Ranking the freshman seasons of former number one high school recruits

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Former Syracuse Orange player Carmelo Anthony (C) receives his jersey from athletic director Daryl Gross (L) as his number is retired during a ceremony at half time during the game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2013 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Nate Shron/Getty Images) /

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Tim Thomas (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Ranking the freshman seasons of former number one high school recruits: 10. Tim Thomas

Freshman stats: 16.9 ppg, 6 rpg

Kobe Bryant is on the shortlist of greatest basketball players that have ever lived. But that doesn’t simply hold true to what he did in the NBA but also in high school.

Though he grabbed every award humanly possible and destroyed just about everyone he played against while attending Lower Merion high school in Philadelphia, Bryant never played any college ball. Instead, he jumped right to the NBA. Five NBA titles, countless All-Star appearances, and tons of buckets spread across two decades – and it’s safe to say that he made the right choice.

So who was the second-best high player in 1996? Well, that would be none other than Tim Thomas.

With averages of 25.3 points and 14.5 boards as a senior in high school, Thomas signed with Villanova for his lone college season. Needless to say, he was the full package. Thomas dropped 16.9 points a game with six rebounds. He shot 45% from the field and 33.6% from behind the arc. Those numbers netted him the Big East Freshman of the Year.

As a whole, Villanova was somewhat disappointing. They finished the season with a 24-10 record and were sent home packing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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