Recruiting report: Thomas Dutton (2017)
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Hickman 2017 power forward Thomas Dutton is taking a football mentality to the hard wood this spring and summer and hopes his play for the St. Louis Eagles will land him a scholarship opportunity to play basketball.…
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Continue ReadingBENTONVILLE, Ark. — Hickman 2017 power forward Thomas Dutton is taking a football mentality to the hard wood this spring and summer and hopes his play for the St. Louis Eagles will land him a scholarship opportunity to play basketball.
On of central Missouri’s top interior players, Dutton is a strong, physical post player that isn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint.
“He brings toughness inside,” Cory Frazier said. “He is a guy that will take charges, set hard screens, rebound put backs at the offensive end. The toughness that he brings in the paint will be key for us.”
“I would say I am a power finisher and good at rebounding,” Dutton said. “I don’t have a lot of moves, but I am good at finishing and stuff like that.”
Dutton is a 6-foot-8, 235-pound power forward that has blown up on the football field over the past season as a tight end prospect. Dutton said he has heard from several college basketball programs as well, holds football offers from Miami (Ohio) and Central Florida.
Also a defensive end, Dutton said he started out his varsity career playing behind Mizzou’s Grant Jones and his brother Brandon Jones who is going to Illinois.
“They taught me to work hard and push myself,” he said.
Dutton burst on the scene at Hickman as a ninth-grader, earning varsity time, but has since gotten stronger and has improved his skills.
“It helped me (getting on the varsity level), being introduced to that kind of talent young helps,” he said.
“I am working hard trying to get better and I am trying to put some weight on and get bigger and get some scholarships,” he said.
This will be Dutton’s first spring and summer competing in the 17U Nike EYBL circuit with the St. Louis Eagles.
“I don’t really know what to expect, I’m just going to try to do good and play hard,” he said. “It’s probably going to be difficult. Playing with the Eagles has taught me how to get ready for stuff. You have to be ready for these guys or you might get dunked on.”
Dutton said one of the top players he has faced was 2018 Marvin Bagley last summer.