Adonis Thomas, the No. 6 small forward in the Class of 2011, will stay home in Memphis to play his college ball.
The 6-foot-6 Thomas busted out a blue Memphis Tigers baseball hat on ESPNU and chose the hometown team over Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas and UCLA.
“I’d like to take my game and further my college career to the University of Memphis,” he said.
“Coach [Josh] Pastner and his staff were just great from the beginning after Coach Cal left. The assistant coach, Coach [Derek] Kellogg, had been recruiting me hard. I love Memphis. They have a great fan support here and I just love playing with those players. They have great guys who play with me during the AAU season and guys who I’ve been seeing at exposure camps.
“It was just the best fit for me and I just prayed about it and it was the decision for me.”
Thomas said current Memphis freshmen Joe Jackson, Tarik Black and Chris Crawford heavily influenced his decision.
“It was a big influence,” he said. “I know all those guys’ games. I played with them during the high school season, or played against them. I played with them last year in Vegas, we won a big tournament there. Those guys were special to this recruitment for me. I love those guys and I’m looking forward to having fun next season.”
Thomas acknowledged that Tennessee was in the mix, but that Bruce Pearl’s tenuous situation and the current NCAA investigation into the Vols knocked them out of consideration.
“Tennessee was very high on my list,” he said. “I kept in communication with those guys for a very long time at a young age. They were my first scholarship offer.
“But towards the end it was kind of difficult for me and my family. We didn’t want to jeopardize anything for my college career, even though Bruce Pearl is a great coach. The staff is great. The players are great. It was just the uncertainty about the program that I didn’t want to involve myself with that in my recruitment.”
FAUST TO MARYLAND
Nick Faust, a 6-6, 175-pound shooting guard from Baltimore City College High, also chose to stay at home by picking Maryland over Oregon State, Florida State, Marquette and Villanova.
“Me and my family have decided that I’ll be taking my services to the University of Maryland,” he said on ESPNU.
“It felt like a second home. I had a great relationship with the coaches, and also I felt as though that was the best place for me to mature on and off the court.”
He added: “I think I will come in and be a great contributor to the offensive and defensive side. The flex offense fits my style of play very well.”
Faust joins 6-1 point guard Sterling Gibbs of Seton Hall Prep in Maryland’s 2011 recruiting class.
“That’s a big pickup,” Gibbs said by text of Faust.
“Nick is a do-it-all type player. He can shoot, pass, defend and is a really good teammate so it should be a lot of fun playing with him the next four years.”
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