Thomas Picks Pack!

Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball57

Head Basketball Coach Sidney Lowe has landed his first commitment of the 2007 recruiting class in Johnny Thomas. (N&O Link)

The 6-foot-5 Thomas was impressive last month in the annual Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and has a strong basketball resume. He averaged 17.8 points per game last season while leading Greensboro Day to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association championship. In a regular-season matchup, Greensboro Day defeated eventual state 3-A champion Greensboro Dudley by 18 points. In May, he led the North Carolina Gaters to the AAU U-17 state title.

Thomas’ recruiting was led by assistant coach, Pete Strickland. The Wolfpack beat out scholarship offers from Virginia Tech and Miami (Fla.) and interest from Wake Forest for Thomas. State coaches believe that they ‘got in on the ground floor’ with Thomas, and that his skills and performance was going to continue to generate interest from a growing list of schools. This decision became more plausible last week when Eric Wallace chose Virginia and it became more obvious that State was focusing all of our efforts on Thomas.

Thomas size and game is compared by some to a blend of Cameron Bennerman and PJ Tucker.

Greensboro’s News & Record says that “Thomas could have waited” in their article on the news.

The athletic 6-foot-5 wing was a rising star on the AAU circuit. More offers could very well have been on the way.

“I could have waited for all these other colleges,” Thomas said, “but when it came down to it I already knew where I wanted to go years before.”

“They put all their focus on me,” Thomas said. “I liked all the coaches, all the energy they brought to my recruitment.”

Inlcuding Thomas, State has five scholarships for the 2007 class.

Projected 2007-2008 NC State Basketball Roster

Senior Class
(1) Gavin Grant (G/F)

Junior Class
(2) Courtney Fells (SG)
(3) Ben McCauley (F/C)

Sophomore Class
(4) Brandon Costner (hopefully gets redshirt) (3F/4F)
(5) Trevor Ferguson (SG)
(6) Dennis Horner (F)
(7) Fernold Degand (PG)
(8) Bartosz Lewandowski (C)

Freshman Class
(9) Johnny Thomas (G/F)
(10) N/A
(11) N/A
(12) N/A
(13) N/A

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Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball

57 Responses to Thomas Picks Pack!

  1. bTHEredterror 06/27/2006 at 9:38 PM #

    Hey Gene,

    Right about the big men, if you’re thinking at best Lewandowski will turn out like Luke Schencher. I think it likely to be a two year process to get four 6-9 or taller, solid-if-not-spectacular recruits (hopefully at least 1 spectacular!) and watch them blossom. But Sid wants to run, so he’ll pile up guards next year to provide depth.

    About Jamelle MCMillan, though. If you’re thinking the scrutiny from State Fans, there would be none. Nate was a fan favorite (as we love “D”), and by all accounts, Jamelle plays as hard on “D” as his pops. If you’re referring to NCAA scrutiny, I don’t see where a son attending the school his dad attended, which had recruited him before his friend was hired, would draw too much attention. If Jordan’s son goes to UNC, would the NCAA look into it? (Well maybe that’s a bad example, they’d never look at THEM)

  2. redfred2 06/28/2006 at 9:42 AM #

    Jamelle McMillian should be a favorite of the fans no matter what he does on the basketball court. To be honest I have never seen Wolfpack fans jump on any player for not living up to expectations until recently, when it became necessary to try to hide other more evident shortcomings.

  3. vtpackfan 06/28/2006 at 1:40 PM #

    “SFN is assuming Brackman will be baseball only for ‘07-’08”
    If he has a healthy productive year then he will be somewhere between single and triple A in ’07-08. Check out latest MLB draft, college pitchers at a premium. Tracy Smith out of Mt. Zion could add a little depth to front line ’07. With all the negative press prior to the Gibbons classic about Turner from Chicago it is evident that he meant he had been ready to sign and is still interested in speaking with Sid. Vaughn and Hickson are the studs that would be on the top of our list I hope. Lastly, since he was injured last year and with the departure of Simmons it will be interesting to see if Costner wouldn’t mind working his game the next two years as a post up first, kick out second look for jumpers (maybe even drive the lane). What the hell, when your the only McDonalds All American on the team you got to show em everything. With Thomas playing a small forward and Costner playing a bit more bulked up at power forward in ’07, there is a chance with some smart ballhandling to really run the opponets shoes off.

  4. StateFans 08/04/2006 at 10:43 AM #

    From August 4, 2006 Fayetteville Observer:

    http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=238886

    Private school player solid pickup for Wolfpack
    Thad Mumau

    Johnny Thomas is a nice start to the Sidney Lowe recruiting era at N.C. State for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that he is a fine basketball player.

    The 6-foot-5 small forward is not ranked among the top 100 high school seniors in the country, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t talented enough to help a Division I program.

    Thomas attends Greensboro Day School, but before you start whispering that private school kids do not generally play basketball at the same level — i.e., above the rim – — as public schoolers, there is something you should know.

    Greensboro Day had a record of 33-2 last season and won the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) championship. The Bengals also defeated Greensboro Dudley, which won back-to-back state 3-A titles, by 19 points in the finale of the Little Four Tournament.

    Thomas scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds against a strong Charlotte Christian team in the NCISAA championship game. In his junior season, he averaged 18.7 points and 10.8 boards, while hitting 60.8 percent of his field goal attempts and 72.5 percent of his free throws. He made almost 50 percent of his three-point shots.

    “Johnny can shoot the ball,� said Freddy Johnson, who has coached Greensboro Day to seven state titles in 29 years. “That is not a problem for him.

    “He would have scored a lot more for some teams and could have scored more for us, but he is very unselfish. His main objective when he’s out there on the court is to help his team win. The thing, though, is that he got points when we needed them.�

    “He has a certain chemistry. He’s a winner. People love to play with him. The other students like him.�

    Thomas committed to N.C. State in late June after narrowing his choices to the Wolfpack, Virginia Tech and Miami. He visited George Washington, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.

    “Johnny really liked Wake, but their coaches couldn’t pull the trigger, just could not make up their minds about him,� Johnson said.

    “Then it came down to State, Virginia Tech and Miami. He eliminated George Washington first, and you might say Wake eliminated itself.

    “His family members are big State fans, and Sidney Lowe was a factor. So was Pete Strickland, who left his job as Coastal Carolina’s head coach to join Lowe’s Wolfpack staff.�

    Suited for playing wing
    Thomas was selected first-team All-State and first-team All-Guilford County. Strong at 200 pounds, he can play both wing positions.

    “Everybody recruited Johnny as a two/three,� Johnson said. “I think he is better suited for small forward because he can help so much on the boards. He is a great rebounder. He has a great nose for the ball, and he gets above the rim to rebound.�

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Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. StateFans Nation » Blog Archive » Johnny Thomas’ Athleticism - 04/16/2007

    […] We refer you to our entry on the day that Johnny committed to NC State. […]
  2. StateFans Nation » Blog Archive » 2007 Basketball Recruiting Rankings & Review - 08/03/2007

    […] This year’s recruiting class started coming together when Johnny Thomas committed to the Wolfpack in early June of last year. The class kept picking up steam and then picked up momentum from there. […]
  3. StateFans Nation » Blog Archive » Wednesday BBall & Johnny Thomas Bytes - 09/12/2007

    […] While we are on the topic of Johnny Thomas, we should highlight a a good article that linked by aloyal reader in the past. The source website is horrible and doesn’t contain the article anymore…luckily, we copied and pasted the piece and it can be seen below. Although not particularly well-written (as each sentence is its own paragraph), the article provides some good information. Additionally, it is a good time to turn your attention to this entry from last year to grasp the condition of NC State’s program when Thomas committed to the Pack. Thomas living a dream at N.C. State By J.J. Smith, NEWS-TIMES MOREHEAD CITY — For every boy who grew up in the state of North Carolina with a passion for basketball, a dream existed of one day suiting up in N.C. State red or Tar Heel or Duke blue and competing in arguably the greatest basketball conference in the history of college basketball. For Morehead City’s Johnny Thomas, that dream is close to becoming reality as the former West Carteret Patriot will lace up his sneakers for the Wolfpack and compete in the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference this season. When the 2004-2005 News-Times Player of the Year begins play in November with N.C. State, he will become only the second male basketball player – and the first in more than 40 years – from the three current public high schools in the county to make it to the ACC. The last male basketball player to play in the ACC was also a West Carteret Patriot that attended N.C. State. Robert McLean graduated from West Carteret High School in 1965 and went on to play for legendary coaches Press Maravich and Norm Sloan with the Wolfpack. A number of male basketball players from the old Beaufort High School competed in the ACC as well, including the Hassell brothers (Butch, Ray and Charles) who led the Seadogs to three straight 1A state championships (1959-1961). Butch was part of the 1959 and 1960 state champion teams. Under the tutelage of coach Tom McQuaid, the Seadogs set a state record with 91 consecutive victories over the three-year period. At Wake Forest, Butch became the captain of the team while earning all-conference honors. Ray and Charles both attended UNC-Chapel Hill. Gehrmann Holland led the Seadogs to their first state championship in 1955 and accepted a grant to play basketball for Hall of Fame coach Frank McGuire at UNC-Chapel Hill. While there, Holland played on the legendary 32-0 Tar Heel team that defeated Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas for the 1957 NCAA Championship. Thomas himself is no stranger to championships, having led Greensboro Day School to a 32-2 record and the NCISAA 3A state championship in 2006. This past season, Greensboro Day finished 31-2 and lost in the state title game 53-49 to Christ School. Thomas made the NCISAA 3A All-State Basketball Team each of the last two years. The future Wolfpacker also led his N.C. Gaters squad, a 19-under team that consisted of nine Division I college players, to the last two AAU state titles. In his last year at West, Thomas averaged 23.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while leading the Patriots to their second consecutive trip to the conference tournament championship and the state playoffs. The 6-5, 210-pound shooting guard transferred to Greensboro Day – a college preparatory independent school that boasts a 100 percent college acceptance rate – after his junior year at West. The Morehead City native chose to transfer to Greensboro Day to experience a tougher academic and basketball environment. “It really wasn’t a hard decision,” said Thomas, who was home for a few days last week after attending a summer school session at N.C. State. “I knew it was something I would have to do to get where I wanted to be. I was only able to come home about twice a year the last two years, but you have to make sacrifices. And so that was one my sacrifices, leaving my family and friends.” Greensboro Day played against some of the best teams in the state and the surrounding area in Thomas’ two years there. In 2006, the Bengals defeated Greensboro Dudley, with University of Cincinnati and UNC-Chapel Hill signees Kenny Belton and William Graves, by 18 points. Dudley would go on to win the 3A NCHSAA state champion that season. This past season, Greensboro Day gained a victory over George Washington High School from Danville, Va., that was ranked as the top team in Virginia at the time. Thomas’ coach at Greensboro Day, Freddy Johnson, is no stranger to ACC talent, having coached former N.C. State point guard Justin Gainey and former North Carolina forward Jason Capel. It was at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions last May where Thomas made a name for himself in recruiting circles, leading his Gaters squad in scoring while garnering all-tournament honors as well. Thomas was particularly impressive against the World Wide Renegades team that featured future N.C. State freshman teammate J.J. Hickson. “That was when a lot of the ACC schools started taking an interest in me, and once Miami offered me a scholarship, the other ACC schools started offering,” said Thomas. “Virginia Tech and then State offered, and I always wanted to go to State. But with the system the last coach had, I don’t think I would have fit. I thought it was a dead issue, until coach (Sidney) Lowe took over, and then I thought I could go there.” Lowe was named coach at N.C. State on May 6, 2006, after a month-long search to replace Herb Sendek, who left to coach Arizona State. Other schools that showed interest in Thomas included Wake Forest, Xavier, Old Dominion and UNC-Wimington. Thomas signed his letter of intent to attend N.C. State on June 25, 2006, so that he could concentrate on his senior year at Greensboro Day. “It was a relief making the choice so early,” explained Thomas. “I mean it made my senior year a whole lot easier, because being at a private school, I had so much to do. If you have good study habits, you could get the job done – it was very time consuming, since we had a lot of homework at night – but because of it, I am well prepared for college now.” Education is something Thomas takes seriously, evidenced by his academic performance at the challenging Greensboro Day School. Thomas made the Headmaster’s List twice and finished with As and Bs the other two semesters in his two years at the school. “If you play basketball, it is your life’s dream to play in the NBA,” explained Thomas. “But it is only a small percentage that gets to make it to the pros, so you have to have a backup plan.” The soon-to-be N.C. State freshman plans on majoring in architectural design. Thomas is quick to praise his mother and father for making him such a well-rounded person. “My parents (James and Gloria) had a huge influence on me,” he said. “They weren’t the type of parents that were sports fanatics and pushed me to play sports. They supported me in whatever I was interested in.” Thomas credits his brothers, James and Elijah, the latter an all-conference performer in basketball at West, for making Thomas the basketball player he is today. “My oldest brother James actually got me started playing basketball, and I used to play one-on-one with Elijah, and that really helped me develop my game.” Thomas will be joining a Wolfpack team that finished 10th in the 12-team ACC last year but showed signs of improvement late in the season under first-year coach Lowe. Lowe, the point guard on N.C. State’s 1983 NCAA Championship team, directed an undermanned Wolfpack team to three wins in four days in last year’s ACC Tournament before losing to the Tar Heels 89-80 in the championship game. The Wolfpack will welcome six new members to the team this season – two transfers and four freshmen – with Thomas and the other freshman rated as the 14th best class in the country and second in the ACC behind Duke, according to PrepStars Recruiter’s Handbook. Thomas, who was Lowe’s first recruit at N.C. State, is living in an apartment with the other three freshmen and has spent the summer getting to know them and the other members of the teams. “We can’t participate in any sanctioned practices yet, but we play pickup ball just about every day,” said Thomas. “It’s helped me to realize that I can play on this level. I just need to continue working on my ball handling – and I do a ton of shooting. If I can continue that, it will pay off. “I know that as a freshman I have a lot of things to learn, and so I am in the learning process right now. But I know that athletically I can compete on this level. We have a high-powered freshman class coming in, and we are just ready to play. We are going to try and do a lot of big things this year.” The Morehead City native has also found his new home for the next four years to his liking. “I love it at State,” said Thomas. “I’m really comfortable up there. In fact, I’m ready to go back. All of the coaches are really cool. It’s like family up there.” The former News-Times Player of the Year is anxiously awaiting the start of the season, one that will begin at N.C. State this year with Midnight Madness. “I was really excited when I heard we were actually going to have Midnight Madness,” said Thomas with a big smile. “With the freshman class that we have this year, it should be a really big thing. “I’m looking forward to playing in the first home game and playing in the Dean Smith Center and at Cameron (Indoor Stadium), just because of the way their fans are. “I’m looking forward to all of it. It’s really exciting. I can’t wait to get into a jersey and out onto the court.” […]

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