Blind resumes are ever-so popular this time of year in college basketball with Selection Sunday nearing. Instead of comparing two teams, let’s compare the per game averages of Player A and Player B:
Player A – 18.2 min, 11.7 pts, 5.4 rebs
Player B – 12.5 min, 4.9 pts, 2.7 rebs
Per game, Player A has played 25 percent more minutes, scored nearly three times as much, and grabbed twice as many boards as Player B.
By: Justin Mertes-Mistretta
Believe it or not, Player A and Player B are both the same player. Player A is Deshaun Thomas during non-conference play and Player B is Thomas during the Big 10 season. Before Sunday, they may as well have been two different players based on the statistical difference.
As a high school prospect, Thomas was the third rated small forward in the nation. Powerhouse schools like Duke, Michigan State, and Purdue were all on Thomas’ radar. Once Thomas verbally committed to Ohio State, even coach Tom Crean and the hometown Hoosiers showed interest. However, he ultimately chose to play with his AAU teammates, freshmen Jordan Sibert and Aaron Craft, at Ohio State.
For the first 13 games, this looked like a great decision for both Thomas and the Buckeyes as he was one of its most lethal scorers during that stretch. He provided Ohio State with instant offensive off the bench, scoring in double figures eight times. Then, things began to change once the Buckeyes opened up Big 10 play.
Before Sunday, Thomas scored in double digits and played more than twenty minutes only twice during the Big 10 schedule. While Thomas’ offensive ability was never in question, his defensive effort was less than admirable. It was looking like Thomas had hit a freshman wall.
Then Indiana came into town.
The Indiana native, and former Mr. Basketball, decided it was time to show not only Ohio State, but also Indiana that he was more than an offensive talent.
“I’ve been working on [defense] in practice and I’m more focused on my defense than my offense right now,” Thomas said. “Unlike in high school when I was more worried about scoring.”
Worried or not, Thomas was scoring in bunches on Sunday as well.
Thomas had a first half for the ages, which all started when he knocked down two three-pointers in a row.
“It was just about getting to my spots and hitting the shots,” Thomas said. “After the first two threes, I could tell that I was getting warm.”
He scored all the teams points during a 14-3 first-half run and finished with a game-high 22 points. He was also efficient, shooting 6-for-7 from the free-throw line and 7-9 from the field.
“He’s got such a natural way of finding areas,” coach Thad Matta said. “He has never wavered; the work that he puts in before and after practice.”
I said it at the start of the Big 10 season and I’ll say it again, Deshaun Thomas may be the best pure scorer on this Buckeye team. Now that he is starting to play solid defensive, there is no ceiling for what this freshman can accomplish. He can beat you outside or inside with his size and athleticism. For a team that is lacking in depth, Thomas’ improved play couldn’t have come at a better time for Ohio State.
Justin Mertes-Mistretta is a senior writer for TheSportBank.net. Follow him on Twitter at MertesMist_tsb or read his blog here.