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

[jwinslow]

Sorry akron, but you're really reaching on this one if 1-2 articles makes you think he'll be jettisoned.

 

[buckeyemania11]

yep. I wonder if he'll get that schollie taken away like those other 2.
Thats one thing Matta does in which I don't like. Early offers then, if the player doesn't improve the schollie gone. Not sure hows it handled between Matta and the recruit but, that would get me thinking if I was an early commit.

 

[akronbuck]

Sorry akron, but you're really reaching on this one if 1-2 articles makes you think he'll be jettisoned.

:) I didn't say it would happen just brought it up because, those other past 2 recruits just happened without any talk about them. I saw him on TV playing and he looked like a stud.

 

[Bill Lucas]

His body language and attitude are horrible, which resulted in a technical being called on him during a game yesterday. He has been an Ohio State commit for the last 3 years and it will be interesting to see if he ever lives up to the hype of his younger days. I am willing to give him a pass for his lackluster play, but in the game and a half that I have watched of him, I don't see a top 10 nationally ranked player.

Well, whoop de do. Body language and attitude? Kids have bad days.

My son is in the 15U AAU circuit this year. His season ended Wednesday night and he ended up playing over 90 games between last November and July 29th. These guys play a TON of games and even the high level players would just rather be somewhere else at times. After all, they are still kids.

 

[Buckskin86]

One-and-done remains alluring. DeShaun Thomas of Fort Wayne, Ind., has been part of the Ohio State family for nearly three years, since committing to play for the Buckeyes as a high school freshman.

It doesn't seem likely he'll spend that much time in a Buckeyes uniform, though.

One side effect of the NBA draft age minimum is the notion among players that the close of their first season in college is like a starter's pistol: When it fires, it's time to file for early entry.

Thomas is an uncommon player, a 6-7 wing who excels more because of his strength than his athleticism. He is a developing shooter but a long way from accurate. He handles the ball deftly enough to back down defenders but not well enough to drive past them.

How long is he willing to spend developing those skills?

"After my freshman year, if I get there?top pick, one-and-done?I'm going to take it," Thomas says. "And if I have to stay in school, I'll stay in school."

7 things we learned on the summer recruiting trail - Mike DeCourcy - College Basketball - Sporting News

 

[MONTbigBuck]

Well, whoop de do. Body language and attitude? Kids have bad days.

My son is in the 15U AAU circuit this year. His season ended Wednesday night and he ended up playing over 90 games between last November and July 29th. These guys play a TON of games and even the high level players would just rather be somewhere else at times. After all, they are still kids.

That has always been the negative to AAU, and inner city, asphalt court bball. Players are spending so much time running up and down playing, and then much of the rest of their available time traveling that they don't find time to truly develop fundamental go to moves, repeatable footwork, or consistent shooting. None of these things are DEVELOPED in games. The NBA ditch is littered with guys who were phenomenal athletes, and tremendous physical specimens that never came close to their potential because they didn't develop a game. I remember back from my youth maybe the most unheralded stud scorer of modern times in the NBA, Bernard King, saying that he would not play in a single game in the off-season. That every available moment of basketball time needed to be devoted to working on his personal game, and developing new moves. One thing young players gain from playing alot of games is confidence. Let's hope DT uses the bit of adversity he has met on the court this summer as motivation to continue to improve his game to go along with his considerable physical talents.

 

[Bill Lucas]

I believe that Deshaun has signed and faxed his LOI so let's bring this Buckeye back up to page 1.

 

[OH10]

 

[Buckskin86]

DeShaun Thomas
Small/power forward
6-7, 225
Fort Wayne, Ind. (Bishop Luers HS)
RSCI rank: 12

Thomas:
"I've got to pick the best school for me. Ohio State's coaches get players ready for the next level. Two years ago, people were saying, 'Indiana's a good school. Go there. How do you know you'll get any playing time' at Ohio State? But I stuck with it. This summer I played (on an AAU team) with (Indiana recruit) Marquis Teague and (IU coach Tom Crean) was always there. He probably whispered to Teague and our coach (to work on me), but there was not really any pressure (to switch my commitment)."

Matta:
"I first saw Deshaun play (as an) eighth-grader and I was like, ?My goodness, this kid?s going to be a heck of a basketball player.? Deshaun can shoot from outside, he drives, he gets inside defenses, he can post and score around the basket, he?s a very good rebounder, he?s got good length. The thing that really impressed me with Deshaun that I saw last year was his ability to pass the basketball. He?s got pretty good savvy for finding teammates off penetration."

The rest of the story on the Class of 2010 (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

DeShaun Thomas

F, 6-7, 225

Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Luers

Rivals rank: No. 18.

Matta says: "He can shoot from the outside, he can drive, he gets inside defenses, he can score around the basket, he's got good length. And he can pass the ball as well, he's got pretty good savvy for finding teammates off penetration."

With season opener at hand, Ohio State welcomes starry 2010-11 recruiting class | Ohio State Buckeyes - cleveland.com - - cleveland.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Published: November 12, 2009
Big Ten gets Fort Wayne?s best
Thomas, Byrd sign with elite college basketball teams
Greg JonesHigh school sports editor

Laura J. Gardner | The Journal Gazette
Luers? Deshaun Thomas, center, signs his letter of intent Wednesday to attend Ohio State with mentor Todd Hensley, left, and coach James Blackmon

Deshaun Thomas and Russell Byrd don?t have to look too far in the past for inspiration for their next basketball endeavors.

The two Fort Wayne boys basketball standouts officially signed Wednesday with a pair of Big Ten schools that have recently been in the NCAA national championship game.

Thomas will be headed to Ohio State, 2007 runner-up, while Byrd will join Michigan State, which finished second in April.

Thomas, a 6-foot-7 forward who led the state in scoring last year with 30 points per game, will join five other Buckeyes recruits that make up the No. 1 class in the nation, according to some recruiting Web sites.

Thomas led Bishop Luers to a second straight Class 2A state title last year, and Sullinger and Weatherspoon also played on a state championship team.

The class reminds some of the Buckeyes? 2006 haul of future NBA picks Greg Oden, Mike Conley and Daequan Cook. Ohio State lost to Florida 84-75 in the national championship game that season.

?We have six of them, and they had three,? Thomas said of comparisons between the two recruiting classes. ?We are looking for a national championship. We are the ?Super Six.?

?They (Sullinger and Weatherspoon) texted me and said ?good luck with the signing.? It is going to be crazy seeing us down there playing together. We already have good chemistry.?

Thomas committed to Ohio State as a freshman and had a brief period when he questioned his decision.

?At one point my sophomore year, I was thinking about going to IU,? Thomas said. ?But I picked the right school. There was a lot of stress, but I just sat down one day and picked the best school for me, and that was Ohio State.?

Big Ten gets Fort Wayne__146_s best | The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzu-KIgUTJ0]YouTube - DESHAUN THOMAS BISHOP LUERS HS SIGNS WITH OHIO STATE HOOPS[/ame]

 

[brodybuck21]

Welcome to Buckeye Nation DeShaun!!

 

[LitlBuck]

He talks about being a one and done:( but that will be okay because JD amongst others will be able to play his position come 2011

 

[Buckskin86]

One more item on Deshaun Thomas

A reader/e-mailer reminded me this morning that Deshaun Thomas, one of the six 2010 recruits who signed with Ohio State on Wednesday, can become Indiana's career high school scoring leader this season.

That would give the Buckeyes the all-time scoring leaders from Indiana and Ohio (Jon Diebler) on the 2010-11 team. Diebler scored 3,208 points in four seasons at Upper Sandusky High School.

Thomas, from Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, enters the season with 2,254 points and is 881 from breaking Damon Bailey's record of 3,134. Thomas currently ranks 11th on the state's all-time list, behind such others as Rick Mount (fourth), Alan Henderson (sixth) and Delray Brooks (eighth).

Thomas led the state in scoring last season (31.7) while leading Luers to its second consecutive Class 2A championship. But he played in only 21 of Luers' 27 games. If he plays in all 27 games this season, he will have to average 32.6 points to break the record.

One more item on Deshaun Thomas (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

Recruits sign on; Deshaun Thomas is headed to Ohio State, Russell Byrd to MSU
By Tom Davis
of The News-Sentinel

On a cold day in early March 2011, Midwestern basketball fans may turn on their TVs to watch Russell Byrd drain three-point shots for Michigan State, while Deshaun Thomas counters from both inside and out for Ohio State.

If those two perennially strong programs battle it out for Big Ten Conference championships over the next few years, then the foundation of those battles was laid in Fort Wayne on Wednesday, as Byrd and Thomas, as well as several other area athletes, committed to their respective colleges.

?I'm glad that I'm officially going to Ohio State,? Thomas said after signing his national letter of intent in front of an enthusiastic crowd in the Bishop Luers High School gymnasium. ?I'm ready to go down there and have my dreams come true.?

The 6-foot-7 Bishop Luers senior is one of six players who signed with the Buckeyes, and it is a recruiting class that many scouting services rank as the best in the nation.

?I am thrilled to add these six young men to the Ohio State basketball family,? Ohio State coach Thad Matta said in a news release issued by the university. ?These are high-character individuals who bring a culture of winning to our program.?

Thomas, who averaged more than 30 points and 15 rebounds as a junior, has led the Knights to consecutive IHSAA Class 2A state championships and is seeking his third to close out his career.

?It's been a long four years for (Thomas) and he's done a great job,? Todd Hensley said. ?I couldn't be more proud of him.?

Hensley, president of Gym Rats Inc. at Spiece Fieldhouse, has been watching Thomas develop since he was 11 and has served as a mentor both on the court, as well as off, to Thomas for several years.

Thomas' coach at Bishop Luers, James Blackmon, has watched his star player improve his basketball skills over the past four years. But it is Thomas' growth off of the court that Blackmon is quick to acknowledge.

?I can think about the times as a freshman when we had all of these distractions (like) being in the (principal's) office and not being on time for class,? Blackmon said of Thomas' earlier trials at Bishop Luers. ?Now Deshaun has proved to himself, and to other people, that he can be a good student.?

Since Bishop Luers' most recent grading period, Thomas has boasted of his narrowly missing the honor roll.

Recruits sign on; Deshaun Thomas is headed to Ohio State, Russell Byrd to MSU | The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN

 

[GrizzlyBuck]

Maybe, in my opinion, the most intriguing kid in the entire class. As a Frosh and Soph, he was generally seen as the top kid in the class. Though it looks like numbers wise, and winning team wise, he didn't drop off at all his Junior year, yet his stock has dropped, even if only slightly. I think now that the ink has dried and it's apparent were he is headed after HS, he can settle in and be a student athlete. I look for him to work his tail off this year and come in next year and really help the Bucks in their quest for glory (man that was corny )

 

[naptownbuck]

:osu:

Late to the party, but i'm ecstatic about Diesal and the rest of the class signing. I'm definitely going to see Bishop play when they come to downtown Indy for their inevitable State title run.

Versatility is one word that I would use to describe Thomas. This guy is going to cause a lot of matchup problems for opponents. Now I can clown my IU friends some more. :)