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Matt Thomas Talks About Badgers Offer, Tubby Smith and Fred Hoiberg
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/131067?referrer_id=388419
Matt Thomas, a 6-foot-4 junior guard from Onalaska who has a Minnesota scholarship offer, scored 30 points to lead the Hilltoppers to a 61-59 win over St. Paul Johnson in the East Metro Showcase. His strong play late in the game caused the Governors to focus on him on the last play of the game allowing his teammate to get wide-open for the game-winning shot.
Thomas is averaging 22.5 points per game as Onalaska is off to a 12-1 start. He has scored in double figures in all 13 games and has 20 or more points in ten of 13 contests. The Hilltoppers are ranked No. 1 in Wisconsin’s Division 2 rankings.
Thomas added a scholarship from Wisconsin to go along with offers from Boston College, Creighton, Green Bay, Iowa State, Marquette, Minnesota, Northwestern, Northern Iowa and Virginia.
GopherHole.com caught up with Thomas to learn the very latest on his recruitment.
GH: You didn’t have your best shooting day, but you have to be pleased with your play late in the game as you helped lead the team to a comeback win over Johnson?
Matt Thomas: It was a big win. I knew that it was going to be a tough game. St. Paul Johnson, they are a good team. Their record doesn’t really show how good they really are, but they are a good team. We played pretty much the whole game without our big guy Nick (Arenz). He got into foul trouble. That was tough. It was hard to get into a flow offensively because we didn’t really establish our post game with him in there. It was good that we made some plays down the stretch.
GH: Do you think that it helped a little that you saw Johnson play last week at the Midwest Players Classic and maybe picked up some things?
Matt Thomas: A little bit. We knew that they really didn’t like to shoot outside except for No. 1 (Marcus Marshall). He can shoot. He wasn’t there last weekend. Other than that, we wanted to make them beat us from the outside and try to limit their penetration. I think that we did OK. We could have done better.
GH: You scored 13 points in the last four and a half minutes and they were obviously keying on you the last play of the game. Was that something your team had talked about using a bit of a misdirection?
Matt Thomas: For sure. We thought that everyone was going to come and shade my side and we got Ben Socha open on the backdoor cut. That was good. That was a sweet play.
GH: I know that you just picked up an offer from Wisconsin, which I think is your tenth. What was it like to get offered from the homestate school?
Matt Thomas: It was pretty cool. The homestate school and it is Wisconsin, so it was definitely exciting.
GH: Was it a little bit frustrating at all that they hadn’t offered you when other school had?
Matt Thomas: Not really frustrating I guess, but other schools were coming into the picture earlier, but eventually they came through. It’s still pretty cool.
GH: Did you have a favorite school growing up that you watched on TV or do you have a favorite school now?
Matt Thomas: Not really. I just like watching college basketball in general, but not like a bias towards Wisconsin or anything like that.
GH: Obviously they have a commitment from a player in your area (Bronson Koenig) who you have played against and probably have a little bit of a rivalry against. Is that something you have talked about?
Matt Thomas: It is not anything like we hate each other. We are friends and we get along and stuff. We talk about the possibility of maybe playing together. It would be pretty cool.
GH: You have never really played together since you have played on rival school and rival AAU programs?
Matt Thomas: For sure. We have always been rivals, so it would be different for sure to team up with him.
GH: I’ve heard that Iowa State is doing a good job of recruiting you. What is it that you like about them?
Matt Thomas: Just the coaching staff. Fred Hoiberg is a really good guy. The assistant coaches like T.J. Otzelberger, I am building a good relationship with them. It has been cool getting to know them.
GH: Coach Hoiberg is a former guard who played in the NBA. Does he see a little of himself in you?
Matt Thomas: He has actually told me that I remind him of how he played when he was younger, so that is definitely cool coming from him. He led the league in three-point percentage one of his last years that he played, so that is definitely cool.
GH: I know that Virginia recently offered you a schoalrship. They have a former AAU teammate of yours in Paul Jesperson. What do you like about the Cavaliers?
Matt Thomas: They are having a great season this year, too. I haven’t been there, but I heard that it is just a great campus. It is one of the best public schools in the nation. Having Paul play there would be cool to get in there, knowing somebody and playing with him.
GH: Have you gotten a chance to watch them on TV?
Matt Thomas: I saw them play against Duke. That was the only recent one.
GH: What about Wisconsin? What do you like about them?
Matt Thomas: It is an instate school. Bo Ryan is a great coach. It would be cool to play there, too. Some great choices, so we’ll see
GH: What about the Gophers? They had three coaches watching you. Tubby Smith was there and I know that you talked to Coach Ron Jirsa. What do you like about Minnesota?
Matt Thomas: Tubby is a good coach, like all the others. That is something they all have in common. It is close to home, which would be nice. Big Ten, obviously. Big conference. I have a lot of good choices. I am just very blessed.
GH: Have you even thought about when you would try to make a decision? Are you going to take some visits?
Matt Thomas: I want to get to a few basketball games here. No official dates set, but I am looking at some schedules and get to a few games. I definitely don’t want to worry about it now in this high school season, but after this or sometime in AAU or after AAU. Nothing’s set.
GH: Are you still pretty open to new schools?
Matt Thomas: Definitely. I would give them a chance.
GH: Are you originally from La Crosse?
Matt Thomas: I was actually born in Illinois (Decatur), but I moved when I was three
GH: How about your team’s play? You had the one loss, but I think that you gained something from that game against Apple Valley and played well last week in the Midwest Players Classic. How well do you think the team is playing right now?
Matt Thomas: We were a little shaky in that game (Apple Valley). I don’t think that we played our best today, but we found a way to win. Apple Valley was the opposite. We kind of clutched up at the end, so this time we made the big plays down the stretch. Losses definitely help you out for future games. It will help us in the playoffs, playing in good tournaments like this, will definitely help out.
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/131067?referrer_id=388419
Matt Thomas, a 6-foot-4 junior guard from Onalaska who has a Minnesota scholarship offer, scored 30 points to lead the Hilltoppers to a 61-59 win over St. Paul Johnson in the East Metro Showcase. His strong play late in the game caused the Governors to focus on him on the last play of the game allowing his teammate to get wide-open for the game-winning shot.
Thomas is averaging 22.5 points per game as Onalaska is off to a 12-1 start. He has scored in double figures in all 13 games and has 20 or more points in ten of 13 contests. The Hilltoppers are ranked No. 1 in Wisconsin’s Division 2 rankings.
Thomas added a scholarship from Wisconsin to go along with offers from Boston College, Creighton, Green Bay, Iowa State, Marquette, Minnesota, Northwestern, Northern Iowa and Virginia.
GopherHole.com caught up with Thomas to learn the very latest on his recruitment.
GH: You didn’t have your best shooting day, but you have to be pleased with your play late in the game as you helped lead the team to a comeback win over Johnson?
Matt Thomas: It was a big win. I knew that it was going to be a tough game. St. Paul Johnson, they are a good team. Their record doesn’t really show how good they really are, but they are a good team. We played pretty much the whole game without our big guy Nick (Arenz). He got into foul trouble. That was tough. It was hard to get into a flow offensively because we didn’t really establish our post game with him in there. It was good that we made some plays down the stretch.
GH: Do you think that it helped a little that you saw Johnson play last week at the Midwest Players Classic and maybe picked up some things?
Matt Thomas: A little bit. We knew that they really didn’t like to shoot outside except for No. 1 (Marcus Marshall). He can shoot. He wasn’t there last weekend. Other than that, we wanted to make them beat us from the outside and try to limit their penetration. I think that we did OK. We could have done better.
GH: You scored 13 points in the last four and a half minutes and they were obviously keying on you the last play of the game. Was that something your team had talked about using a bit of a misdirection?
Matt Thomas: For sure. We thought that everyone was going to come and shade my side and we got Ben Socha open on the backdoor cut. That was good. That was a sweet play.
GH: I know that you just picked up an offer from Wisconsin, which I think is your tenth. What was it like to get offered from the homestate school?
Matt Thomas: It was pretty cool. The homestate school and it is Wisconsin, so it was definitely exciting.
GH: Was it a little bit frustrating at all that they hadn’t offered you when other school had?
Matt Thomas: Not really frustrating I guess, but other schools were coming into the picture earlier, but eventually they came through. It’s still pretty cool.
GH: Did you have a favorite school growing up that you watched on TV or do you have a favorite school now?
Matt Thomas: Not really. I just like watching college basketball in general, but not like a bias towards Wisconsin or anything like that.
GH: Obviously they have a commitment from a player in your area (Bronson Koenig) who you have played against and probably have a little bit of a rivalry against. Is that something you have talked about?
Matt Thomas: It is not anything like we hate each other. We are friends and we get along and stuff. We talk about the possibility of maybe playing together. It would be pretty cool.
GH: You have never really played together since you have played on rival school and rival AAU programs?
Matt Thomas: For sure. We have always been rivals, so it would be different for sure to team up with him.
GH: I’ve heard that Iowa State is doing a good job of recruiting you. What is it that you like about them?
Matt Thomas: Just the coaching staff. Fred Hoiberg is a really good guy. The assistant coaches like T.J. Otzelberger, I am building a good relationship with them. It has been cool getting to know them.
GH: Coach Hoiberg is a former guard who played in the NBA. Does he see a little of himself in you?
Matt Thomas: He has actually told me that I remind him of how he played when he was younger, so that is definitely cool coming from him. He led the league in three-point percentage one of his last years that he played, so that is definitely cool.
GH: I know that Virginia recently offered you a schoalrship. They have a former AAU teammate of yours in Paul Jesperson. What do you like about the Cavaliers?
Matt Thomas: They are having a great season this year, too. I haven’t been there, but I heard that it is just a great campus. It is one of the best public schools in the nation. Having Paul play there would be cool to get in there, knowing somebody and playing with him.
GH: Have you gotten a chance to watch them on TV?
Matt Thomas: I saw them play against Duke. That was the only recent one.
GH: What about Wisconsin? What do you like about them?
Matt Thomas: It is an instate school. Bo Ryan is a great coach. It would be cool to play there, too. Some great choices, so we’ll see
GH: What about the Gophers? They had three coaches watching you. Tubby Smith was there and I know that you talked to Coach Ron Jirsa. What do you like about Minnesota?
Matt Thomas: Tubby is a good coach, like all the others. That is something they all have in common. It is close to home, which would be nice. Big Ten, obviously. Big conference. I have a lot of good choices. I am just very blessed.
GH: Have you even thought about when you would try to make a decision? Are you going to take some visits?
Matt Thomas: I want to get to a few basketball games here. No official dates set, but I am looking at some schedules and get to a few games. I definitely don’t want to worry about it now in this high school season, but after this or sometime in AAU or after AAU. Nothing’s set.
GH: Are you still pretty open to new schools?
Matt Thomas: Definitely. I would give them a chance.
GH: Are you originally from La Crosse?
Matt Thomas: I was actually born in Illinois (Decatur), but I moved when I was three
GH: How about your team’s play? You had the one loss, but I think that you gained something from that game against Apple Valley and played well last week in the Midwest Players Classic. How well do you think the team is playing right now?
Matt Thomas: We were a little shaky in that game (Apple Valley). I don’t think that we played our best today, but we found a way to win. Apple Valley was the opposite. We kind of clutched up at the end, so this time we made the big plays down the stretch. Losses definitely help you out for future games. It will help us in the playoffs, playing in good tournaments like this, will definitely help out.
