After the holiday break, Bishop Luers senior Deshaun Thomas returns with his Q&A with Luers principal Mary Keefer.
Are you conscious while you are playing of how many points you're scoring?
"No, I just play. I don't think about the points."
I think you are the best passer on the team. What are you looking for when you pass the ball?
"I anticipate. I just know they will be where I pass the ball. It's fun to have an assist. I love to see kids who don't play a lot have a chance to score."
Talk a little bit about possibly breaking Damon Bailey's record.
"I would be happy if I could do that. I heard he was a great player. He did a lot to earn that record. But people say that I have to match his intensity to score that many points. I don't think I think about it as much as other people think about it. I read the articles in the paper so I see where I stand, but I'm not as hyped up as others are."
There was an article in the paper about kids being recruited too young. How do you feel about sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders getting contacts from college coaches?
"I think it's OK for kids to get recruited at a young age. If you are ranked high, you have earned it. It's exciting to get that first letter from a college coach. It encourages you to work harder. Some kids want scholarships, but if they are not offered, they don't think that they play that well. Getting looked at is encouraging."
Talk about winning the SAC tourney for the third year in a row.
"It was fun to play the championship game in front of a packed house. It was fun to play against my nephew Antonio Wilson. My family was waiting all year for that matchup. He plays for Elmhurst. I would have liked to have another shot at South Side, but Northrop took care of that.
The monster dunks in the championship game were exciting. I love to dunk it. The ally-oop is my favorite dunk, but it doesn't always work. The timing is so important on that shot. Wayne High School gave the game ball to me, but I gave it Kyle Sorg because he works so hard in practice and is a good player. He deserved the game ball."
Now Muncie South, wow. You broke your own one-game scoring record -- 52 points. You were smiling great big that entire game.
"That was crazy. I hit four threes back-to-back and I couldn't believe it. I also did a backward dunk for the first time ever in a game situation. It was a tense game because their fans were so loud. One of them was very nice, though. After the game he said, "Deshaun, we have played against a lot of ranked kids, but you're the real deal." That made me feel good. The last time I scored 50 points was in the fifth grade in an AAU tournament. But our team scored 110. And the starters were out the last three minutes of the game. They tried to take me out of the game by saying I had blood on my shirt. I looked all over, but there was no blood anywhere. It was a very fast-paced game."
You play Dwenger this weekend, and Kenny Mullen will be in Texas for the football combine. Any thoughts?
"It will be a tough one. Kenny is the floor general. He's that spike on defense. DeAngelo Fincher, Kyle Sorg and freshman Michael Rogers will have to step up. I have faith in them. Dwenger is a good team. They gave Elmhurst a good game. Elmhurst was up 20, but the Saints came back.
I can't believe that the season is half over and that I am going to graduate in May. It's all going too fast."
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