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Thomas continues local flavor for Washington

The top talent in the Seattle area isn't getting away from home these days. Lorenzo Romar nabbed one of the Emerald City's top players in the 2007 class when Isaiah Thomas makes his verbal commitment to the University of Washington public on Thursday at an afternoon press conference.
Thomas, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound point guard from Tacoma (Wash.) Curtis High School, lead Seattle in scoring this year and captivated the city with his scoring ability and improved overall game this year.
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For the third straight year, Romar and his staff have nabbed one of the top prospects in the city. The Huskies signed Spencer Hawes in 2006 and Jon Brockman in 2005. 2004? Thomas said that familiarity with the current team and incoming players played a big role in his decision.
"I thought it was the best environment for me to get to where I want to go," Thomas told Rivals.com on Wednesday. "I've been able to develop a good relationship with (assistant coach) Cameron Dollar and coach Romar. They are great guys and I like where our relationship is going."
Thomas said he also considered Georgetown and UCLA, his other finalists. Indiana almost landed a verbal commitment from Thomas earlier in the year but when Mike Davis announced he would be leaving Bloomington at the end of the season, Thomas decided to rethink things.
"That sealed it a lot. I thought Indiana was the place that I wanted to be at but when coach Davis left, that is when I knew I had to go to Washington," Thomas said. "I wanted to think about it before I just went out and committed. Talking to my family, we just decided that Washington was going to be the right place for me."
Averaging 32.8 points a game, Thomas overcame his size obstacle at the prep level. So far on the AAU circuit, he's been able to do the same. Thomas will be at the Kingwood Classic alongside future Pac-10 rival Jerryd Bayless, an Arizona commitment. Thomas will rejoin his Friends of Hoop team in Dallas for the Next Level tournament at the end of the month.
A charismatic kid, Thomas is ready to start playing recruiter for the Huskies with other Pacific Northwest prospects.
"I'm calling Kevin Love. I need to talk to him," Thomas said. "I'm going to get some players here."
Don't be surprised to see Thomas work on emerging 2008 star Clarence Trent of Gig Harbor either. The trend needs to continue, Thomas says.
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