of The News-Sentinel Deshaun Thomas has only one high school honor left to grab – Indiana Mr. Basketball – and he should pull it in this weekend as easily as a rebound off the glass.

The Indianapolis Star will announce the award Sunday and if Thomas doesn't win, it'll be a shock and a travesty. No amount of real or imagined Indianapolis bias should stand in the way of a player who scored more points than all but two boys players in state history.

If you're in a trio that includes Damon Bailey and Marion Pierce, you're Indiana royalty.

And nothing defines a Hoosier hoops player's royalty more than being named Mr. Basketball.

Thomas is the best player in the state and has been the most explosive scorer in the state since his freshman season. When ESPN calls and wants to put you on its schedule, it's a sign something special's going on.

Along the way, Thomas helped Bishop Luers to two Class 2A state titles, and finished his career with 3,018 points. Bailey holds the record with 3,134 and Pierce had one more than Thomas at 3,019. Thomas averaged 31.8 points, 15.3 rebounds and three assists per game his senior season.

If he wins the Mr. Basketball award, as most expect, Thomas will be the first Fort Wayne player to take the honor since Harding's Jim Master in 1980. The only other Fort Wayne players to win the award were from South Side: Mike McCoy in 1958 and Willie Long in 1967. The last player from the Fort Wayne area to win was DeKalb's Luke Recker in 1997.

You can certainly make the argument that Thomas, who will play at Ohio State next season, is the best player ever out of Fort Wayne. Base it on points scored, if you want; that's as old a measuring stick as there is in basketball. Old-timers might quibble that Long didn't have a three-point line to help him back when he was lighting up the scoreboard. And that's true. Thomas scored a load from long range.

But neither Long nor any of Fort Wayne's past greats had to deal with the kind of scrutiny Thomas faced. Thomas was hit with every defensive strategy known to man, from the box-and-one to the grab-the-jersey-and-run. He also faced media coverage and fan demands on a far greater scale than his predecessors.

Today's best high school players are pulled by both the Amateur Athletic Union summer ball – where scholarships are won and lost – and their loyalty to their schools and classmates. Grown men were asking for Thomas' autograph when he was a freshman. He would have been, what, 15 years old? That's some heavy weight.

For the most part, Thomas always delivered at game time. A 6-foot-7 player comfortable on the perimeter and the post, he could make 30 points look like a casual effort. Because of his scoring prowess, his ability to rebound, pass and defend was often overlooked. His play the other night in the McDonald's All-American Game was instructive in his maturity. It wasn't necessarily his night on offense, with too many airballs and shots swatted away. Yet he kept his composure and made some terrific passes.

One of the plays I'll most remember came in Luers' state title win over Winchester in 2008. The game was tied with a little over 90 seconds left. Thomas had the ball. Winchester triple-teamed him. Now, Thomas could have elevated and shot. He has the necessary size and hops. Instead, he spotted teammate Jake Kuhn cutting baseline and hit him with the pass for the lead. Luers kept the lead and won.

“As a little kid, you always want to go to state and you always want to be the one to make the big play,” Kuhn said that day. “When I finally got my chance, I knew Deshaun was going to get me the ball.”

It may well have been that point when Thomas became a great teammate, as well as a great player.

Indiana Mr. Basketball can only be won once, as a senior. It's a quirk of our state that I hope never gets changed. It rewards excellence in a career. Very few win it. Very few deserve it.

Thomas has earned that final exclamation mark on his brilliant prep career, and years from now, the rest of us will be able to say we knew him when.

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This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel.


DeShaun Thomas

Deshaun Thomas is ahead of the game
Bishop Luers junior sets records, eyes even more


Deshaun Thomas

Career points: 2,254 (77 games), 11th all-time in Indiana

All-time scoring records broken in 2008-09: Bishop Luers, Summit Athletic Conference, Allen County boys, northeast Indiana boys

Records on the horizon: Allen County all-time (Megan King, Canterbury, -399), northeast Indiana all-time (Shanna Zolman, Warsaw, -832), state (Damon Bailey, Bedford North Lawrence, -881)
By Nick West
of The News-Sentinel

Deshaun Thomas accomplished feats this season that no other area high school boys basketball player has ever achieved during a four- year career. Thomas, a junior at Bishop Luers, has also done it in far less time.

He became the all-time scoring leader for his school, the Summit Athletic Conference, and boys luminary in Allen County and northeast Indiana in 26 games this season.

“It means a lot to me to put Fort Wayne on the map,” Thomas said. “I'm glad I got that stuff out of the way and the pressure, too. Everybody was saying, ‘You're going to break this record, you're going to break that record.' So I got it out of the way and I'm happy for myself, happy for my teammates and happy for my coach.”

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward scored 817 points (30.3 per game) this season and has accumulated 2,254 in 77 career games. He led Bishop Luers to its second straight Class 2A state championship, feats the school never reached until Thomas enrolled. It is for these successes that Thomas is The News-Sentinel's Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Thomas still has three more reachable records on the horizon.

He needs 399 points to surpass former Canterbury girls star Megan King and become the county's all-time- leading scorer. He needs 832 to pass former Warsaw girls standout Shanna Zolman (Crossley), who plays in the WNBA, for best in northeast Indiana. The big record is Indiana's all-time-leading scorer, a record owned by former Bedford North Lawrence and Indiana University star Damon Bailey and his 3,134 points. Thomas needs 881 to hold it.

“People mention to me whether or not he can break Damon Bailey's amount,” said Bishop Luers coach James Blackmon. “When you think about the amount of points Damon Bailey scored in his career… wow, he had a heck of a career. But it is reachable, and if we continue to play the way we have been playing, this is something that I think he can accomplish.”

Thomas must average 33.9 points per game if the Knights replicate next season their total games played this season (26). He scored 34 or more on 10 occasions this season and hit 40 or more in five games. His season-high was 47 against Class 1A Canterbury.

Based on his junior season and immense talent, Thomas is a likely Mr. Basketball candidate for next season.

Looking ahead to Thomas' potential accomplishments is fun, but examining his body of work this season really shows how good of a player he is. Thomas managed to produce even though he was the focal point of every defense and was harassed by double-, triple- and the rare quadruple-teams.

“It's an everyday thing,” Thomas said. “Every time I step on the court, they're pushing me and shoving me and trying to stop my game. Coach told me to keep my composure, stay focused and that's what I do. I let the game come to me.”

Not only did he score, but the Ohio State University recruit grabbed 15.1 rebounds, passed 2.7 assists and blocked 2.5 shots per game.

Facing tougher defenses from better teams, Thomas averaged 23.4 points in five postseason games, but his total per game increased (16, 23, 25, 26, 27). He saved his best playoff performance for last by scoring 34 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking three shots in the state finals game watched by 11,569 fans at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

His 10 straight points from the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter put the Knights on track for back-to-back state titles in their 67-49 win over Brownstown Central.

“Thomas is the best high school player I've ever seen,” Brownstown Central coach David Benter said. “Obviously, there's not really anybody in the state that can control him.”





Thomas helps Ft. Wayne Luers to 2nd straight title
indystar

March 29, 2009 by indystar | Staff

Fort Wayne Luers junior Deshaun Thomas hopes this wasn’t his last game at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Thomas had 34 points and 15 rebounds, leading the Knights past Brownstown Central 67-49 Saturday for their second consecutive Indiana high school Class 2A basketball title.

Thomas, an Ohio State recruit who led the state in scoring at 30.1 points per game, added three blocks and two steals and was named the 2A tourney MVP by The Associated Press.

“My dream is to be in the NBA,” said the 6-7 guard. “It feels great to get another state championship, especially on the (Indiana) Pacers’ court. I’m just trying to follow my dreams.”

Thomas and the Knights (23-4) were too much for Brownstown (20-7), which fell short of winning its first state title.

“Deshaun is pretty good, as far as a big guy that changes your defense,” Luers coach James Blackmon said. “You have to center a lot of things around Deshaun.”

Trailing by three at halftime, the Braves began the third quarter with four straight points from Blaze Ayers to take a 25-24 lead. However, Luers answered with a 14-2 run to open a comfortable 38-27 advantage. Lawrence Barnett had eight of his 12 points during the spurt.

“Once they went up, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a game now,’ " Thomas said. “I was kind of scared for a minute, but we kept our heads and hit some big shots.”

The Luers standout had eight straight points to end the third quarter and begin the fourth, extending the Knights’ lead to 48-31.

“Thomas is the best high school player I’ve seen,” said Brownstown coach David Benter. “There’s not really anybody in the state that can control him. He’s incredible.”

Ayers finished with 18 points and Ryan Shoemaker scored 10 for Brownstown.

Thomas Ready To Work
Thomas won a state title.		By Adam Jardy Staff Writer Posted Apr 23, 2009 The recruitment of DeShaun Thomas has been a source of concern for Ohio State fans for some time now, but that has not diverted his focus away from his passion to improve on the basketball court. Get Thomas' thoughts on the Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers as well as his summer plans and goals in this update.
DeShaun Thomas has experienced a lot in his young basketball career. As a junior, the five-star power forward from Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Luers led his team to a state championship and in the process put himself in position to challenge for the state scoring record during his senior season. But for all that the Ohio State verbal commitment has accomplished, Thomas still wants more. “I just want to improve on little things,” he told BuckeyeSports.com. “I want to get more explosiveness and become more of a leader out there, knowing the spots and knowing all the little things on the court.” During the March 28 state title game held at Conseco Fieldhouse, Thomas poured in 34 points and 15 rebounds in his team’s victory while earning most valuable player honors. His performance pushed his single-season scoring total up to 2,254 points and puts him 881 points shy of the state career scoring record. He is already the most prolific scorer in school, county and northeast state history and No. 10 in state history. Thomas has increased his scoring totals each season. After scoring 666 points as a freshman, he upped that to 771 as a sophomore while helping the Knights win their first-ever state title. This year, his 817 points fell one short of being the 25th-most prolific single-season output in state history. To get there, Thomas will have to have his most prolific season ever – and he is looking forward to the challenge. “Oh yeah, if I put it all together the sky is the limit for that,” he said. “(The season) was a lot of hard work and something you get from working in the gym and staying focused and being out there on the court.” As for cutting down the nets on the home court for the NBA’s Pacers, Thomas said, “It felt great to put Luers back on the map and keep our composure until we could celebrate. I feel like my dreams are coming true now. It just felt great to cut down those nets.” Thomas was not the only OSU pledge to win a state title, as Columbus Northland’s Jared Sullinger defeated Cincinnati Princeton’s Jordan Sibert the same night one state away. But whereas Sullinger and Sibert immediately embarked upon their AAU seasons, Thomas said that is not really the case for him this time around. “Mostly I’ve started working out and I’m going to the LeBron James camp and the Vince Carter camp, working on my game,” he said. “I’m not doing too much of the AAU ball this year. I hope to learn little stuff about the game, play against kids all around and have fun. “I’m looking forward to the skill academies where I can learn little things and stuff like that. I’ll do all kinds of drills like they do in the NBA. I’m looking forward to doing that.” One thing he is not looking forward to is recruiting. The 6-6½, 210-pound Thomas re-affirmed his verbal pledge to the Buckeyes last summer, but that has not stopped speculation that he could still wind up playing for the Indiana Hoosiers before all is said and done. While he was playing in the state title game, Thomas had both OSU head coach Thad Matta and IU head coach Tom Crean in attendance. The nation’s No. 2 power forward prospect said Matta spoke with him before the game. “I knew he was there,” Thomas said. “He was sitting in the crowd. He told me to keep my head up and just work hard.” As for Crean and the Hoosiers, Thomas said he remains committed to the Buckeyes. “I mean, (Crean) didn’t say anything (at the title game),” he said. “They want me, but hey, my eyes are on Ohio State right now. That’s where I want to be at. “Right now I’ve got to get my game tight. I’m not really worried about that. I’ve got to focus on my grades and work on the other stuff.”

DeShaun Thomas says he’s sticking with Ohio State

By Alex | April 14, 2009
In an interview with Michael Rothstein of The Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette, Bishop Luers junior and Ohio State commit DeShaun Thomas says he’ll honor his commitment and play for the Buckeyes. This, according to Thomas, is despite pressure from teachers, friends, strangers and students to attend IU:

“It’s an every-day thing. It’s ‘Are you going to transfer? Are you going to go to IU? Why Ohio State?’ I told everybody it’s what’s best for me. It’s a lot of pressure, but I stay in my books, not worry about it too much. I’m only a junior, I got one more year and then just worry about it next year.”

Call me a blind optimist or call me crazy, but I still refuse to count Tom Crean out of this race. Thomas made his commitment to Ohio State long before Crean arrived in Bloomington and the 2010-2011 season should be big for the program. The practice facility will have opened and the Hoosiers should be in the thick of the Big Ten race. In other words, like Crean told Marquis Teague, who wouldn’t want to be a part of that kind of environment?

Thomas wins 2nd Gooden Award