With the spring evaluation period coming in April and college coaches across the country looking to finalize their rosters for next season, college coaches are scouring the country for top-rated unsigned basketball talent.
Two of the top unsigned guard prospects in America played together in the backcourt for the same club basketball program last spring and summer - the Arizona Magic Elite. Planet Athlete Academy's 6-foot-3 senior guard Sammy Thompkins and Hillcrest Academy 6-foot-3, 200-pound prep guard Lyrik Shreiner have had very similar pasts and are forever linked together. Both prospects were almost forgotten by numerous college programs in the fall, and both prospects have been on the move in their high school careers. On Saturday, both prospects gave high-major division-I verbal commitments to play college basketball next fall.
On Saturday afternoon, in amazing fashion, Sammy Thompkins decided to end his college recruitment - giving a verbal pledge to St. John's University and head coach Steve Lavin - a member of the Big East Conference. Thompkins will be the first ever Arizona prospect to sign with the Redmen - one of the nation's top basketball programs historically. Thompkins took an official recruiting visit to St. Johns University last week, and enjoyed watching St. Johns take on Georgetown in Madison Square Garden.
Also on Saturday evening, Lyrik Shreiner would follow suit of his club teammate and give a verbal commitment to Texas Christian University and head coach Trent Johnson and his staff. Texas Christian is a member of the Big-12 Conference, possibly the best basketball conference in the country currently. Shreiner is currently on an official recruiting visit to the program right now, and his commitment came on Saturday evening after TCU played against #17 ranked Iowa State.
Both Thompkins and Shreiner gave huge commitments on Saturday, but both prospects had also had similar situations in their pasts, as both prospects were well traveled.
Thompkins had began his career in New Mexico, then played at Marana Mountain View HS in Tucson, before his mother took a job in Phoenix. Thompkins would star at Sunnyslope HS as a junior and for part of his senior season. Thompkins was released from the Vikings' team during his senior season, and then he picked up his high school career at Plant Athlete Academy in Phoenix, where he now competes. Thompkins will still graduate from Sunnyslope this spring.
Shreiner had began his high school career at Glendale High School, where he put up good numbers. Shreiner then transferred to Westwind Prep Academy where he broke state scoring records. After his high school career at Westwind, Shreiner chose to go the prep school route this season and head to Fishburnne Academy in Virginia, before returning back to Phoenix at semester break and playing for Hillcrest Academy and head coach Nick Weaver.
Both prospects are also very excited about their commitments.
"I really enjoyed my visit there," said Thompkins. "They play big time basketball in a big-time conference. I really like that they play on television."
"I picked TCU because I felt that it was the perfect situation," said Shreiner. "From the great coaching staff, to the city it's in, the campus, the pieces coming back around me next year and that I feel that the Big-12 is the best basketball conference in the country."
Shreiner went on to say, "I'm extremely excited about my commitment. Just a year or two ago people, people were saying that I would never play college basketball. Now I'm going to be a point guard in the Big-12!"
Thompkins chose St. Johns over serious interest from Utah, Washington State, USC, Cal, Colorado, Purdue, Oregon State, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Nebraska, Tulsa, Nevada, Grand Canyon, Saint Mary’s, Cal-State Northridge, Mississippi State, Pepperdine, Weber State and Northern Arizona. He also held scholarship offers from Rice, San Jose State, Sam Houston, Cal Poly and UC-Davis.
Shreiner chose TCU over past scholarship offers from Louisville, Baylor, UCONN, Missouri, Memphis, Washington, Washington State, Cincinnatti, Oregon, UTEP and San Diego. Many of those programs had signed other prospects. Shreiner was recently receiving heavy recruiting interest from Washington State, USC, Colorado and Cal.
Both Thompkins and Shreiner are full NCAA academic qualifiers.
