Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski announced Monday that the University has received a signed letter-of-intent from Lance Thomas, a standout forward from Newark, N.J. Thomas joins Gerald Henderson, Jr. (Merion Station, Pa.), Jon Scheyer (Northbrook, Ill.) and Brian Zoubek (Haddonfield, N.J.) to make up Duke's incoming freshman class for the 2006-07 season.
Thomas, a 6-9, 220-pound forward, averaged 14.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.0 percent from the floor as a senior. He led Newark St. Benedict's Prep to a pair of Prep A Division state titles and a 56-3 record over the past two seasons. Thomas, a McDonald's All-America and Roundball Classic participant, was also named the prep-school state player of the year by the Newark Star-Ledger this past year.
The Recruiting Services Consensus Index, which combines the player rankings from several well-known recruiting experts including All Star Report, Prep Star, Hoop Scoop, RivalsHoops.com, Hoopmasters and The Insiders Hoops, ranks Thomas 20th overall, giving Duke four recruits among the top 35 prep players in the nation. Henderson is ranked No. 18 with Scheyer and Zoubek at No. 30 and No. 33, respectively. Thomas is rated as the 18th-best overall prospect (fourth among power forwards) by Scout.com.