Thomas signs <br />with USD basketball

Thomas signs
with USD basketball Dave Boots, the head coach of The University of South Dakota menâ�?�?s basketball team, has announced that Jake Thomas of Racine, WI, has signed a letter of intent to continue his athletic and academic career at USD, starting in 2009-10. �? Thomas, a 6-foot-3 guard, is a senior at Racine St. Catherineâ�?�?s High School, and is the fifth recruit to sign with the Coyote men during the early signing period.�?  Thomas has had a strong career at St. Catherineâ�?�?s, which is the No. 1-ranked team in Division 3 in Wisconsin. In 2007-08, he averaged 13 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. He shot 42 percent from three-point range and 83 percent from the free-throw line. He made seven 3-pointers in one game and also made six 3-pointers in a game twice. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.3 points per game and hit 51 percent of his three-point attempts. He made 52 three-pointers for the season as a sophomore. �? â�?�?Heâ�?�?s one of the best shooters we saw all summer,â�? Boots said. â�?�?Heâ�?�?s highly rated. Heâ�?�?s just an all-around good player â�?�? and a very good defender. Heâ�?�?s just an incredible three-point shooter.â�? �? Thomas is a three-year letter winner in basketball. He was a member of the St. Catherineâ�?�?s team that won the Wisconsin Division 3 state title in 2006-07. In the state championship game that year, Thomas scored 14 points. �? Thomas joins a talented 2009-10 Coyote recruiting class, which includes Mitchell Bouie, a guard from Chicago, IL, who currently is playing at Western Oklahoma State College; Conrad Krutwig, a forward from Algonquin, IL; Dustin Tetzlaff, a forward from Watertown; and Cliff Warner, a point guard from Altoona, IA.