Thompkins liking five
Atlanta native Howard Thompkins spent part of his Thanksgiving weekend away from Oak Hill Academy watching his old Wesleyan team in action on Saturday at Georgia Tech. Two weeks from now, he'll be on the same court in one of the biggest games of the year.
Thompkins said he has Dec. 7 circled on his calendar. The reason? He and his Oak Hill teammates will travel back to his home city for a match-up with Norcross High School, pairing two of the top five teams in the nation.
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For Thompkins, he'll square off against his former Wesleyan teammate Al-Farouq Aminu. The two are amongst the top 20 players in the class of 2008 in the country. The game also marks his first trip back and first high school game at 100 percent since going under the knife for an emergency appendectomy.
Now in tip top shape, Thompkins is playing lighter on his feet and playing with a purpose this season. He is also playing with five future college homes in mind.
Thompkins said is looking at Florida, Georgia Tech, Florida State, North Carolina and Georgia – in that order – and wants to examine each of those schools further this season.
"I just like everything about those programs," Thompkins said. "Those are the ones that I've honed in on the most."
Like all big time prospects, Thompkins said he is looking for two things in his future home, a great coach and a chance to see the floor right away.
"I'm looking for a coach that is that down to earth guy, someone who I can talk to about anything and someone that I can play for," Thompkins said. "That coach needs to be a straight shooter and that doesn't have any backdoor stuff to his approach.
"Of course I'd like to somewhere that is a big man school and somewhere that I can get some minutes. That's one of the main things. Where can I come in and, snap snap, play right away? That is what I'm looking for."