scholarships available at this time, and looks to be returning all of their players. So it is unlikely he goes there.
One theory that has been tossed around a lot is that Lance is waiting until the last possible minute to commit, because he knows he's leaving town and would save himself ridicule from the local RU fans, who have labeled him the "savior" of their program.
It's been a long, wild recruitment, so anything can happen and wouldn't be a surprise. I think in the end he ends up at Duke or Rutgers, but like I said, if he visits tOSU, all bets are off.

[OSUBucks22]

Merged the other Lance thread and reopened this one for now...

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

The reason this thread has stayed closed is for the simple fact that our chances are slim at best. Thomas was asked point blank after the game on Sunday about his possible interest in tOSU and he said we were not in the picture. Until something changes or like OSUbucks22 has indicated, he takes a visit, well everything on the boards is pure speculation at this point.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Recent article......some are suggesting that the "other options" may be tOSU.....stay tuned.

Link

4/13/06

Florida's in mix to land Thomas

St. Benedict's star waiting to sign

Wednesday, April 12, 2006


The recruiting battle between Rutgers and Duke for the services of St. Benedict's Prep's Lance Thomas, who has been labeled as the nation's top uncommitted senior since November, apparently has at least one more contestant.

"Florida is in the picture," a person familiar with the recruiting process revealed to The Star-Ledger last night.

Florida may have all five starters return next season from the team that claimed the school's first NCAA championship last week and had been among Thomas' final four choices.

The person, who asked not to be identified in order to maintain Thomas' privacy, added that the 6-7 forward, a two-time Star-Ledger Prep Player of the Year at the Newark school, may consider other options as well while he likely wouldn't decide before this weekend. The late signing period for players to sign national letters of intent begins today and runs until May 17.

In another St. Benedict's update that can't be good news for Rutgers, the same person indicated point guard Eugene Harvey, who has been interested in reuniting with Thomas at Rutgers, is considering making an official visit to Cincinnati. Harvey, named to The Star-Ledger's All-Prep Team, already has visited Rutgers and Southern California.

-- Josh Rosenfeld

[OSUBucks22]

The people who say tOSU is in it with him point to the "other options" comment as being significant...

[Moebuck]

I wouldn't expect anything either, but I did hear the rumblings he might be looking around. Nothing like playing with 4 of your possible teammates to get you interested. He has to at least think that would be fun if nothing else. Florida is absolutely loaded if everyone comes back, so I don't see that possibility. If he wants to be the "savior", Rutgers would be the logical choice. Everywhere else he goes, he will just add to the already loaded lineups.

If Greg Oden asked me to come win a National Championship with him, I think I'd have to listen. I get the feeling Cook is probably the one who was talking him up if anyone though. He seems like the vocal leader of the group. Get him on campus and he's ours, otherwise less than 25% in my mind.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/14/06

Oden, Conley, Lighty and fellow incoming freshman Daequan Cook played on the same team for the first time Sunday in the Roundball Classic all-star game in Chicago. The fifth starter was 6-foot-9 forward Lance Thomas of Newark, N.J., who just happens to be one of two top-10 prospects for 2006 who have yet to sign with a school.

Word out of Chicago was that the four future Buckeyes goodnaturedly tried to influence Thomas to cast his lot with them, even though he had been considering Ohio State.

A recruiting source said that now there is mutual interest between OSU and Thomas. Duke, Rutgers and Florida also are in the picture, which could clear by this weekend.

The spring signing period began Wednesday and ends May 17.

[wadc45]

can't ask for a much better recruiting tool than playing along side four kids headed to OSU as part of the one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory...

[crazybuckfan40]

Now if Matta can pull this off, can we get a start the plans for a statue to be placed of him outside the Schott.

[jimotis4heisman]

thad six doesnt sound as cool, but id learn to live with it

[OSUBucks22]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

thad six doesnt sound as cool, but id learn to live with it

Hunter may be a casualty...

Here's what I know on Lance Thomas:
There are many rumors floating around about him right now, about other teams involved, about Duke threatening to pull his scholarship if he went on visits, etc. I don't know what Duke said or didn't say, but the real rumor seems to be the visit to Louisville that was supposed to happen this past weekend, not that Duke threatened Lance and scared him out of going. According to his Uncle Monty who is handling his recruitment, he was never going to visit Louisville. He said that the family vacation to South Carolina was planned all along, and that they decided to stop in to talk with Coach K. on their way down there. Lance was always going along on this trip, so the visit to Louisville was just a rumor. The Duke guys (site admins) seem to think that Lance may have said some things to players from other schools to be polite, and those comments were interepreted the wrong way. According to those that are "close" to the situation, Lance thought for a short amount of time about opening back up to other teams, but will decide between Duke and Rutgers, and possibly soon, as Eugene Harvey (his HS teammate that was rumored to be a package deal to RU with Thomas) is on the verge of committing to UC. This would most likely make Lance's choice Duke.
That's what I'm hearing for now...