'11 NJ SF Shaquille Thomas (Signed)

[bearcat jeff]

Small forward
Newark, New Jersey
NIA Prep
AAU: New York Panthers
Ht:6'6"
Wt:165 lbs
Class:2011 (High School)

Ranked 107 nationally.

Thomas has a ton of natural talent but has still been unable to put it all together to be quite as dominant as he should be. He has a long and bouncy frame, plays well above the rim in the open floor.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recr...ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=55223

 

[bearcat jeff]

The Panthers have several interesting prospects on their team. One of them has his eyes on the U of A. 6-7 forward Shaquille Thomas, mentioned the Cats when asked what schools he really liked. He is familiar with Arizona, as his uncle is former NBA player Tim Thomas, who played for the Phoenix Suns. This weekend’s tournament was not his first time in the state. He is a promising talent who had some big plays down the stretch for the Panthers.

http://wildcatsportsreport.com/?p=365

 

[bearcat18]

We are in Shaq's final 3 along with Seton Hall and UTEP. According to zagsblog he is visiting on Wednesday. He is a solid player that would be a welcome addition.

 

[JasonS]

Shaquille Thomas, the 6-foot-7, 185-pound nephew of Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Thomas, is down to three schools.

Thomas, now at NIA Prep in Newark, is considering Cincinnati, Seton Hall and UTEP.

Thomas takes an official to Cincinnati Wednesday and then heads to UTEP Sept. 17. He visited Seton Hall unofficially earlier in August.

Thomas said he will decide “after my visits.”

The No. 22 small forward in the Class of 2011 according to Rivals, Thomas has moved around from Paterson Catholic to Montclair (N.J.) High to Beckley (West Va.) Mountain State to NIA Prep, but seems to have found a stable situation.

Rudy King, the former Bishop Loughlin head coach who is now a head coach and recruiting coordinator at NIA Prep, said Thomas has a bright future.

“Shaq Thomas is one of the most talented small forwards in the country and is getting better and better,” King said in January. “He can shoot the ball, handle the rock and fly like a bird around the rim and has the ability to defend guards and bigs.

“Right now we’re working on his overall body development and getting him to become more fundamental to expand his game to new levels.

“Next season he will be a national treasure that all the heavyweights will inquire about. He talks about playing in the big time conferences in the nation and we always tell him it takes true dedication on and off the court to make the transition mentally, not just depending on his natural talent.”

http://www.zagsblog.com/2010/08/23/shaq-thomas-down-to-3-schools/#more-38665

 

[JasonS]

I think we have a good shot at this kid. I think UTEP is on the outside looking in. If he truly talks about playing in a big time conference, UTEP won't be the choice. I think we are in really good shape and I would love to see this kid in a Bearcat uniform.

 

[cincinnati insanity]

Shaquille Thomas

Any idea on how this kids visit went? I cant wait for UC to get its first commit and hopefully Mr. Savino will help us land this athlete!! What it will do for us fans to know a top 150 talent with loads of potential will be coming here. It seems like everyone is slipping off our fingers but there is plenty of players still available and Cronin is always good for pulling out a recruiting rabbit every year. If only we could get the players we want and not last minute additions we would be fine, either way as long as UC can compete in the BEAST who cares where the kids are ranked at.

 

[psax889906]

Any idea on how this kids visit went? I cant wait for UC to get its first commit and hopefully Mr. Savino will help us land this athlete!! What it will do for us fans to know a top 150 talent with loads of potential will be coming here. It seems like everyone is slipping off our fingers but there is plenty of players still available and Cronin is always good for pulling out a recruiting rabbit every year. If only we could get the players we want and not last minute additions we would be fine, either way as long as UC can compete in the BEAST who cares where the kids are ranked at.

UC already has two commitments in the 2011 class: Khristian Smith and Ge'lawn Guyn.

 

[cincinnati insanity]

Shaquille Thomas

Im sorry i meant UC's first higher profile commit.( In the top 150) I really like the guyn commit and think Khristian has the athleticism to compete in the big east. Im just hoping to get some higher ranked guys not because they are necessarily better but because it helps recruit other high profile guys to come here!!!

 

[bearcat jeff]

I believe both commits will be better than people think. I like the Ge'Lawn commit and love what I'm hearing about a very athletic Khristian Smith and the work he's putting in. that said I hope we can land a Harkless or Thomas. Thomas needs to add consisteny to an already good overall package.

 

[bearcat18]

I believe both commits will be better than people think. I like the Ge'Lawn commit and love what I'm hearing about a very athletic Khristian Smith and the work he's putting in. that said I hope we can land a Harkless or Thomas. Thomas needs to add consisteny to an already good overall package.

I kinda feel the same way. I'm not sure how much Guyn and Smith will be able to produce, but it seems as if they are the players that will work their tails off for you. It will be interesting to see how both of them do at prep school this year. I occassionally check their twitter accounts and all Guyn tweets about is going to the gym and wanting to get better. I think some people are writing these guys off already.

 

[cincinnati insanity]

Shaquille Thomas

You never know both of these guys could be top 50 players in next years rankings. As for Guyn he will be playing on maybe the most loaded high school team in the nation and his game will definately get better. I would love to see him lead his team in points per game. I think Khristian getting out of the Teague shadow will only help him be ready for the next level, remember some people were saying that he was a better player than Teague in a lot of games last year. How true that is i dont know but he has a lot of potential!!

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

Sorry but as much as I like both of those commits and as much as I will root for both of them to succeed, those are not the guys that will make a mediocre team significantly better.

 

[cincinnati insanity]

Shaquille Thomas

Don't get me wrong these guys are not our saviors but they could possibly contribute, I watched Guyn play in high school and he was always the best player on the court if he tightens up his ball handling with his height and athleticism he would be a tough matchup on the court as a point guard. Lets see how good he does this year and also see if his knees are not bothering him and i think we have a very very solid ball player and welcome addition to the team. But we need a couple freaks just so we can compete in the BEAST and we are on a lot of them, can we land any of them is yet to be seen.

 

[TheLongHaul]

You never know both of these guys could be top 50 players in next years rankings. As for Guyn he will be playing on maybe the most loaded high school team in the nation and his game will definately get better. I would love to see him lead his team in points per game. I think Khristian getting out of the Teague shadow will only help him be ready for the next level, remember some people were saying that he was a better player than Teague in a lot of games last year. How true that is i dont know but he has a lot of potential!!

Sorry, but anyone that said Smith was a better player than Teague is out of their mind. Teague is fighting for the top spot in the entire 2011 class, Smith might eventually be a top 150 player.

 

[cincinnati insanity]

I dont think myself that Khristians a better player, but i remember reading that he was just as good if not better in some of the games that they played in. Teague is a special talent but he is going to UK not UC. So as far as he goes have fun going to the elite eight but the next year getting it tooken because Cal is a snake.

 

[bearcat18]

I dont think myself that Khristians a better player, but i remember reading that he was just as good if not better in some of the games that they played in. Teague is a special talent but he is going to UK not UC. So as far as he goes have fun going to the elite eight but the next year getting it tooken because Cal is a snake.

Yeah I also remember reading an article last year that stated Smith scored 20+ in some games, and even had 30. I'm sure Teague got most of the attention from opponents' defense but you have to have some talent to score 30 in a game. And they played against some tough competition in Indiana as I believe Pike is a pretty big school.

 

[bearcat jeff]

Sorry, but anyone that said Smith was a better player than Teague is out of their mind. Teague is fighting for the top spot in the entire 2011 class, Smith might eventually be a top 150 player.

It has been said, not saying I agree but it was said.

 

[cincinnati insanity]

Khristian smith

One thing we can agree about Cronin is his evaluation of players, if he thinks that Khristian deserves a scholarship then he must. As for who is better out of Teague and Smith , probably Teague but Smith is no slouch either and was way under recruited. Hopefully by the time he gets here he will be about 6 foot 7 and have rounded out the edges of his game. I cant see Mick wasting a scholarship on just an ultra athlete he had to show some type of promise. You never know he could be a very sought after player after his prep year is over. Thankfully we wanted him when no body else did. I watched tape on Smith and he has a very good shooting form to go along with very good athleticism.

 

[bearcat18]

One thing we can agree about Cronin is his evaluation of players, if he thinks that Khristian deserves a scholarship then he must. As for who is better out of Teague and Smith , probably Teague but Smith is no slouch either and was way under recruited. Hopefully by the time he gets here he will be about 6 foot 7 and have rounded out the edges of his game. I cant see Mick wasting a scholarship on just an ultra athlete he had to show some type of promise. You never know he could be a very sought after player after his prep year is over. Thankfully we wanted him when no body else did. I watched tape on Smith and he has a very good shooting form to go along with very good athleticism.

Where did you see film of Smith? Have been eager to get a look at him but haven't found anything.

 

[cincinnati insanity]

I remember i googled Pike highschool vs another school that i dont remember and it showed like the last 6 minutes of the game. It showed Khristian hitting two big threes, if memory serves me right they lost like a 15 point lead in the last quarter. I will go back and try to find it again and will post the link as soon as i find it.