Wednesday, May 04, 2005

UMASS Signs Swingman for Third Scholarship Spot

UMASS has signed 6'6" G/F Brandon Thomas to a NLI. Thomas, who played his Freshman and Sophmore years at LIU and sat out last year at Santa Fe Community College (in Gaineville, FL?), chose UMASS over Florida, Notre Dame, DePaul and Florida State.

"The atmosphere at UMass and in the town of Amherst is great," he said. "The coaches are very classy people who want to win. I was also impressed that they want to build lifelong relationships with their players and want the best for their players."

Says coach Ford:

"We are excited to welcome Brandon Thomas to the UMass basketball family," said Ford. "He is an incredibly talented and versatile player. We expect Brandon to be an immediate impact player for the upcoming season. He can play multiple positions including both guard and both forward spots. He is a proven Division I player who will be a factor for us. In addition to being a great basketball player, Brandon is a great person off the court and is committed to being the best student he can be in the classroom."

During his Sophmore year at LIU, Thomas shot 51% from the floor and led the Blackbirds with 12.3 ppg. Check out his stats here (story is the same as the previous links but the stats are in a more readable format - scroll to the bottom). He is described as a swingman who does a little of everything and has two years of elgibility remaining.

Some random thoughts:

*Coach Ford is certainly remaking this team in his image. He signed three players who can get up and down the floor and, aside from the pure point, are multideimensional players. It will be interesting to see what he does with the returning players to get them into the shape and mental state necessary to run up and down the floor and (probably) play less minutes. Specifically, I'm thinking of Rashaun Freeman and Big Deli.

*To get these three players, UMASS has pulled off recruiting coups under the noses of the ACC, the SEC, the Big East, the A-10, and a very good Utah State team. In the late recruiting period. I am looking forward to seeing what Coach Ford can do with a full year to recruit!

*There is a sense of excitement around the UMASS team that hasn't been seen in Amherst since Camby and Coach Cal left (in a cloud of scandel) - this signing should only add to that feeling. Based on the recruiting and the connection to the UMASS community, you would have to give coach Ford an A for his work so far.

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