[dropcap]Word[/dropcap] broke this morning that former Benson Bunny star and current Fork Union Prep wing Khyri Thomas is coming home to play his collegiate basketball in the Big East at Creighton, in a tweet from the Omaha World-Herald’s Steve Pivovar. He’d played at Benson High for former Bluejay Donnie Johnson, and had been recruited for a long time by Coach Greg McDermott and his staff before deciding on a 2014-2015 Post-Graduate year in prep school to help solidify his academic eligibility.
Thomas’ stock grew by leaps and bounds following good performances at AAU and Prep events in the Summer/Fall of 2014. Here is what some national recruiting experts said after watching Khyri.
Fork Union wing Khyri Thomas having a solid go of it early on. Strong bodied scorer at the rack who is active on both ends #NPS
— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) November 21, 2014
Khyri Thomas with the dunk of the event. Just threw down the hammer on a defender. Big time blowup candidate here this wknd. — Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) November 22, 2014
6’3 Khyri Thomas is doing it all for Fork Union. Facilitating, scoring on his own, defending. Dude is a ball player in a college ready body
— Corey Pegram (@CoreyPegram) December 6, 2014
Omaha native Khyri Thomas has some stuff to him. Tough, take no BS 6-3 wing with length and athleticism. Raw but big upside. #NPS — Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) November 21, 2014
Khyri Thomas is feeling it this half, athletic finisher who thrives in transition.
— Brian Flinn (@BFlinnHoops) November 21, 2014
Thomas always possessed a strong build but his time in Virginia at Fork Union helped him develop strength on the court. Thomas is listed as 6’4″, 195 pounds on the Fork Union Post Grad roster, but he has a 6’10” wingspan — in other words, a guard with Big East length. His commitment helps fill one of the biggest holes on the 2015-2016 Creighton roster, as his size, athleticism and ability to defend opposing wing players should give him an immediate chance to see time on the floor. And, oh yeah, he can dunk like this:
Creighton was joined by Western Kentucky and Kansas State as those schools most interested in Thomas. His commitment means the Jays have signed the best player from the state of Nebraska each of the past two years, and will have both Justin Patton and Thomas for four years. Here’s what people are saying about the Thomas commit:
ESPN’s Scouting Report on Khyri Thomas. He committed to #Creighton today. pic.twitter.com/cSD1dCbyhh
— Big East Coast Bias (@becb_sbn) February 12, 2015
Liked him in November. Active defender. RT @PivOWH: Former Omaha Benson star Khyri Thomas is headed to Creighton.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 12, 2015
#Creighton has landed a commitment from one of the top available 2G’s, Omaha native Khyri Thomas of Fork Union has committed.
— Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) February 12, 2015
Per @PivOWH Omaha Benson guard Khyri Thomas will play at Creighton. Great defender. Gets to the rim. He’s Big East caliber.
— Samuel McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) February 12, 2015
Really excited about the Khyri Thomas news. Really good player and even better kid. Loved his game at Benson.
— Garrett Gordon (@GarrettGordon) February 12, 2015
So with Khyri Thomas’ commitment, Creighton got the top player in Nebraska in both 2014 and 2015 – and both in the same class.
— Jacob Padilla (@JacobPadilla_) February 12, 2015
Have no doubt, Khyri is a legit major conference athlete with great length, and he’s skilled too. Just needs some polishing.
— Jacob Padilla (@JacobPadilla_) February 12, 2015
Khyri is exactly the kind of player Creighton needs: a long, athletic wing who really takes pride in defending but can also score.
— Jacob Padilla (@JacobPadilla_) February 12, 2015
Thomas rounds out the Jays 2015 class at this point in time, and joins a group of seven players who are either redshirting this year or will be newcomers next year — Mo Watson, Cole Huff, Ronnie Harrell, Marlon Stewart, Justin Patton, and Martin Krampelj are the other six — as the Bluejays overhaul their roster. And don’t look for Creighton to stop recruiting. I believe Creighton will be very busy on the transfer market this Spring as they continue to upgrade their talent for the 2015-2016 season.
Despite doubts from many observers during the recruiting process, I always believed it was always going to be Creighton for Thomas. It’s very good news that he’s headed to the Hilltop.
Welcome Home Khryi.