Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apts
Classifieds
Shop
Bishop Luers junior Deshaun Thomas got the second-most votes in his second straight appearance on The Associated Press All-State basketball first team Wednesday.
The 6-foot-7 Ohio State recruit led the state in scoring at 30.3 points, was second in rebounding at 15.1 and led Luers to a repeat Class 2A state championship.
Thomas also made the 2009 Parade magazine All-American fourth team this week.
“It is good making all these teams. It is a great experience,” said Thomas, who will play in NBA Top 100 camp June 17 to 21 at the University of Virginia. “I didn’t know (the All-American award) was coming. It feels great making my dreams come true.”
Bloomington South senior Jordan Hulls was the top vote-getter after leading the Panthers to a 26-0 record and the school’s first state championship in 90 years, a 69-62 win over Snider in the Class 4A title game Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Thomas was the only boys player from northeast Indiana to be on the top All-State teams. He was recently selected to the Top 15 underclassmen list by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
Also on the boys first team were IU recruit Derek Elston of Tipton, Purdue recruit D.J. Byrd of North Montgomery and North Carolina State recruit Scott Wood of Marion. Elston, whose Tipton team was eliminated from the 2A regional the past two seasons by Luers, was a third-team selection last year, while Wood’s Marion team lost to Snider in the regional finals.
For the girls, Canterbury junior Tabitha Gerardot was named to The AP’s second team, and Elmhurst senior Lecretia Smith was on the third team. Both players led their respective teams to a state championship: Canterbury won a second straight Class A title, and Elmhurst was the 3A state champion.
Gerardot was fifth in the state in scoring at 24 points and third in rebounding at 13.0. Smith, a Toledo signee, averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds.
Miss Basketball Skylar Diggins of South Bend Washington was the girls leading vote-getter. Diggins, a Notre Dame signee, led the state in scoring at 29 points a game and was a first-team AP All-State selection for the third year in a row.
Kelly Faris, a Connecticut recruit, of four-time Class 2A champion Heritage Christian, also was a repeat selection on The AP first team. Chrissy Steffen of Carmel and Alex Bentley of 4A champion Ben Davis moved up from the second team last year to first team this time. Courtney Osborn of Hamilton Southeastern was also named to the top team.
Courtney Moses of 2A runner-up Oak Hill, another junior who has committed to Purdue, is on the girls second team.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
