Thomas making progress for UC
01/11/13 at 2:20pm by bkoch

UC forward Shaquille Thomas will be playing against two of his friends Saturday when the Bearcats play at Rutgers.

“I know a couple of their guys,” Thomas said. “I went to high school with a couple of them, Myles Mack and Eli Carter.”


Shaquille Thomas

Mack and Carter are starting sophomore guards for the Scarlet Knights and are Rutgers’ top two scorers. Thomas, a redshirt freshman, might one day be one of the Bearcats’ top scorers. He’s beginning to get more playing time and becoming more comfortable as he gains experience.

“I’m just playing hard, playing with more confidence,” said Thomas, who’s from nearby Paterson, N.J.

The 6-7 wing player logged a season-high 24 minutes against Notre Dame on Monday. He’s averaging 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds.

“It’s just a matter of him continuing to get solid on the defensive end,” said UC coach Mick Cronin. “That’s going to get him more minutes because he can make plays and that makes us a better offensive team. As a coach, you can’t judge a guy offensively unless you can get him enough minutes where he’s comfortable, especially a young player.

“The Pitt game was a little too physical for him on the road but other than that he’s done a pretty good job defensively, which allows him to continue to get minutes. Aside from his one-on-one ability and his passing and his ability to put the ball in the basket, he makes us a bigger team because he’s such a big guard.”

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