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

[Buckskin86]

Published: June 13, 2010
Indiana-Kentucky All-Stars
Thomas leads way as Indiana sweeps
Greg Jones | High school sports editor

Associated Press
Kentucky?s Ricardo Johnson drives on Mr. Basketball DeShaun Thomas during the first half of Indiana?s victory in Indianapolis on Saturday.

INDIANAPOLIS ? The Indiana Boys All-Stars didn?t tempt fate and wait for a comeback to get a win in the second half of its annual basketball doubleheader with the Kentucky All-Stars.

Indiana led virtually from start to finish in an 81-69 victory in front of 6,700 fans at Conseco Fieldhouse on Saturday.

Mr. Basketball Deshaun Thomas of Bishop Luers had 28 points and 12 rebounds, while Terone Johnson scored 25 points.

Indiana has won the last five games against Kentucky, including a come-from-behind 100-97 decision Friday.

?Coming into this game, we were mentally prepared,? Thomas said. ?Coach (Ron Hecklinski) said they were going to be ready, and they aren?t going to back down. They had a tough loss, so we came out focused and ready and came out with the win.?

On Saturday, Thomas hit 15 of 18 free throws after making 12 on Friday.

Thomas tied the record for free throws made in an Indiana-Kentucky game by 1995 Mr. Basketball Damon Frierson, who hit 15 of 20.

Johnson earned the Indiana Player of the Game.

?He deserved it,? Thomas said of the Purdue-bound Johnson, who was his roommate last week. ?We both did our thing out there.

?It seemed like we already knew each other on the first day of practice. It has been great getting to know him.?

With the All-Star sweep, Thomas capped a career that had him leading the Knights to two straight Class 2A state championship in 2008 and 2009 (both titles at Conseco Fieldhouse) and scoring 3,018 points, third-best in state history.

He was named a 2010 All-American by Parade Magazine and McDonald?s.

?I can?t believe it,? Thomas said of the end of his prep career. ?It went by so fast. I remember when I was just a freshman. But you always have to move on, and next year I am starting as a freshman again (at Ohio State).

?I have been here twice (winning state) my sophomore and junior years, and I wish I was here this year in high school, but you can?t win them all. It is great to play out there in front of Indiana fans.?

Thomas leads way as Indiana sweeps | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN

Last updated: June 12, 2010
The final prep tales of Thomas
Greg Jones | High school sports editor
I have to admit it was kind of weird watching Deshaun Thomas walk through the hallways of Conseco Fieldhouse.

It probably won't be the last time he plays at Conseco, either with Ohio State or maybe someday in the NBA.

But it will be the last time he suits up as a high school player.

With preps as my main beat, it might be the last time I log time covering him (well, probably).

I first interviewed Thomas as a shy eighth-grader at Northwood Middle School as the next can't-miss prospect in Fort Wayne. Boy did he ever live up to the hype.

He grew a lot, but not just as a basketball player. He grew as a man, becoming a lot better of a quote over his four years at Bishop Luers.

From what I have been told, his grades improved at Luers and his respect for teachers and coaches also got better.

I told him good luck at Ohio State and possibly in the NBA before he turned to walk toward the Indiana locker room.

Weird feeling.

Weird.

The final prep tales of Thomas | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN0XB2ypBeE]YouTube - Indiana boys complete sweep of Kentucky[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

City bids fond farewell to DeShaun Thomas
By Larry Whitt

It is time for Fort Wayne sports fans to say good-bye to DeShaun Thomas, the young man who has written his name in every record book for high school basketball in Fort Wayne.

With the two-game set in the Indiana- Kentucky high school All- Star series played last week in Kentucky then Indiana, plus the two exhibition games, Thomas, who is Mr. Basketball 2010 for Indiana has finished his high school career on a high note. Playing an exhibition game for the final time on his home court at Bishop Luers against the Indiana Junior Stars, Thomas scored 25 points in a 125- 89 win.

The Indiana All-Stars won both games in the Indiana-Kentucky high school All-Star series as Thomas scored 18 points in a 100- 97 win in Kentucky and then scored 28 as they won 81-69 in Indianapolis.

The next time we see Thomas, it will be as an Ohio State Buckeye at the collegiate level.

I will miss being able to pickup a schedule and driving a few miles to see him play locally and I will especially miss the few moments when I would talk to him about something relating to basketball because he could incorporate anything worthwhile into his game. Frost Illustrated has allowed me to sort of keep a journal on the basketball progress of DeShaun.

From the first time I saw him play as fourth grader at the Old Fort YMCA on a Saturday morning in an YBL championship game. The YMCA family that nurtured him as a person and a player has to noted: Former Director Brenda Robinson, who always opened the door to young people; James Whitaker, program director who served as his first mentor; Milton Pruitt and Ike Smith, the all important first two coaches in the YBL who taught Thomas how to channel his enormous talents in becoming a winner and how be a great teammate? which is what has really made him special. There are other coaches who then participated in the YBL who also helped in developing Thomas. The Old Fort YBL program had some of the best basketball minds in the City in its day.

Frost Illustrated: City bids fond farewell to DeShaun Thomas

 

[MaxBuck]

Any player whose nickname is "Diesel" will be a favorite of mine (except Shaq). I love the games of Clark Kellogg, Charles Oakley, Charles Barkley, DeJuan Blair, Paul Millsap, Tractor Traylor, and similar "nose for the ball" large PFs.

Not sure whether DeShaun will play the 3 or the 4, but either way he's going to be fun to watch. I'm stoked about the Buckeyes 2010-11 edition!

 

[DZ83CK]

No doubt he fits in best at the 4 at OSU. He's able to make physical plays in the paint with his strength but his lateral quickness is not the greatest. If he's coming off the bench, Deshaun will be one of the favorites for Big Ten 6th man of the year this year and could be the favorite for that award if Draymond Green is starting as he ought to be.

 

[LitlBuck]

I was curious if the basketball experts on the board think that Thomas might be a one and done player but I don't think that he is going to get enough floor time this year to prove all of his skills. Just wonder what the other guys on the board think.

 

[y0yoyoin]

based on his skills, size and potential i think he is one and done but if he decides to take the (smart) Evan Turner route and stick around and develop his game to become a high lottery pick then i think he will stay 2 years

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

certainly no expert here, but i don't see deshaun departing after just one season for a few reasons:

1. as mentioned, there won't be a lot of playing time. diebler, lighty, lauderdale, and sullinger all look to get plenty of minutes from the 3 to the 5 spots.

2. thomas is a very gifted player, but he is not an outstanding athlete. he positions himself well for rebounds; however, he is not yet strong enough and does not possess the hops to rebound (consistently) out of his area against superior athletes.

3. the next collective bargaining agreement will be addressed a year from now. do not be surprised to see a lockout (in the nfl, too). owners will be asking the players union to take a much smaller piece of the pie. if the players don't concede, the owners will temporarily close up shop. it's an easy choice for them to make.

all of this being stated, if a player wants to leave and can leave (see: daequan cook), he will go.

 

[Buckeye Nut]

1. as mentioned, there won't be a lot of playing time. diebler, lighty, lauderdale, and sullinger all look to get plenty of minutes from the 3 to the 5 spots.

This is true, but as we know he wouldn't be the first(or second) player under Matta to leave after one year despite not being a starter.

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

This is true, but as we know he wouldn't be the first(or second) player under Matta to leave after one year despite not being a starter.

hence my last comment. i'm not claiming that thomas absolutely won't leave after just one season; i'm claiming that i don't see it happening based on reasons short of his initial expectations. let's hope that, in deshaun's eyes, turner and buford have served as better examples than cook, koufos, and mullens.

 

[Buckeye Nut]

hence my last comment. i'm not claiming that thomas absolutely won't leave after just one season; i'm claiming that i don't see it happening based on reasons short of his initial expectations. let's hope that, in deshaun's eyes, turner and buford have served as better examples than cook, koufos, and mullens.

I wasn't disageeing with you, I don't think he'll leave after one year either. But like you said you never know with kids.

 

[BigJim]

Non basketball related family/personal reasons may play as much of a part in his decision as anything. I'd imagine he won't play himself into a lottery pick projection, and generally guys don't leave early unless they are projected to be a lottery pick or they have personal reasons (like Cook, Mullens, etc.) that impact the decision.

 

[LitlBuck]

Non basketball related family/personal reasons may play as much of a part in his decision as anything. I'd imagine he won't play himself into a lottery pick projection, and generally guys don't leave early unless they are projected to be a lottery pick or they have personal reasons (like Cook, Mullens, etc.) that impact the decision.

I understand the family situation with regard to Thomas and the other players that have left but the two players that you specifically mentioned (Mullens and Cook) have a talent or two that Thomas does not possess. I will start with the easiest one and that is Mullens since year 7' and you know the old phrase about height. With regard to Cook the family argument applies also but Cook was a very good outside shooter and was quite a bit quicker on his feet than from what I have read about Thomas. There were about 25 guys this past year that initially declared for the draft but pulled out just in the nick of time. Maybe Thomas fits that category because I certainly don't think he has the skills that the other two possess.

 

[Buckskin86]

Posted on Thu. Jul. 08, 2010
Chasing his dream
Thomas hopes to continue stellar hoops career at OSU, then the NBA
By Tom Davis
of The News-Sentinel

History is full of negative stories that tell of athletes with potential being derailed by immaturity, ignorance, lack of direction and plain old laziness.

Now how about hearing a yarn about one of the ?feel-good? situations? An account where a kid had all the reasons to fail, but simply wouldn?t let that occur. Welcome to the world of Deshaun Thomas, where a strong work ethic, packaged with focus and dreams, equates to a mammoth amount of success.

Because of that determination and his athletic achievements, the former Bishop Luers basketball star has been named as the 2009-10 Boys Prep Athlete of the Year by The News-Sentinel.

?I?m putting in the work and trying to stay positive so that I can follow my dreams,? Thomas said from his apartment in Columbus, Ohio.

He has already begun taking classes at Ohio State University, as well as working out with the basketball team, and he definitely has noticed an increase in responsibility and expectations.

?The college coaches are going to play the five guys that work the hardest,? Thomas said. ?You have to be willing to work hard every day. College is way different than in high school. It?s no joke over here.?

Chasing his dream | The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN

 

[Taosman]

When this kid committed I was really excited hearing how great he was and would be a star. Now it seems he's not an instant star and his skills were over-rated? Was it just his competition that made him look so good? Or has he hit a ceiling?

 

[starBUCKS]

When this kid committed I was really excited hearing how great he was and would be a star. Now it seems he's not an instant star and his skills were over-rated? Was it just his competition that made him look so good? Or has he hit a ceiling?

What are you looking for? He was in the McDonalds and Jordan Brand All American games, Parade 1st All American, and one of the final 6 players for the Naismith POY Award (which Sullinger won). There hasn't been one game played yet this year. Not sure how you can substantiate getting sour on the kid.