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F DeShaun "The Diesel" Thomas (Panathinaikos - Greece)

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Bill Lucas;2207154; said:
I think I made a post way back in this thread that if DeShaun stayed for 3 years he would average 25+ a game his junior season. I see no need to temper that expectation.

The beauty of it is that he's become a more efficient scorer. He came to Ohio State a volume scorer.
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I know that you know a 25+ average points per game is an awful lot of points for someone not 7' :wink:
 
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neilmj;2231476; said:
When was the last game DeShaun wasn't money? and we needed him? Just curious, since he finished out with such a bang.
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From the Lenzelle Smith article
right up until his foul-plagued game against Kansas in the Final Four.

With Sullinger and Buford gone, there might be some concern that Thomas will turn into even more of a chucker on offense, despite the fact he is going to draw more attention from opposing defenses.

?Whether people know it or not, when he wants to he can pass the ball,? Smith said with a smile.

?When he wants to. I think that?s going to come in handy for him this year because people are going to give him some of that same attention they did Jared this year. Last year with Jared, when people sent single coverage at him he got buckets at will, but when they doubled him, he kicked it out to me, Deshaun, Will or Aaron and we got the win that way.?
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http://www.the-ozone.net/hoops/12-13Men/Smith_OffSeasonProgress.html
 
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2hycsw3.png





http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/20669899
 
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Buckeyes' Thomas back for (one) more
Zac Jackson

CHICAGO -- When decision time came for Deshaun Thomas last spring, he handled it much in the same way he'd handled his decision to attend Ohio State.

He trusted himself to know what was best.

Though he's been known to use third-person -- during last year's NCAA Tournament, he said he knew Deshaun was special in fourth grade -- Thomas wasn't saying that selfishly. Early in a high school career that saw him become Indiana's third-leading all-time scorer, he'd picked Thad Matta's Ohio State program and stuck with it.

After helping the Buckeyes to the Final Four last spring, Thomas flirted with the NBA. He thought about it and came "very close" to leaving, but ultimately decided to return to Ohio State for his junior season.

"It was a decision to stay humble and get better at what I'm doing," Thomas said. "I still have goals to take care of. That's trying to get a Big Ten championship, then a national championship, then the sky's the limit for me."

Without saying it directly, you sense his plan. One more year. One great one.

His return for the 2012-2013 season is a big reason Ohio State is No. 4 in the preseason top 25 and why many think this could be the best season of Big Ten basketball in some time. Thomas and teammate and classmate Aaron Craft were voted to the All-Big Ten Preseason Team at the league's annual media day festivities Thursday.

Thomas came to Chicago as a changed man -- and not just leaner, more confident or as a known commodity after averaging 15.9 points per game last season and posting 31 and 24-point games in the NCAA Tournament. He sees the individual opportunity ahead with the Buckeyes having lost 32 points per game from the departures of Jared Sullinger and William Buford, but he also sees the chance to be a more complete and reliable player, one who can score in a variety of ways.

"I'm best running that wing, creating off the bounce," Thomas said. "But ain't nothing wrong with getting an easy bucket down low sometimes. There's a lot to my game, and it's not about me. A rebound and a putback at the right moment, that helps the team. Being able to step out and stretch the defense, that helps too."

cont...
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http://www.foxsportsohio.com/10/25/...ing_ohiostate.html?blockID=810039&feedID=3725

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByluQ2ZK4Kg&list=UUOW3LG5_3_pZDCjEc3xHgrg&index=1"]Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State basketball at Big Ten Media Day in Chicago - YouTube[/ame]
 
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http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...r-indiana-hoosiers-unanimous-all-america-pick

1st Team Preseason All-American

Indiana sophomore center Cody Zeller and Creighton junior forward Doug McDermott are the leading vote getters on The Associated Press' preseason All-America team.

Also on the team announced Monday are Ohio State junior forward Deshaun Thomas and three guards -- seniors Isaiah Canaan of Murray State and C.J. McCollum of Lehigh and sophomore Trey Burke of Michigan. McCollum and Burke tied for the fifth spot with 16 votes each.

Zeller was one vote shy of unanimous from the 65-member national panel that selects the weekly Top 25. McDermott was named on 62 ballots, Canaan 43 and Thomas 26.

McDermott, who averaged 22.9 points and 8.2 rebounds, was a first-team All-America selection last season, while Canaan, who averaged 19.0 points and 3.6 assists, was a second-team pick.
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Deshaun Thomas' climb to the top at Ohio State has been a long one
Former Luers star named to top collegiate squad
By Tom Davis of The News-Sentinel
Tuesday, October 30, 2012

CHICAGO ? Deshaun Thomas has been to the mountain top at both the prep and collegiate levels on a basketball court, but don't think for a second that the Ohio State junior doesn't appreciate those moments, because he's also been low in the valleys during his two seasons in Columbus.

The former Bishop Luers High School standout was back on top Monday, as he was named to the Associated Press All-American First Team.

?Deshaun has made the progression that you should make from your freshman to your sophomore year,? Buckeye coach Thad Matta said. ?I think that the light is on for him in terms of what he has to do to be a fully effective player.?

But it was not easy for that ?progression? to occur.

Thomas left Luers with the ability to score like few others ever had in this state. His belief in himself grew even more when he dropped 24 points in just 20 minutes in his first collegiate game (against North Carolina A & T.

?I was like 'I can play,'? Thomas said after that initial game. ?Then the minutes (of playing time) started going down.?

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http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121030/SPORTS/121039999

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Dei9uhxuI"]Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft talk about the 2012-13 season - YouTube[/ame]
 
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Published: November 8, 2012
OSU?s Thomas eyes big season
LaMond Pope | The Journal Gazette

ROSEMONT, Ill. ? Deshaun Thomas had an NCAA tournament to remember.

The Ohio State forward, a Bishop Luers graduate, averaged 19.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in five games as the Buckeyes reached the Final Four. Thomas? performances created buzz about him possibly declaring himself eligible for the NBA draft.

But Thomas decided to return to Ohio State for his junior season.

?Me coming back, it was for school, for getting better at what I can do and for everyone to see me in the scarlet and gray to fulfill my dreams,? Thomas said last month at Big Ten media day.

Some of those goals include helping the Buckeyes to a Big Ten crown and a trip to the national title game.

Ohio State is ranked No. 4 in The Associated Press preseason men?s basketball poll. And Thomas is a big reason why.

The 6-foot-7 Thomas was named a preseason All-American and also gained a spot on the preseason All-Big Ten team.

?I think the light is on for him in terms of what he has to do to be a fully effective player,? Ohio State coach Thad Matta said.

?The biggest thing that I have seen is he now has such a better understanding of the game of basketball and knowing that there is a lot of different ways that he can affect the game ? rebounding (and) his defense.

?I?ve been pleased with what he?s done defensively in practice thus far. The other thing is the overall mindset of he understands his teammates, he understands the system that we?re trying to implement better and how he fits in. It?s been amazing to see his attitude, just his leadership that he has provided for these guys.?

Thomas has embraced that leadership role.

?When I was young, everything came easy,? he said. ?You have to grow up. By me working out and meeting the right people, it helped me a lot by becoming better and getting better at what I do.

?I improved a lot. Body-wise, maturity-wise and leadership-wise and skill-wise ? I worked hard on those things. My freshman year, I?d probably be the quietest guy. I?ve become a leader and the man I can be.?

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http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121108/SPORTS03/311089925/1008/SPORTS
 
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