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What's up with DeShaun Thomas?
A couple of readers e-mailed me after stories in Sunday?s and Monday?s newspaper listed 2010 recruit DeShaun Thomas as being committed to the Buckeyes. They remembered Thomas committing to Ohio State in June and, less than a week later, rescinding that commitment.

An explanation is necessary.

First, the 6-foot-7 Thomas, from Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., is rated by most recruiting sites as one of the top three prospects nationally in the 2010 class. He has skills that caused someone awhile back to invoke a LeBron James comparison. That might be premature. What we do know is Thomas averaged 28.9 points and 13.3 rebounds as a freshman at Luers last season.

When Thomas said in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette on June 2 that he had committed to Ohio State coach Thad Matta during a visit to campus earlier in the week, it created an uproar among Indiana fans (and coaches), who saw another Greg Oden/Mike Conley Jr. defection on the horizon.

To try to quell the controversy, Luers coach James Blackmon told an Indiana-based high school sports Web site a few days later that Thomas had backed off his commitment. Blackmon said Thomas? parents wanted him to visit other schools, including Indiana, Purdue, Duke and Michigan State, in the two years he has before he can sign a binding national letter of intent.

Thomas himself has never said that publicly, however, and a person close to him says he won?t because he is ?most definitely going to Ohio State, hands down.? That person requests anonymity to avoid the same heat Thomas faced in June. But Thomas? AAU coach last summer, Bryant Hobbs, told Rivals.com for the record in July that ?DeShaun?s commitment to Ohio State is solid.?

If nothing else, Thomas? visit to Ohio State on Saturday with other members of the 2010 recruiting class was worth a thousand words. ?The kids had an absolute blast together,? said the person close to Thomas. The weekend netted Ohio State two other commitments to the class, from 6-1 point guard Trae Golden of Powder Springs, Ga., and 6-5 guard Cameron Wright of Cleveland Benedictine. Ohio State now has three of Rivals' top 10 in the class in Thomas, Golden and 6-8 forward Jared Sullinger of Northland.

And then there?s this: Thomas was among a number of high-profile recruits invited to attend Indiana?s version of midnight madness, called ?Hoosier Hysteria,? on Oct.12. The day before it was held, he contacted Indiana to say he couldn?t make it.


Posted by Bob Baptist on October 22, 2007 1:37 PM | Permalink

What's up with DeShaun Thomas? (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)