Deshaun Thomas: The Microwave
By Adam
Meet the Basketball Buckeyes, Day 4, brings us to The Microwave. Deshaun Thomas earned this nickname by being able to come off of the bench and provide instant offense…get it? How about this…when he steps onto the court, the offense instantly heats up.
I could keep going with this corny ridiculousness, and I must admit that this nickname is really only one that a few of us use, as Thomas is more likely to go by “Diesel” than any other name.
So, aside from the plethora of nicknames that I’m all too ready to create t-shirts for, who is this talented sophomore and what can we expect from him this season?
Not many teams have the luxury of landing a recruit as highly touted as Deshaun Thomas, a 5 star small forward and Top 20 overall recruit in many publications, and then making him the 7th man on the roster. However, that was exactly the case last season, as OSU was able to use Thomas as a role player and offensive boost off the bench. So what’s the story on this talented scorer?
Deshaun Thomas, like many Division I college basketball players, was a high school phenom. As you could probably guess from watching him play, even for a few minutes, Thomas was a scoring machine for Bishop Luers Catholic High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Maybe I should have reserved my Hoosiers reference (used for William Buford) for Thomas, who played in possibly the most storied basketball state and dominated. He scored over 3000 points, placing him at number three on the all-time state scoring list, and only 1 point behind the number two spot. He led his team to state titles in 2008 and 2009, and his stat line of 34 points and 15 rebounds is the second best title game performance (Class 2A) in the history of Indiana high school basketball. Thomas was a First Team All-Indiana honoree in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons with Bishop Luers. He was yet another OSU player to be named as a McDonald’s All-American, Jordan Brand Classic All-American, and was Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in 2010.
As is the trend with this particular OSU team, Deshaun is a very outgoing, fun-loving college student-athlete, but he also realizes that the positive attitude and leadership that the players have will only strengthen their chemistry on the court. He recalls getting phone calls from David Lighty talking about the energy needed to play there and be successful, as well as knowing how to keep themselves as a small, tight unit without outside distractions. Don’t let his big smile and hilarious pre-game dances in the huddle fool you, this sophomore is dedicated and ready to play in 2011-2012.
His dedication (yes, that’s his arm), like Sullinger’s, led him to the gym this offseason, where he was able to shed about ten pounds with running drills and pick-up games. This is great news, as he will almost definitely be in Matta’s starting lineup this fall, which means 35+ minutes on the court per game. Thomas’s athletic abilities are off the charts, as he may be the most gifted athlete on the entire Buckeye roster this season. His contributions will be noticed first in the “points” department, but also in rebounds and blocks. He was a better offensive rebounder, per minute, than Sullinger last year, and was the second best rebounder in all of Indiana high school basketball his junior and senior years.
As most Buckeye fans can attest to, Thomas rarely had a look at the basket that he didn’t like. He was 7th on the team in minutes per game, but 5th in points per game. His per minute point total was even with Sullingers, so expect him to continue his legendary scoring habits this year. However, one aspect of his game that may get a slight makeover is his decision making, shot selection, and looking to make a pass, which he did very infrequently last year. In fact, side bets and drinking games may or may not have been played based on whether or not he shot the ball or did anything else. His confidence in shooting never wavered, whether he was directly under (or sometimes behind) the hoop or 25 feet out with a hand in his face. Some may question his decisions or worry that he may not be a team player, but my own opinion is that he was a 5 star recruit making an appearance on the college court and wanted to show that he belonged there. There’s not even a thought, in my mind, that he will not be a successful player and major part of OSU’s success this year.
Deshaun Thomas can jump out of the gym, finds ways to score when there don’t appear to be any, and will be a tremendous addition to this year’s starting lineup. Despite the fact that we lose the Big Ten’s all-time leading three point shooter in Jon Diebler, I’d actually expect our points per game to jump from 77 (last year) to 80 this year, simply based on having Thomas on the court.
Whereas Will Buford’s contributions may be the quiet, efficient type, look for Thomas to make a big time splash with the fans that cram into the Schott this year. His game is anything but quiet, and will get the student section acting crazy right from the start.
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