Recruiting Report: Michael Thomas (2020)
After watching all of the final four games in Lake Charles last season, one of the most impressive young players was 2020 Michael Thomas of Hamilton Christian. He was a hound on the defensive end of the ball, and even though he was at best the 3rd option on the team, he was able to handle himself just fine as a freshman against older and bigger players. “It was definitely a great experience. We made history for our school, so it really means a lot to me.”
After a very successful season last year that saw two big seniors graduate, Thomas is now relied on with a lot more of the ball handling responsibilities, and he has stepped up big so far. “My biggest strengths are distributing the ball and getting open looks for my teammates. I love to share the rock. I’m also still working on becoming an even better on defense, so I can be a lockdown defender.” So far halfway through his sophomore season, he is averaging 13.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 5.6 APG, which according to Max Preps puts him in the top 5 in all three for sophomores in the state. Thomas says that he worked hard in the offseason to get to where he is now. “Right now, I’m working on getting stronger, so I can finish through contact. I’m also still working at being able to knock down the three ball.”
Hamilton Christian has taken a small step back so far this season, but I still expect the Warriors to make another appearance at Marsh Madness this season. “It’s going good so far. There’s a lot of ups and downs, but we are going to get it together.” Also, for Hamilton Christian, their two highest scorers are both a pair of sophomores in Michael Thomas and Adrian Brown, so no matter how good they wind up being this year, their best basketball is probably ahead of them in a couple of years.
Despite his young age, college coaches have already began to take notice of the talent that Thomas possesses. He reports to hold three D1 offers already, from McNeese, New Orleans, and UL Lafayette. Because of his age, he is unable to speak with coaches over the phone yet, but his high school coach Dexter Washington has been in contact with some big time schools about him already, most notably Arkansas and Georgetown. Just as impressive as he is on the basketball court is his productivity in the classroom. Michael has a 3.7 GPA and plans to take the ACT this summer.