Indiana extends offer to 2025 guard Merrick Thomas Graduated from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Pennsylvania. The Hoosiers have been active in their sophomore class this fall, and offers for Thomas continue that trend.
Indiana joins Thomas’ offer list of Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Kansas and Bryant. St. John’s was his first scholarship offer and Pitt immediately joined. He lives near Pitt’s campus, so Jeff’s early offer from his Capel and Panthers makes sense.
In October, Thomas goes to USA Basketball minicamp. This should be a platform for Thomas to introduce his game to decision makers in many countries.
Thomas has made a name for himself in his middle school career and continues to gain national attention. This spring and summer, Thomas played in the New His Heights His Lightning in the Nike EYBL 15U division. At the Lightning, Thomas scored 18-44 (40.9%) from 3-point range in his 11 EYBL games tracked by Synergy Sports. They also had him shoot 26-34 (76.5%) at the free throw line.
For a young player, he is very used to dribbling shots from the outside. After putting the ball on the floor, Thomas spotted up and took as many threes as he did. He’s not standing behind his line three-pointers waiting for a wide-open opportunity. That makes his 3-pointers and his shooting percentage even more impressive.
Thomas’ main concern with shooting is recoil, but his consistency and accuracy are far superior to the average recoil shooter. So we are not experiencing any issues at this time.
Sophomores are long-armed, agile shooting guards. While the 6-foot-3 shooter keeps fulfilling, Thomas is a smooth athlete who likes to dribble into the paint. Against high-level players, Thomas’s natural athleticism makes him stand out. It’s his skill set that makes him great.
Despite his stocky build, Thomas never hesitates to reach out. He posts offensively in his end and asks for physicals in blockouts. That’s an excellent sign of his long-term competitiveness.
Only about a third of his EYBL attempts were 3-pointers. He’s a natural scorer, a contested jumper in midrange, slashing into the paint, putting other guards on blocks, running the floor for layups, and hitting his grass offensively.
Thomas has a jerky movement off the dribble that helps him get past defenders. This allows him to step up to defenders on a regular basis. He didn’t turn the ball over much for Lightning, but Thomas dribbled too high and went loose.
Another drawback to Thomas’ game is his affinity for one-legged fadeaways. Not a move you often see at the 15U level. But it shows Thomas’ creativity and sophistication early on. He also excels at shots around the basket with his package layup. However, while Thomas has not been a great finisher on his EYBL play, his feel and touch suggest improving at the rim as he adds power.
247Sports has yet to release its first national rankings for 2025, but Thomas has a great chance of landing in the debut rankings. He’s a solid long-term outlook.
