NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 8 teams for 3-star forward Malcolm Thomas

Miami Hurricanes

There’s not much frontcourt depth for Miami at the moment. Rising senior Norchad Omier anchors the center position, backed up by Micahel Nwoko. But there are no true power forwards on the current roster, as wings AJ Casey and FSU transfer Matthew Cleveland are going to play mostly as the undersized fours. So from a playing time standpoint, this is an option that would make great sense for Thomas, especially if Omier goes pro after next season.

Ole Miss Rebels

New coach Chris Beard made sure to have a lot of bodies in his first year in SEC play. Moussa Cisse and Jamarion Sharp are in at center, while a trio of frontcourt freshmen are looking to get into the rotation. And then there’s Jaemyn Brakefield, a starting forward that has two years left of eligibility. Without knowing how youngsters like Jacob Grazzo and Rashaud Marshall look, it’s hard to see how Thomas can get onto the court.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Vandy landed Notre Dame transfer Ven-Allen Lubin, who is expected to be in the rotation for the next three years. There’s not a lot of proven depth behind him, with freshmen Carter Lang and Malik Presley not proven yet at the SEC level. As long as head coach Jerry Stackhouse is sticking around, this is an option where Thomas can come in and get minutes out the gate.