Houston’s TaShawn Thomas is Most Underrated Player in AAC

Houston Cougars junior big man TaShawn Thomas has the whole package: an ability to rebound, be a presence defensively and offensive skill set to dominate in the post. Coming off a under-appreciated season in which he put up 16.9 points per game to go with 9.8 rebounds, the 6-foot-8 Thomas is back at it this season.

Leading his undefeated Cougars offensively in points per game, with 18.3, which is ranked fifth in the AAC, Thomas has shot an astounding 73.8 percent from the floor (31-of-42). His 31 field goals lead the team and his field goal percentage ranks third in the conference. Second in that category is sophomore guard Danuel House, who has made 20 field goals.

Defensively, his numbers have been just as terrific. Bringing down 10.0 rebounds per game, ranked second in the AAC, Thomas also has 16 blocks and five steals. His 4.0 blocks per game rank first in the conference. To add a very important dimension to his defensive game, he has only committed seven fouls in 129 minutes of play.

It will be very interesting to see if any team in the AAC can stop Thomas down on the block. He possesses everything you want in a big man, minus a couple inches of height. The only way he can get in trouble is if a defender with three or four inches of length on him can extend and contest his shots down low. Although, he uses his body and weight so well that it might not make a difference. Let’s see if he can lead the Cougars to a few unexpected victories this season.

Dan Karpuc is an American Athletic Conference basketball writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @dan_karpuc, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.