A TALENT SHOW FOR OVERLOOKED STARS IN HOOPS

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Jacob Thomas was late to his AAU team's Saturday morning game, so he didn't get a chance to properly warm up. The 6-3 junior shooting guard from Columbia Heights air-balled his first shot. His second try during the weekend's Sabes Invitational AAU tournament at Bloomington Jefferson clanked off the side of the rim.

After the pair of misfires, Thomas looked up at the gym's dim lights and shouted in disgust. A family member on the sidelines yelled "Get loose!" and representatives from major colleges, still mulling over whether to offer Thomas a scholarship, scribbled notes on the tournament's programs.

Division I college coaches weren't allowed to attend, but sent unofficial reps to watch.

It's that scrutiny that compels Thomas, who plays for the top team in the Howard Pulley Basketball Program, to put pressure on himself, knowing that every shot he takes during the summer's AAU circuit might enhance or hinder his basketball future.

"I've been out here, working hard, trying to get my name out here," said Thomas, who earned all-tournament honors at the Sabes. He added later: "I'm in a small school in Minnesota, so I'm really not talked about ... [or] on the radar. [I] come out here, expose my game and hope the college coaches like it."

For Thomas and other preps around the country, the period after the high school season offers them opportunities to impress college coaches by playing in AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) tournaments around the country. During this past weekend's Sabes tournament, teams traveled from as far away as Houston to compete against some of the top players in America.

At stake: scholarship offers, exposure and national rankings from influential recruiting services. College reps enjoy the opportunity to analyze numerous high-level talents in one location. Players get an invaluable audition every time they take the floor in the off season events that get a lot of their clout from the major shoe companies that sponsor squads -- Nike backs Howard Pulley -- and the top college coaches that depend on them for recruiting.
Just last year Thomas, who averaged 22.7 points per game last season for Columbia Heights and was on the Star Tribune's All-Metro third team, was an unfamiliar name to many on the local basketball scene. But today, he's a wanted man and arguably the state's top junior, although there are concerns about his academics.

After making the all-tournament team after a standout performance in the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan., last weekend, several schools inquired about him. Earning all-tournament team honors at the Sabes will help his standing, too. A scholarship offer from the Gophers is expected in the near future.

His Howard Pulley teammate, Chad Calcaterra, is a 6-10 junior center from Cloquet. He already has an offer from Minnesota and five other Division I schools. He's hoping to prove his worth on the summer's AAU circuit to give the Gophers and others more confidence about his overall skills.

But Calcaterra can't do that in Cloquet, 21 miles west of Duluth.

"Up north in Cloquet, we really don't have many scouts coming up there, not to the games," Calcaterra said after a Friday night victory in the Sabes. "Coming down here, there's scouts everywhere and reporters. It's good exposure."

AAU even helps 6-7 junior Harrison Barnes, who played with the All Iowa Attack at the Sabes and has more than 20 Division I scholarship offers, including one from the Gophers. He has an NBA-ready body and the No. 1 national ranking from the most prestigious recruiting services. He said AAU basketball helps him develop his skills and prepare him for the next level.

"It's a good measuring stick because you're going against these guys week in and week out, and it allows you to judge how good you are and where you stand and what you need to improve on," said Barnes, who has named Minnesota as one of the final 12 schools he's considering.