No one expected it, but somehow the Missouri Tigers have landed DeAndre Thomas, a 6-8 270 lb. forward from Chicago. Thomas was originally interested in going to either Kansas or Illinois, but both schools stopped recruiting him. He told the Chicago Tribune that it will be “payback time” when the Tigers play the Jayhawks and Illini next season.
Thomas’ decision couldn’t come at a better time for MU, which lost forward Linas Kleiza and Jeffery Ferguson over the weekend. Kleiza declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft and Ferguson is transferring.
This past weekend, Thomas made a visit to Mizzou and has given head coach Quin Snyder a verbal commitment. He’s expected to sign a letter of intent soon. He was also interested in Georgetown and Florida.
Thomas averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior at Westinghouse High School in Chicago. He was the Class AA player of the year and the Chicago-Sun Times player of the year.
Missouri already has commitments from Leo Criswell, a 6-8 forward from Coastal Chritian Academy in Virginia Beach Virginia, guard Keaton Grant of Kissimmee, Florida and Matt Lawrence from St. Louis. Lawrence will walk on.
