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

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Ranking the power forwards: McDermott, Thomas on top
PUBLISHED Thursday, May 3, 2012

2. Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State

Know how many shots Jared Sullinger attempted per game? Precisely 11.86. Round it up to a dozen. Add in another 5-6 trips per game on which Sullinger earned free-throw attempts. Where?s all that going to go? Well, it?s not going to go to Amir Williams. It?s going to make Thomas the Big Ten?s leading scorer, a 20-point-per-game guy. Bank on that.

Thomas is, quite simply, the most difficult player in college basketball to defend. He has such a wide variety of ways to score that the only sure way of stopping him is denying access to the ball. And he?s mobile enough to make that a difficult task, too.
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Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-ba...ermott-deshaun-thomas-cj-leslie#ixzz1tu3znrVp
 
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Deshaun Thomas Expects ?Q? to Make Similar Leap Next Year
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? When the clock ran out on Ohio State?s 2010-11 season, Deshaun Thomas was nowhere to be found.

The highly-touted freshman from Indiana was on the bench for all but three minutes of Ohio State?s 62-60 loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA basketball tournament.

That?s where he spent most of his freshman year in Columbus.

A high school All-American, and one of the most prolific scorers in Indiana basketball history, Thomas averaged only 14 minutes a game off the bench in his first year with the Buckeyes.

That?s 14 more than LaQuinton Ross played as freshman this past season at Ohio State.

Like Thomas, Ross was an elite scorer on his high school team, but he walked into a situation in Columbus where Thad Matta already had a plan in place for getting his team back to the Final Four.

?It was kind of difficult coming back and realizing as I worked my way back in that I probably wasn?t going to play,? said Ross, who was ruled an academic nonqualifier for Fall Quarter, just before the start of the basketball season.

?I got over it after a while. It (was) good playing on a great team. We (were) top 10 like all year, so it was wonderful.?

cont...
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http://www.the-ozone.net/hoops/12-13Men/ross_leap.html
 
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Ohio State's Thomas needs to 'refine and define' his game
For more on college basketball, follow Tom Davis via Twitter at Tom101010.
Buckeye greats believe Luers grad is close to being in NBA
By Tom Davis of The News-Sentinel
Friday, June 8, 2012

CHICAGO ? The top college basketball players in the country converged on Chicago this week for the NBA Draft Combine and truth be told, Deshaun Thomas would die to be a part of the gathering. However, the Ohio State forward felt following his sophomore season that he wasn't quite ready to make the jump to the NBA and elected to stay in Columbus.

Thomas may not be ready as of today, but the Bishop Luers High School graduate is close according to those that watch him closely, and with a year of work ? really hard work - they believe that he can take the next step.

?He needs to keep doing what he's been doing this whole time, keep working hard,? former Buckeye center Jared Sullinger said. ?Most of the time people took his spotlight because I was playing or William Buford or Aaron Craft. Nobody sees how good Deshaun really is.?

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http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120608/SPORTS/120609600/1002

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sN_g6rneks"]Deshaun Thomas analysis - YouTube[/ame]

Ohio State coach Thad Matta said two other Buckeyes, Deshaun Thomas and LaQuinton Ross, may attend other such skill-development camps this summer, but nothing has been finalized.
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http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/blogs/hoops-and-scoops/2012/06/craft-at-cp3-camp.html
 
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Four standouts from Chicago skills camps


Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State

Ohio State combo forward Deshaun Thomas proved to be a tough matchup in this setting. He has a short memory and his offensive confidence is off the charts.

Thomas gives defenders nightmares and when he gets on a roll, he can rattle off points from all three areas of the floor.

He can post up and elevate over defenders with his smooth lefty turn shot or score with his midrange, rhythm dribble pull-ups and 3s off the catch or dribble. He can also pick and pop or come off a variety of screens.

Thomas has not met a shot he didn't like and I like his chances of making them as long as he is on balance, within the offense or if he is taking advantage of a defensive breakdown.

Overall, this Buckeye flat-out gets buckets and is fun to watch when he gets hot.

"I have always had a scoring mentality,? Thomas said, ?and when I see a matchup I like, my eyes light up.?

continued...
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Ohio State?s Deshaun Thomas Is Ready To Lead (Video in link)

With power forward Jared Sullinger (No. 21 overall pick, 2012 NBA Draft) foregoing his remaining collegiate eligibility and moving on to the professional ranks, many aren?t giving Ohio State a chance to duplicate last season?s 31-8 record which included a trip to the Final Four.

But the cupboard at Ohio State isn?t exactly what you?d call bare bones. The team will return last season?s second leading scorer, Deshaun Thomas, a rising junior who made significant strides as a sophomore. Thomas averaged 15.9 points per game last season, more than doubling his offensive productivity over his freshman campaign. Thomas also improved his three-point accuracy and became even more efficient from the field shooting over 50 percent.

HOOPSWORLD recently caught up Thomas at Adidas Nations and discussed the expectations of him becoming the team?s unquestioned leader and why he feels this year?s team is still poised to turn some heads.
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http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-am-charting-team-usas-path-to-the-gold-medal/
 
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Deshaun Thomas Named Preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon
Buckeyes' top returning scorer and rebounder is one of two selections from the Big Ten
Aug. 29, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State junior forward Deshaun Thomas has been named to the All-America team by 2012-13 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the publication released Wednesday.

The Big Ten also is represented by Indiana center Cody Zeller with the All-America first team being rounded out by Creighton's Doug McDermott, Florida State's Michael Snaer and Louisville's Peyton Siva. All five are featured on the cover of the 2012-13 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, which is available for purchase online at www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com.

Thomas, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., is the top returning scorer and rebounder from Ohio State's Final Four team which finished 31-8 in 2011-12. He averaged 15.9 points and 5.4 rebounds over 39 games last year, connecting on 52 percent of his field goals (243-467) and 75 percent of his foul shots (83-111). For his career, Thomas (6-7, 225) has scored 897 points (11.8 ppg.) over 76 appearances and 39 starts.

Ohio State has won 65 games with Thomas' contributions over the last two seasons. The Buckeyes have won two Big Ten regular-season titles, made two trips to the NCAA tournament "Sweet 16," advanced to a pair of Big Ten tournament title games and have won 38 games in Columbus with Thomas in the lineup.

Thomas and the Buckeyes open the 2012-13 season Nov. 9 against Marquette in the Carrier Classic on the USS Yorktown, a museum ship at the Patriots Point historical complex in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., in the Charleston Harbor.
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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/082912aab.html
 
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Posted: Wednesday August 29, 2012
Paul Daugherty

Deshaun-Thomas.jpg

Ohio State Deshaun Thomas to become a focal point of the offense this season.
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

You cannot be a scorer if you think like a philanthropist. You might say all the right things, about sharing and patience and letting the game come to you. Deep down, all you really want is the damned ball. Conscience and humility are for point guards.

Which is why we're worried about Deshaun Thomas.

(Well, OK, maybe you're not worried. You root for North Carolina. You've got your own problems. Ohio State fans are worried, OK? Work with me here.)

The last time we focused on Thomas, he did not disappoint. This was in New Orleans last April, a few days before Ohio State would play Kansas in a national semifinal. Thomas had played well during the NCAA tournament. Don't think he didn't notice.

"Kansas better know where I am at all times.'' Thomas allowed. "Once I hit the first couple, it's gonna be a long night.'' In a moment of deep introspection, Thomas offered, "Dang, I love to shoot.''

What actually occurred was, Ohio State blew a nine-point halftime lead and lost by two. Thomas collected his third foul early in the second half. He made just 3 of 14 shots. It was a long night, all right.

So what about now? Five months removed, what of "The Deshaun Show'', as ESPN called it?

"I'm going to attack the basket,'' Thomas says. "I know all eyes are going to be on me. I'm more confident than ever.''

So far, so good.

"I'm working on getting teammates involved.''

What?

"I'm not going to force anything this year. I'm playing within the system.''

That's when I stopped our conversation and asked whoever I was talking to to get Deshaun Thomas back on the line. Because this guy wasn't Deshaun Thomas.

"Seriously,'' he said. "It's all learning and growing up. It's not all about me. It's everybody's team.''

Thomas said he was going to pass the ball this year. That's interesting, because last year, as a sophomore, he averaged 0.9 assists a game. As a freshman, Thomas played 518 minutes, and had 17 assists. That is remarkable.

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Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../Ohio-State-Buckeyes/index.html#ixzz2524DRJ00
 
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Deshaun Thomas said he changed his mind five times over entering the NBA draft last spring before deciding to return for his junior season at Ohio State. He said he might have been a late first-round pick, but there was no guarantee.

?I just sat back one day and realized, ?I?m going to stay and get better, and I think I can (go) higher (next) year,? he said. ?I think I made a great decision.?

Thomas attended two camps this summer that were scouted by NBA talent evaluators ? he skipped a third because of a shoulder injury ? and said he received mostly good feedback. The biggest question is whether he can transition in the pros to a shooting guard or small forward position, where he would have to guard quicker opponents while also being quick enough with the ball to go by them off the dribble.

?They said my body was great, and they liked that I could score in different ways,? said Thomas, who said he is down to 214 pounds with 7.1 percent body fat. That?s at least 10 pounds lighter than his first two seasons. ?I can move better,? he said.
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http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2012/08/31/rumblings-8-31-art-gi7j38at-1.html
 
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Deshaun Thomas' ever-changing Ohio State role
By Daniel Chi
[email protected]
Published: Wednesday, September 5, 2012

952340589.jpg


Cody Cousino / Multimedia editor

OSU then-sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas settles himself for a shot during the Buckeyes? March 22 NCAA Tournament game against Cincinnati in Boston at TD Garden. OSU won, 81-66.

Deshaun Thomas?s role keeps changing for Ohio State?s basketball team.

The junior forward was one of the top recruited players in the nation during his senior year at Bishop Luers High School in Indiana, but was mostly a bench player during the 2010-11 season, averaging 7.5 points per game on 47.9 percent shooting in 14 minutes a game.

The next year, his role evolved as he emerged as a key cog in the Buckeyes? offensive attack, averaging 16 points per game on 52 percent shooting. He also led all Buckeyes with 19.2 points per game during the team?s run to the 2012 Final Four.

But Thomas?s role is only expected to expand for his junior year and he?s starting to get the hardware to prove it. On Aug. 29, The Blue Ribbon College Basketball yearbook announced that it named Thomas a preseason All-American.

?(The award) feels great, especially since I found out that I?m an all-American by Blue Ribbon on my 21st birthday,? Thomas said. ?It lets you know what people think about you and how hard you work to get at that position.?

Thomas said he understands more will be expected from him this season, but at the same time his expectations for himself will be bigger than those who analyze him.

?I expect to do a lot,? Thomas said. ?To help my teammates win, and do the little things to help them win. It?s going to be all work and dedication.?

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http://www.thelantern.com/sports/deshaun-thomas-ever-changing-ohio-state-role-1.2893217#.UEiL45aaKSo
 
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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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