http://w3.nbebasketball.com/index.php/catching-up-with-shaquille-thomas/#more-3182CATCHING UP WITH SHAQUILLE THOMAS
Shaq Thomas transfers to Mountain State Academy, does college future lie there?
By Matt Whitfield
Despite being Tim Thomas’s nephew and being one of the Garden State’s top rated juniors, life is tough being Shaquille Thomas right now. Thomas transferred out of Paterson Catholic High School to Montclair High School this past Octpber. Thomas, however, was ruled ineligible to play basketball there, forcing him to transfer again. This time it is Shaq Thomas to Mountain State Academy (ZagsBlog.com) in West Virginia. However, despite all the turbulence right now the outlook for Thomas is bright as he already has scholarship offers from several Big East schools and is set to look around even more this spring.
Despite having offers from Providence, West Virginia, Rutgers, LaSalle, Xavier, and Fordham, Thomas is said to be highest on Syracuse saying to NBE that, “when I went there for elite camp I saw how the coaching staff is and players [are] and the Carrier Dome was very big, and so as soon as [you] go in your eyes light up.†Thomas also added, “It was a real good experience. I like the coaching staff and the players that were there.â€
Thomas also told the NBE earlier in the fall that, “
during the spring time I probably [will] take a couple visits to probably Virginia Tech, Clemson, West Virginia, Providence, [and] St. John’s,†as those schools all have shown interest according to Thomas.
Thomas is still a very raw prospect who has the size and frame but is still very slender and fine-tuning his skill set. Playing at a school like Mountain State Academy with two WVU commits in Deniz Kilicli and Noah Cottrill should only better Thomas’s basketball skills development. Despite his high interest in Syracuse it will be interesting to see if Thomas also follows in the footsteps of teammates Cottrill and Kilicli, as Bob Huggins is a very good recruiter and now Thomas is in his backyard.