Tennessee guard opens it back up

Earlier this winter, Darius Thompson's profile blew up.

The senior used his explosion onto the scene to earn and accept an offer from Vanderbilt.

Tuesday night, the 6-foot-4 guard from Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Blackman decided that he had moved a little too quickly and opened things up.

A three-star prospect, Thompson also realized that the roster makeup at Vanderbilt didn't provide the best situation for him.

"After I committed I started going to a few games and I realized how much time the starting point guard is playing and he's just a sophomore," Thompson told Rivals.com. "Also they have a backup coming back next year and I realized how hard it would be for me to play as a freshman with all that returning experience."

Blackman pointed out that he isn't afraid of competition, but for his future development he wants to find a place where he has the best chance to get on the floor right away.

"I really want to play early to get experience and develop right away," said Thompson. "Getting playing time my freshman year is important for that."

Like sharks who smell blood in the water, it didn't take long for programs looking for a tall and rangy point guard to get involved.

"A few schools have been calling me or my AAU coach, my dad or my high school coach to get a hold of me," Thompson said. "People who have called me N.C. State, Auburn, Virginia, Memphis, Alabama, Western Kentucky and Tennessee came in to see me today."

A nominee for Mr. Basketball in the state of Tennessee, Thompson has two official visits left. He doesn't want to rush into another decision and has more pressing matters to attend to before taking a second crack at making his college decision.

"Right now I'm going to see who all comes in and shows interest," he said. "I'm really going to wait until after the season to focus on trying to win a state championship. We are sitting on 27-0 right now so I want to focus on that."

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