Recruiting Report: Kalil Thomas (2019)
It was a big summer summer for Holy Cross 6-foot-4 guard Kalil Thomas, who now has the attention of several Division I programs as he heads into his junior season.
That tends to happen when you get the opportunity to play with a shoe-sponsored team, which in Thomas’ case was Texas PRO on the adidas Gauntlet.
“This summer my name really got out there. So it’s Oral Roberts, Tulsa, University of San Diego, Cal Berkeley, Sam Houston State recently just asked about me, and Louisiana Tech,” said Thomas.
“It’s all just interest, a lot of phone calls and text messages. And I should be taking some visits here soon, hopefully.”
Thomas, currently Louisiana’s 35th-ranked 2019, mentioned which schools he feels might be the first to pull the trigger and offer.
“University of San Diego is really the first that was recruiting me, and they haven’t stopped. They have a beautiful campus, so they would be a school I definitely consider,” said Thomas. “And Oral Roberts has been on me a lot, and I definitely like Oral Roberts.”
Always a sharpshooter, Thomas has begun to diversity his skill-set, making him a threat from anywhere on the floor, at anytime.
“Ever since I was younger, I’ve always been a shooter. And in my opinion I’m still a really good shooter. Over time, my handles have gotten better, and I’ve become a ball-dominant player,” said Thomas.
“With my length, it’s hard for a defender to stay in front of me, so I get to the goal easier. A lot of people call me smooth, they say I have a smooth game. I’m not really a flashy player, I’m more of a get the job done type player.”
He’s even started to excel on the defensive end.
“I really like to make an impact on all aspects of the game; like rebounding and talking. And recently my defense has stepped up tremendously, and I actually have have fun, I love playing defense now,” said Thomas.
This spring and summer, with Texas PRO on the adidas Gauntlet, Thomas said he had an eye-opening experience.
“My first season playing with them was last year when I played 15U, and playing with a team like that made me look at basketball completely different. It’s like playing with the kids on that level, everybody has the same goal as you, they want to get to college and play D1 ball,” said Thomas.
“The whole time you’re going against top-notch players. So then when I come back to New Orleans and play high school basketball, it kind of makes it easier for me, because I know what’s out there and I played against the best competition. It helps me develop way more as a basketball player.”
Now, as he heads into his junior season with the Tigers, Thomas says his role will increase dramatically.
“My role on the team will be way bigger than it was in year’s past. It has to be my team now, and I’ll have to be way more of a leader. We have so much talent, and I feel like we can make a deep run in the playoffs,” said Thomas.
“We have all the talent in the world, but if we don’t want to work hard, we’re not going to make it anywhere. So I’m constantly staying in the gym, and staying on my teammates, that they have to stay in the gym too.”