Three schools in lead for Thomas

With his center out with an injury, 2007 point guard prospect Isaiah Thomas put it into overdrive the other night, leading the No. 1 ranked team in the state Curtis Senior High School in Tacoma, Wash., to a victory with 52 points. Thomas, 5-foot-8, 160-pounds, has three schools at the top of his list and would like to pick a school this spring.

"It felt great," said Thomas about his scoring barrage. "Everything was going in. I was driving and shooting three-pointers. This puts us at 2-0, and I really think we are the top team in the state."

A number of schools are in pursuit of Thomas, but three of those schools are in front of the rest.

"I'm interested in Indiana, Kentucky, Washington, Gonzaga, UCLA, Florida, Georgetown, Louisville, St. John's and Old Dominion," said Thomas. "Indiana, Kentucky, Washington, Florida and Old Dominion have offered. Out of these schools, I like Indian, Kentucky and Washington the most.

"Indiana is such a great basketball school. The program is on the rise. It's just a basketball mecca. I've been a fan growing up because of my name. My dad was a big basketball fan and named me after Isaiah Thomas. My mom was really into church, and she named me Isaiah after the Bible.

"Basically it's the same thing for Kentucky. It's one of the winningest programs in the country. Tubby Smith is legendary, and I just like everything about the program.

"Washington is a school that is close to home and is getting better and better. Coach Romar is a great coach and the assistants are great too."

Thomas recently took in the hotly contested Washington vs. Gonzaga match up, and even though Washington is higher on his school list than Gonzaga, he found himself rooting for Gonzaga.

"I couldn't help myself from pulling for Gonzaga a little bit because of Adam Morrison," he said. "I love his game. The whole experience was incredible. It was fun being in that loud gym."

Crafty and quick with the ball, Thomas averaged 26.1 points, 6.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game last season. Beside doing what it takes for his team to win, Thomas is also focused on becoming a stronger player and a better defensive player.

"I've been hitting the weights hard," he said. "I'm also working on my defensive game both on and off the ball. I'm getting my feet quicker and working on picking up the ball full court."

Once this basketball season ends, Thomas plans to decide on a school prior to the beginning of the AAU season.

"I should have a decision before April after the basketball season and before the AAU season," said Thomas, who runs with the Friends of Hoop AAU program. "Being recruited is fun, but it starts to get to you. I want to get it over with so I can have some fun during the AAU season."