When the Blue Devils opened practice in October of 2005, Lance Thomas had not committed to Duke. When they beat North Carolina in February, he had not yet committed. When they lost to Louisiana State in the NCAA Tournament in March, he still had not committed.
Thomas weighed the merits of Rutgers and Duke well into the spring-a move atypical for a top recruit-before finally announcing his intention of matriculating at Duke April 31, long after his three recruited classmates.
But because of his raw athleticism and energetic nature, Duke was willing to give the 6-foot-8 Thomas all the time he needed.
"We don't recruit multiple guys for a position," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We usually hone in on the one we want. He was the guy we wanted, and there was not going to be a replacement."
Now, it appears as if Krzyzewski's persistence in recruiting Thomas was justified. Thomas will not have to worry about riding the bench early in his career-on Oct. 22, Krzyzewski named Thomas as a probable opening-day starter.
"He's been the most consistent [freshman] at a high level," he said.
Given Thomas' decorated pedigree, however, it should be no surprise that he is flourishing. At Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in Scotch Plains, N.J., he played with current Louisville freshman Derrick Caracter. Thomas then transferred to St. Benedict's Prep in Newark and led the Gray Bees to two Prep A championships. He was coached by Danny Hurley, brother of former Duke point guard Bobby.
"[High school] helped prepare me for this," Thomas said. "It's similar to what we did in high school-but at a higher level."
The freshman forward has had no problem finding a niche in Duke's system, partly because of the fact that he has always been surrounded by tremendous talent. He is important to the Blue Devils not because of some innate scoring ability, but because of his constant energy and hustling mentality.
The forward also brings tremendous length and athleticism. Thomas, along with freshman Gerald Henderson, gives Duke the combination of size and speed that it sorely missed at times last year.
"One of the things Duke really needed was athleticism in the frontcourt," said Dave Telep, national editor of scout.com. "Lance Thomas was that answer. To me, he was a top-20 player in America, and he was the best player left at his position."
Thomas' delayed college decision has had no lingering negative effects-although he has been on campus for just three months, he already feels as if he belongs.
"I'm set in stone here already," he said. "I'm a Dukie."
He knows his wait to commit to Duke was worth it, if only for the reassured confidence that came with time.
And for his immediate contributions and potential impact, the Blue Devils feel the same way-Thomas was worth the wait.
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