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Playing for the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons must be tough. The Deacons are 1-7 and 9-12 in the ACC, sitting at the very bottom of the league.
It is even tougher when you’re a good player getting very little national recognition for your play. That is the case for junior Devin Thomas. He is quietly putting together a terrific season under first year head coach Danny Manning.
The 6-foot-9 junior is currently averaging 13 PPG on 49.7 percent shooting and 10 RPG. Those numbers might not jump off the page, but consider that Thomas is the only player in the ACC averaging a double-double. While Jahlil Okafor might have been a good guess, the freshman sensation falls short in this category.
The shame for Thomas is that on virtually any of the top teams in the ACC, he might be a national star. He has 10 double-doubles on the year, including five over his last five games. In one of his best games of the year, Thomas put up an impressive 31 points and 11 rebounds against the nationally-ranked Louisville Cardinals. That alone should give Thomas recognition as one of the better players in the nation, regardless of what team he plays on.
Credit him as one reason the Demon Deacons are 10th overall in the nation in rebounding, averaging 40.2 per game. Without him, the Deacons could be giving up more points on defense and having fewer opportunities to score on the offensive glass. Games might be tough to watch in Winston-Salem, but at the very least fans can look at Thomas as a reason to keep their eyes open. Furthermore, Thomas will be around another year, barring an early entry to the NBA Draft.
Unfortunately, you might be hard-pressed to see Thomas on television due to the lack of competitiveness from the Demon Deacons. If you do get a chance, watch No. 2 and you will see how good of a player he is.
Michael Costeines is the ACC basketball Blogger for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MCosteines, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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