Mr. Basketball in Indiana, a respected veteran in Europe: This is Deshaun Thomas Journey to Milan

To understand Deshaun Thomas’ journey, it is necessary to understand the context in which he grew up, in Indiana. In the United States it is called basketball in 49 states but then there is Indiana where it is something more than a sport. In a lot of communities, it is a reason for living, a lifestyle, it is something that really matters. It can affect the mood of an entire community. Since 1911, every year a high school has won the state championship and it is big news all over the place. In 1954 the state title was won by a small school from a small town called Milan. That school had fewer than 200 students, but its team was able to defeat the big Muncie Central High which had ten times as many students. That historic win gained worldwide prominence many years later when it became a film starring Gene Hackman, "Hoosiers". Hoosiers is the hardly translatable nickname that in popular culture identifies the Indiana residents or more generally people from the countries, the so-called hicks. Two years after the Milan High School triumph, the title was won by the Crispus Attucks of Indianapolis, led by the great Oscar Robertson, the first all-African Americans school to win. In 1989 the tournament championship game, at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, was attended by 41,000 fans. Since 1939, the Mr. Basketball Award has been awarded annually to the best high school player in the state. In the roll of honor of the trophy there are players such as Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Glenn Robinson, Greg Oden, Eric Gordon.

Since 1997, the state high school tournament is no longer a single tournament, open to every school. To reduce the gigantism of the competition, the schools have been divided into four categories. In 2008 and 2009, one of the four titles was won by the Bishop Luers High School of Fort Wayne, led by – yes! – Deshaun Thomas. The school had never won the championship before and has never won since. Before Deshaun it was ignored by the big college scouts and the gym that hosts its home games was always half-empty. During Deshaun time at the school, the gym was filled with fans and scouts. Thomas finished his high school career as the third-best scorer in the history of the state high school basketball. And in 2010 he received the highest honor – he was named Mr. Basketball. Like Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird. Like Big Dog Robinson. His number 1 jersey has been retired, the first in the history of the Fort Wayne school, no matter what sport. He affected many people: his coach, James Blackmon, a former Kentucky star, moved on to coach the big and powerful Marion High School.

Thomas could have gone to any college he wanted to choose, but from the very beginning he had given his word to Thad Matta: he would play for him at Ohio State, in the same Big Ten conference that Indiana University was competing in. In his own state, he became not an enemy but an opponent. But Ohio State assured him three seasons of high-level basketball. In fact, he finished his college career as a 14.4-point per game scorer.

Milan is his seventh European team, the seventh with which he will play in the EuroLeague. This is some kind of record. He has played 197 games in the top competition, he is 58 points shy of 2,000 in his career, has hit 220 threes, with 37 percent accuracy for his career. He has won two national titles and two national cups. At Olimpia, the goal is to increase these numbers. He had come to Europe straight from college, and over the years he has become a respected veteran, a leader. In Fort Wayne he is still a celebrity. Wane 15, the local stations, dedicated a one-minute and 42-second report to his signing for Olimpia, adding an interview given to them early in the summer. When you were Mr. Basketball in Indiana, you are Mr. Basketball forever.