Little Rock Parkview coach Scotty Thurman isn't shy about his praise for freshman wing Dallas Thomas.
“He’s probably one of the most skilled ninth graders not only in the state, but probably in the country,” Thurman said. “He’s had some bumps and bruises over the last year, but is now getting a lot stronger. We’ve had him in the weight room trying to develop his skill set.”
Thomas has grown 2 inches since last year and now stands at 6-7 with his 160-pound frame.
“He already has an offer from Missouri State and I think that’s just one of many that will be coming his way,” Thurman said. “High-character kid, hard worker, 'Yes sir, no sir' type of kid and really is the future of Parkview basketball.
“I think before it’s all said and done, I think everybody in the country will be recruiting him before it’s all over.”
Thomas attended Pinnacle View Middle School last year with Little Rock Central freshman guard Annor Boateng, who is a target of Arkansas. Thomas' father also played at Parkview.
“He can shoot it, he can handle it real well, extremely skilled,” Thurman said of Thomas. “He’s a right hander, but uses his left hand really well especially for a young man. He even writes with his left hand which is kind of odd, but shoots the basketball and everything else with his right.
“Can play inside and out. Prefers to be out but a lot more than in due to his frame but I think that’s going to change over the course of the year because we’re going to force him to be able to play 1 through 5 in his age group, and as he continues to develop he’ll probably be one of those kids we’ll be bringing up.”
Thurman said Thomas has a low-key personality.
“He’s really an impressive young man in the sense he kind of keeps his head down and goes to work,” Thurman said. “You really won’t know he’s in the room. He’s just one of those guys that likes to blend in but his teammates gravitate towards him.”