Derrick Thomas St Johns Class of 2009

 6'5" guard Derrick Thomas  now of St. Johns HS in Washington DC ,  is arguably the most under the radar recruit in the class of 2009 after playing high school basketball for Northfield Mt. Hermon Prep School in NYC. Thomas transferred after his sophomore season in search of a change and to solidify his stock to the potential that he always believed he's had. " Playing in Washington DC is great " smiled Thomas , I was surprised to find out the pace of the game is just as fast here as it is in New York City.

Derrick Thomas only knows one way to play the game and that is with the utmost intensity and desire to win every time he steps on the court. Thomas is averaging 16 points a contest for the Cadets for St. Johns who are 6-2 so far in league play. Thomas is an athletic swingman , capable of getting to the basket and also has the ability to shoot the deep ball with consistency. At 6'5" 195lbs Thomas is built like a college player already ,and is one of the strongest wingmen in the area that we've seen.

The most important aspect of Thomas' game is that he is a winner. He sometimes sacrifices shots to get his teammates better looks and is an important trait to have in the offensive system that St. Johns runs. The Cadets sometimes hold the ball for 30 seconds running their offense and making defenses work. Thomas who is a shoe in for the Rock Summer League all star game is top 10 in scoring as well just slightly behind such players as Rodney McGruder (Carroll) , Lasan Kromah (Roosevelt) , Rashad Whack (McNamara) , Markel Starks (Gerogetown Prep) and Josh Selby (Dematha).

With the big time play recently from Thomas he has garnished several high major looks from Clemson and Pittsburgh as well as interest from Providence and George Mason. , yet is unranked on just about every scouting website you can find. The NY native has worked tirelessly on his game it is showing. " I am working hard on my game everyday , St. Johns trainers Corey and Perogy are working very closely with me and are helping improve on my skills." added Thomas.

Although Thomas was not born in the DC area or a household name at this point , he is a name that surely you will be hearing a lot about in the near future. "My goal next year is to do anything to help my team win" noted Thomas and with that attitude the young man from NYC is already a winner.