Eric Hampford:
Future150 GM / Senior National Analyst. Covering high and middle school basketball.
Raleigh, NC (Future150) -- South Carolina is a football state. Each year, the Palmetto state is known for churning out top-notch talents on the gridiron who excel at both the college level as well as the professional level. However, this year, there is a player looking to change the perception of South Carolina's hardwood prospects.
Sindarius Thornwell of Lancaster High School (SC) is one of the brightest stars nationally in the class of 2013. The 6'5", 180-pound shooting guard followed a strong 2011 summer AAU season by dominating during his high school season. While suiting up for the Lancaster Bruins, he averaged 27 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals, solidifying his spot as one of the top 50 players in the United States for his class.
High major programs have taken notice of the star shooting guard. When asked what programs are interested or have offered him, he said "I have everybody in the ACC except Duke, UNC, and Maryland. South Carolina, Villanova, Louisville, Georgia, UCF, Tennessee, Syracuse, LSU, and Providence" are all vying for his services, and if he continues to display a vastly improving game this summer, expect several more big-time programs to offer.
He is on the right track. Playing this past weekend with the Team United (N.C.) at the Nike EYBL session in Minneapolis, he teamed with 2013 standout big man Kennedy Meeks to produce a potent one-two punch. After all was said and done, he averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds during the event, standing out in a loaded field.
When asked about his goals continuing into the summer, he told me "I want to win an EYBL championship." That will be a hard task to accomplish while playing against the most talented teams in America, but don't count out the shooting guard. When asked about how to describe his game, he used three key words. "Smart, competitive, tough." Sindarius Thornwell is an elite player looking to show the rest of the country that South Carolina can produce elite basketball players, and isn't shy about letting America know that. "I think I'm the best."
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