With the summer basketball season coming to a close, we’ve looked back on our notes and have seen the usual names of top players. One name, Rob Thomas, keeps popping up. The 6-foot-6, 185-pound small forward from St. Thomas More (Conn.) has had a solid showing and should be one of the top players in 2006.

Thomas shined at the Tournament of Champions with the New York Panthers and followed that up with an athletic show at the ABCD camp.

“I think I did pretty well. I just tried to play to the best of my ability and that’s about it,” Thomas said of his time at the Reebok camp. “Nothing too special.”

Not if you ask those that were in the stands at Farleigh Dickinson. He was pretty special. Thomas, who is originally from Brooklyn, put on an offensive show in a setting perfectly suited for his up and down style of basketball. Thomas can attack the basket and attack the rim with the best of them and he had plenty of those moments. In terms of fundamentals, Thomas is still coming along.

One of the motivating factors for his game was the opportunity to play alongside his cousin, and fellow camp star Kiwan Smith. Both of the hoopsters gave one another a boost.

“I teach him the moves,” Thomas, the younger cousin said. “I taught him how to ball. He grew up playing baseball. So when he came to my game, I thought him a thing or two.”

Another New York native has made the shoe camp a launch pad for Big Apple products.

“I knew coming into the camp that if Sebastian (Telfair) could do it, I could do it to,” Thomas said.

The class of 2006 prospect said Connecticut, Yale, NC State, Iowa State, Iowa, Cincinnati and Hofstra are involved in his recruitment at the present time but with two more years of high school ball ahead of him, the future is still unclear.

“I’m not worried about it at all right now,” he said. “I’m actually done playing AAU for now. I’m going back to St. Thomas More for summer classes and spending time working on my school work.”

Thomas is ranked as the No. 51 prospect in the class of 2006 by Rivals.com.