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

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A Pac;2132189; said:
Congrats on making it to the final four. My friend thinks Thomas will be beastly in the pros. Thoughts?
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He has a fantastic mid-range game, his 3-point shooting has improved, and he hits the glass hard with an uncanny ability to find the ball and score on put backs. His passing has really come around, too. On the other hand, he really needs to improve his man defense and his lateral quickness. Right now, that whole in his game would prevent him from being drafted high, but I certainly no longer question whether he will play at the next level.
 
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@JayBilas Most Impressive Offensive Player in NCAA: Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State. The lefty has scored 89 points (22.5 ppg) and has been tough to cover.

@GaryParrish @JayBilas Deshaun is gonna be a lottery pick before this over. Watch.
 
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Some posters have mentioned DeShaun lack of defense. My question, is it a lack of athleticism, or desire, or is it he hasn't learned how to play defense yet? Also, can DeShaun handle the ball well enough to play shooting guard?
 
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stowfan;2132553; said:
Some posters have mentioned DeShaun lack of defense. My question, is it a lack of athleticism, or desire, or is it he hasn't learned how to play defense yet? Also, can DeShaun handle the ball well enough to play shooting guard?
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That talk has mostly subsided as of late... or at least it should. Though he still has a lapse once in a while (which you can say about everyone on the team) he's dramatically improved over the course of the season and is light years ahead of last year. I think the main difference is he has bought into Matta's defensive philosophy.
 
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http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/43129/nba-insider-chad-ford
James (LA)

Deshaun Thomas. Does he come out this year? If so, where will he go? He seems too talented not to be on your draft board.

Chad Ford (1:37 PM)

So talented offensively. But dogs it defensively. He's got a shot at the first round. But there are questions. I think another year in school, if he focused on getting better defensively, would make a difference.
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http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...es-complete-player-scorer-ohio-state-buckeyes

Deshaun Thomas' transformation
Sophomore's productivity keys Buckeyes' Final Four run.
By Dana O'Neil | ESPN.com

He wanted to defend himself, to offer up some sort of explanation or at the very least a rationalization, but with his Ohio State teammates cracking up beside him on the dais, all Deshaun Thomas could do was smile, hang his head and shrug his shoulders.

With his trademark dimples deepening as his smile widened, the sophomore finally gave in to the question about his high school reputation as an unabashed scorer first, do-everything-else-second kind of player.

"What can I say?" Thomas said. "I love to score. I'm sorry. I love to score."

No one in Columbus is seeking his penitence, not right now anyway. In four NCAA tournament games, Thomas is averaging 21.8 points and leading the Buckeyes in scoring.

Which isn't exactly a surprise for a kid who managed to score 3,018 points at Bishop Luers, a high school more widely known for its football prowess in hoops-mad Indiana, and graduate as Indiana's Mr. Basketball as well as the state's third all-time leading scorer, one free throw behind Marion Pierce (3,019) and within range of Damon Bailey (3,134).

Cont'd ...
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Bob Hunter commentary: Thomas? play might allow him to turn pro
By Bob Hunter
The Columbus Dispatch Friday March 30, 2012

NEW ORLEANS ? Life presents Deshaun Thomas with a fair share of pleasant surprises these days, and yesterday brought another one.

Thomas, a sophomore for Ohio State, walked out on the floor of the Superdome for his first Final Four practice, looked up and made a startling discovery.

?It?s in a dome,? Thomas said. ?I didn?t know that. I mean, I was like, ?Are we in a dome?? ?

He grinned. Could it be possible that he really didn?t know?

?I didn?t know,? Thomas said. ?I just walked in and I looked and I was like, ?Is this a football field?? And everybody said, ?Yeah, the New Orleans Saints,? and I was like, ?Wow.? Like I said, it was a surprise to me. And it?s so huge. It?s a great feeling just being here and just seeing it.?

There is a childlike innocence to the muscular 6-foot-7 forward that draws you to him. He sometimes says things that might, in print, look like bragging, but you have to be there to know that there isn?t a trace of arrogance in it. He is usually smiling ? he is always smiling ? and the words sometimes flow like a spilled cup of coffee: They?re all over the place before you know it.

Coach Thad Matta said later that he thought Thomas was ?probably kidding? about not knowing that the game was in a dome, but he smiled and added, ?But with Deshaun, you never know.?

That is, in fact, both the beauty and the danger with Thomas. You never know.

cont...
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http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/03/30/thomas-play-might-allow-him-to-turn-pro.html
 
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Paul Daugherty: Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas not getting attention he deserves
Thomas, Sullinger have emerged as formidable one-two punch
Mar. 30, 2012
Written by
Paul Daugherty

bilde

Buckeyes forward Deshaun Thomas celebrates with the regional championship trophy in Boston on Saturday. / Michael Ivins-US PRESSWIRE


NEW ORLEANS ? He is all but unnoticed which, if you know Deshaun Thomas even a little, seems impossible. There?s a civil war being fought Saturday, a War Between The State. Kentucky-Louisville is so life-or-death appealing, Ohio State?s second-best player and all-time best talker can?t get a self-superlative in edgewise.

This is unfortunate.

?Once I hit the first couple, it?s going to be a long night,?? he says. Thomas is talking about his favorite subject: Thomas. ?The Deshaun Show. That?s what ESPN calls it,?? he says. Well, of course they do.

It?s a good show, entertaining and so full of unself-conscious self-appreciation, you?d swear Thomas had sat at the voicebox of the late, great Eight-Five. Thomas and Chad Ochocinco even share the same, sweet, goofball-ishness that forces us to see them as impish and not arrogant.

?My high school coaches had the ball in my hands 110 percent of the time,?? Thomas says. He allows that in one game, he ?went 44, 33 and 11.?? That would be 44 points, 33 rebounds and 11? ?blocks,?? Thomas added, smiling at all who say he doesn?t play defense.

He?s quite certain, now, that ?People are starting to notice what Deshaun brings to the table.??

cont...
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http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...eserves?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
 
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