Johnny Thomas’ Athleticism

Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball67

There have been so many little blurbs in the media regarding high school basketball recruits over the last few weeks that we could have focused the entire attention of this blog on just recruiting nuggets. I ran across the following this weekend in the Charlotte Observer and just couldn’t pass on it. (Link)

In four years, after he’s done playing at N.C. State, Greensboro Day’s Johnny Thomas — who was the best thing about pregame warm-ups Saturday — should definitely be invited to the NCAA Final Four dunk contest. He would’ve won this year in Atlanta. Easy.

Thomas just high jumped 6-foot-10 in a prep track meet last week and his basketball coach, Freddie Johnson, said the 6-foot-6 Thomas doesn’t even really know what he’s doing. He’s an athletic freak.

All that said, can’t figure out why Thomas played, like, eight of 32 minutes Saturday.

We refer you to our entry on the day that Johnny committed to NC State.

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Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball

67 Responses to Johnny Thomas’ Athleticism

  1. westwolf 04/17/2007 at 11:47 AM #

    “JT won’t see much until his Jr season.”

    ^Ah, said with the same air of certainty with which you ‘ve made other eronious predictions.

    Based on interviews with incoming players, coach Lowe has indicated that we’ll start to imploy a more uptempo, trapping style of play as early as next year. This may necessitate the use of a deeper bench, including an athletic freshman like JT.

    We’ll see.

    I don’t believe that JT will get MAJOR minutes next year, or even his sophomor season, but I doubt we’ll see him languishing on the bench and getting only a minute or two here and there. I believe Sid would have found a way to get athletic players like Ced, Bennerman, even Marcus Melvin some regular, meaningful minutes when they were freshmen. He’ll demonstrate how to do that next year with JT.

    Now, players who the necessary athleticism altogether, like Ferguson, may never leave the pine.

  2. CedarGroveWolf 04/17/2007 at 12:32 PM #

    “said with the same air of certainty with which you ‘ve made other eronious predictions”
    like?

    “I doubt we’ll see him languishing on the bench and getting only a minute or two here and there”

    who should sit?

  3. westwolf 04/17/2007 at 4:27 PM #

    ^Depending on the game-time situation, a player like JT might come in for just about anyone. It’s simple, really.

    The future is bright.

  4. CedarGroveWolf 04/17/2007 at 4:57 PM #

    Doubtful. He’s not ranked that high & will be playing behind our only Sr.

    Future has been bright for a long time.

  5. vtpackfan 04/17/2007 at 5:24 PM #

    Cedar: You are an intelligent auto-response. Were you engineered here on Centennial Campus or at MIT?

    Seriously, I love that JT is coming to play for the Pack and I find it truly fitting that he was Lowe’s first prep recruit. Here’s why:
    The former staff had developed at tendency to recruit strong perimeter shooters (no need to go into the + and – of all that, it’s just a fact). That said, we have a shooting guard in Fells who can/will be a three point threat. Not all teams have one big man that can step out beyond the arc and hit a three, and even fewer have multiple players that fit the description. Costner and Horner should/will have opportunities to stretch defenses and provide some much needed outside scoring. Add to that guys like GG, MJ, Ferg and Javy to get a few more to take wide open threes when the time is right, and the outside game is covered. Done.

    We needed above the rim athletes in a big time way, and Sid got ’em. JT and JJ can complement GG aggressive game and put Coach Lowe and his staff in a position to attack a team in multiple ways. Add to it a PG in Degand who likes to push the tempo and you need players to attack the rim. This change in philosophy is going to force teams to play us much different then what they’ve become accustomed to.

    One of the biggest differences will be that alot of teams won’t be able to crash the offensive boards against us because we will be a force to get out and run and score easy buckets on them. Many have thought that we didn’t have good rebounders or “we wer’nt giving a good effort on the boards”, but alot of it comes down to a team not respecting your transition game and crashing four players to the glass.

    Alot can happen between now and the first BB game that will determine the amount and quality of minutes JT gets. Still don’t know for sure about Smith, GG could be deported, and until MJ becomes eligible we are going to need a wing extra wing player to match up with quicker guys on the floor when a starter needs rest or gets into foul trouble.

  6. westwolf 04/17/2007 at 5:55 PM #

    Paging Blockhead, Mr. CedarBlockhead to the white courtesy phone. You’re needed on the JT’s Athleticism thread. Mr. Blockhead, Mr. CedarBlockhead.

    The future is bright.

  7. CedarGroveWolf 04/17/2007 at 5:57 PM #

    Degand, Javier
    Fells, MJ, Trevor
    Grant, Horner, JT
    Costner, Smith
    JJ, Ben

    see much PT available for our least heralded recruit? I don’t. Not a knock, it’s actually a good thing that we don’t have to plat a true frosh before he’s ready.

  8. redfred2 04/17/2007 at 7:03 PM #

    Cedar

    Explain this to me, back in your good old days of the *s l o w – m o t i o n offense* and the glory of a positionless system of athletic endeavor, with “positionless” of course being the key word here, how in the hell did any one player ever play end up playing directly behind ONE other particular player as you have said?

  9. vtpackfan 04/17/2007 at 8:09 PM #

    Futhermore, take advantages of having athleticism to practice AGAINST. With a line up of say the four returning starter plus Degand, you’re left with these folks to scrimmage, run offensive sets, or practice half court defense against.

    PG: Javy
    SG: MJ
    SF: JT/Horner
    PF: Horner/Smith
    C: Hickson

  10. CedarGroveWolf 04/18/2007 at 8:38 AM #

    “how in the hell did any one player ever play end up playing directly behind ONE other particular player as you have said?”

    some players can play multiple positions.

    MJ – 1-2
    Fells – 1-2-3
    Grant- 1 – 3
    Horner 3-4
    Ben 4-5

    Havn’t seen JT play, but sounds like only a 3, therefore behind Grant, therefore not getting much PT.

  11. pakfanistan 04/18/2007 at 10:03 AM #

    Why do you have Grant down as a 1?

  12. CedarGroveWolf 04/18/2007 at 10:13 AM #

    he can play some 1 in an emergency like last year. not likely this season.

  13. packbackr04 04/18/2007 at 10:18 AM #

    if grant turns the ball over the way he did last year, he may open the door for thomas to get some additional PT.

    btw- i cant believe cedar is calling JT out for being our lowest rated recruit. i think javi holds that distinction. plus who cares about the number of stars he has.. what matters is that he was the one who got the ball rolling for sid this year. he bought into waht sid was selling before anyone else and commited before anyone else. i am grateful for Johnny thomas, and i hope he turns into an awesome ACC player so that cedar can eat his words

  14. CedarGroveWolf 04/18/2007 at 10:46 AM #

    not “calling out” JT. It is what it is. A non-top 100 frosh isn’t going to get much PT behind our only Sr & one of our best players. I never said he wouldn’t be a great ACC player, just he won’t be next season. Like i said before, think of Cam & how he contributed his jr & sr seasons. I’d take that.

  15. CedarGloveWulf 04/18/2007 at 1:21 PM #

    When the Great one was here we had so much talent we had to sit players that were not top 50. He stockpiled talent like other coaches stock piled wins.

    Can you imagine how good we would have been if players were nto afraid of hard work?

  16. westwolf 04/18/2007 at 1:42 PM #

    ^LMAO

  17. redfred2 04/18/2007 at 5:35 PM #

    Cedar

    Don’t forget that “_______” is the sincerest form of flattery.

    I have my own list available to fill in the blank, if anyone needs.

  18. redfred2 04/18/2007 at 5:50 PM #

    Cedar

    In answering my question about players playing behind others, you skipped way ahead on me there buddy. I was speaking about back in the good days, you remember, before Sidney Lowe, like when you insisted it had to be back then. Anyway, your list contained 5 players, two weren’t even around then, and only one on your list received any serious PT under the former ???.

  19. CedarGloveWulf 04/19/2007 at 7:24 AM #

    THe “great one” knew who to play and when. If a player did not play then he was not worthy of playing. If he then transferred then we all knew he was not what we all knew he was. If he then did play but did not play as well as some thought he should play then he did not comprehend the pure genius of the offense but if he did then he would play like we thought he should play.
    It is that simple.

  20. CedarGroveWolf 04/19/2007 at 8:49 AM #

    RF – you make little sense. On a 13 member bball team there will be starters & players playing behind them. Even on Herb’s teams.

  21. westwolf 04/19/2007 at 9:05 AM #

    ^How dare you use The Great One’s name! It is only the Third Thursday in the Festival of Woodchopping, and as everyone knows, his name is not to be uttered until the Celebration of the Daytight Compartment begins in May. For now, ONLY refer to him indirectly, by invoking the names of former players(at least the few who didn’t transfer), or simply by calling him The Great One.

    As a penalty for you disobedience, you must transport a ball to across some rice paper, then weave until your eyes are blury and heave until you arms ache. Now go, trech back to you trailer in Mebane and think about what you have done!

  22. CedarGroveWolf 04/19/2007 at 11:25 AM #

    yawn

  23. westwolf 04/19/2007 at 11:58 AM #

    ^No, no a thousand times no, do not slumber when your idol is under attack! Nay, charge back to your keyboard(don’t let the floor manager from the Piggly Wiggly where you work see you sneak on the computer), and respond with vigor to any post that that dares to disparage The Great One. Remember the glory of the single Sweet 16 in his ten years here…ah, the triumph.

    As penalty for your insolance, you must practice his time-management techniques. Go, find a stop watch…set it for 30 seconds…dribble a ball aimlessly until there are only two seconds left and then simply heave a basketball towards any cylinder you can find.

    Today…Mebane…tomorrow…THE WORLD!!

  24. CedarGroveWolf 04/19/2007 at 12:20 PM #

    “let the floor manager from the Piggly Wiggly where you work see you sneak on the computer”

    there’s a good chance I make more at the Piggly Wiggly than you.

  25. packbackr04 04/19/2007 at 12:58 PM #

    great posts west wolf. and nothing against cedar, but those last 2 were funny

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