Scoring machine Cam Thomas drawing plenty of interest
FORT MYERS, Fla. – There may not be a better scorer in American high school basketball than Cam Thomas. And if he was trying to back up that statement at this week’s City of Palms Classic, he succeeded. The top 50 junior talked with Rivals.com about his Mamba mentality, the bevy of schools in the mix and two visits that he could be taking.
“I bring scoring ability, playmaking for my teammates. I am starting to rebound and I am getting better defensively. I am just trying to bring an all-around game to Oak Hill,” Thomas said shortly after scoring 28 points in his team’s win. “I watch Kobe (Bryant), and here and there I watch Devin Booker, but I mainly watch Kobe. That is where I basically get all of my moves and I try to have that Mamba mentality like him.”
College interest has not been in short supply, as Auburn, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, NC State, Ohio State, Pitt, UConn, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest are the schools that have kept in close contact with Thomas in recent months.
MORE: Evans Awards from City of Palms | Bossi Awards from Tarkanian Classic
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Auburn: “They have been starting to show me more interest. Coach Bruce Pearl says that he loves me and he has been showing a lot of interest. We didn’t start talking until a few weeks ago, and I have only been able to see them play one game and that was against Duke, but they play up-tempo, which is my style.”
Illinois: “They are just saying that they love me and my game, but they also want to get to know me more and see me play more.”
Miami: “The way they use their guards. Coach Pooh (Williamson) showed me a stat of their guard usage and pick-and-rolls and I think that they were top 5 in the country. That is really intriguing ... how they use their guards.”
NC State: “It was a great first visit. It was to learn just how coach (Kevin) Keatts and coach (James) Johnson interact with their players. I was very impressed, and I loved being on campus with them. They are great people.
“He (Keatts) is a player’s coach and a guard’s coach. He says he lets his guards go and that I would be perfect for his system and that I am just a guy that he loves.”
Pitt: “They just tell me that they love me and want to have the chance to coach me one day. He (Jeff Capel) has been talking about how he is going to build up Pitt and that he wants me to be a part of that.”
UConn: “They have been telling me that I am a great guard for their system because I can run the pick-and-roll, playing the one, scoring the ball and just that I am the perfect guard for their system that can do it all.”
Virginia Tech: “They’re just telling me that they love me and that I am a great guard and the perfect scoring guard that they need.”
WHAT’S NEXT & RIVALS’ REACTION
Thomas took a November official visit to NC State and two other ACC programs could be next in line in to host the four-star guard.
“I think that I am going to be taking an official visit to Miami,” he said. “They just offered me and Pitt wants me to come to a game whenever they play UNC on Jan. 5. Miami would be an official, and Pitt would be an unofficial.”
Furthermore, Thomas has an idea of how he wants things to play out this spring.
“I think I am going to take most of my official visits whenever my season is over with and focus on my season now and then get some visits done before my AAU season starts up,” he said.
In the meantime, expect more name-brand programs to enter the picture. Thomas' scoring ability has practically the entire ACC already coveting the junior.