Asked why he picked the Big 12 school, Thomas told SNY.tv by text: “The staff, the playing style and [coach] Bruce Weber.”

A 6-foot-175-pound point guard who is doing a postgrad year at St. John’s Northwest Academy (Wisc.), Thomas said he also considered Auburn and Seton Hall.

Thomas is a New York City native who has spent time at several high schools but has always been very talented. He should be a great get for Kansas State, which already has several New Yorkers on its roster in Shane Southwell, Omari Lawrence and Jordan Henriquez.

Asked what skillset he will bring, Thomas said, “I’m going to go there and play-make and defend.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

Robert Upshaw,

Upshaw is the Rivals No. 8 center in the country, and an AAU teammate of Shabazz Muhammad, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2012. Their Dream Visions  AAU club reached the final of the adidas 64 event in Las Vegas in July.

Upshaw’s mother, Ceylon Sherman, told Gopowercat.com he picked Kansas State over Georgetown, Fresno State and others.

“It was a close run,” Sherman said. “He had a lot of great schools, but when it came down to it, him and all of us family just all had Kansas State. For Robert, it was about how much he liked the guys out there. He had chemistry with them.”

Kansas State also has a commitment from Laimonas Chatkevicius, a 7-footer from Lithuania who is now at South Kent (Conn.).

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

SOUTH KENT, Conn

Two of those players were placed at the prep school by the Kansas State staff, and may end up with the Wildcats.

Zedric Sadler is a 6-foot-2 postgraduate combo guard from Detroit (pictured at left), and Laimonas Chatkevicius is a 7-foot junior from Klaipeda, Lithuania. Both are 2012.

“I really didn’t know about this school [South Kent] until the end of the year,” Sadler told SNY.tv Wednesday after an open gym. “Then Kansas State said they didn’t have a scholarship so just come here. And then they’ll have a scholarship in the spring.”

Sadler is also drawing interest from Cleveland State — head coach Gary Waters and assistant Larry DeSimpelare were there Wednesday — and Duquesne, but said Kansas State “is in the lead right now.”

“Zedric has a great body,” said New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski, who watched the workout. “He can handle the ball but is more of a two. He really wasn’t in the flow of the game early, didn’t do very much in the scrimmage early.

“And then he made his first three perimeter shots and started feeling some confidence. And he made a lot of shots. But he has a great body, he’s strong. He showed more of a predilection for shooting from the perimeter now.”

Sadler said he is going through the NCAA Clearinghouse now and will then likely visit Kansas State.

“That’s probably where I’m going to visit first,” he said. “Like next month.”

Chatkevicius has a similar story.

“Kansas State put him here but he’s not committed,” South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson said. “If things work out for Kansas State, he is going to Kansas State. They’re the top of the list.”

Still, he added, “It’s not written in stone. I don’t want to close the door.”

Konchalski had these thoughts on the 7-footer who averaged just 1 point and 1.7 rebounds for Lithuania in the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men.

“He has a big frame,” he said. “He’s gotta get in better shape. He’s gotta be able to change ends of the floor on a more consistent basis. He has good hands. He’s a good passer out of the post. When he catches the ball in the post, he looks really to pass out rather than to score. He steps out and shoots the 3 away from the basket. And he doesn’t have a quick reaction to the ball, and he doesn’t have great rebounding radius. Because of that and doesn’t get on the boards as much as someone with that size and that strength should be able to.

“But he looks like he could be a good player depending on how hard he’s willing to work.”

RELATED CONTENT

**Potential pros Ledo, Thomas join forces at South Kent

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

The Johnnies won their second in-season tournament with an 85-69 victory over previously-unbeaten Northwestern in the championship game of the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.

Dwight Hardy scored 24 points and Justin Brownlee added a career-high 21 and was named Most Outstanding Player as St. John’s shot 80 percent from the field in the second half to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season.

“It is rare to shoot 80 percent in a half so I think our players executed well in two gears, in transition when the opportunity was there and then probing for good looks,” Lavin said. “It was all an indication of sharing the ball. I thought we were crisp, in sync, playing with a high confidence level and our defense picked up in the second half. You put it together and we had a breakthrough. If you keep working there’ll be a breakthrough.”

The Red Storm came into the Festival off losses to St. Bonaventure and Fordham, games where they blew double-digit leads. If the opening 62-57 win over Davidson and the championship didn’t erase those losses, they at least put the Johnnies back on the winning track.

“Sometimes we just have breakdowns here and there and today we had fewer breakdowns and we came up with the win,” Brownlee said.

John Shurna had 28 points and Drew Crawford added 17 for the Wildcats (8-1), who were trying to match their best start since 1993-94.

The Red Storm, whose last of 15 Festival titles came in 2005, won their second in-season tournament. Brownlee had his then-career-high of 20 points in the championship game win over Arizona State at the Great Alaska Shootout. It is the first time St. John’s has won two in-season tournaments since Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca led the then-Redmen to wins in the Lapchick Memorial and the Cougar Classic. Brownlee was named MVP of both of the tournaments.

K-STATE DUO SUSPENDED

Preseason All-America guard Jacob Pullen, who had made 82 consecutive starts for No. 11 Kansas State, was suspended by the NCAA for three games just before the Wildcats’ game against UNLV on Tuesday night.

The school said Pullen and senior forward Curtis Kelly, a former Rice High School star, were being punished for receiving impermissible benefits in connection with the purchase of clothing at a local department store.

It said the length of Kelly’s suspension had not been determined by the NCAA’s student-athlete reinstatement staff.

The loss of the players hurt right away. Tre’Von Willis scored 16 points and Oscar Bellfield hit a key three-pointer in the final 70 seconds, leading UNLV to a 63-59 upset victory at Kansas City, Mo. The Wildcats (9-3) had trouble adjusting to the absence of their senior leaders and top two scorers.

Pullen is averaging 16.5 points and 3.8 assists and is the first Kansas State player selected to the preseason All-America team. Kelly is averaging 10.3 points and four rebounds.

(AP,  St. John’s athletics contributed)

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook.

Perry Ellis,

The 6-foot-8, 224-pound Ellis is considering Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, Wichita State and Oklahoma.

Numerous other schools have also offered, including Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Iowa, Stanford, Wichita State, Georgetown and UCLA.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook.

Perry Ellis,

“He is looking to trim his list for Christmas,” she said by text.

The 6-foot-8, 224-pound Perry is currently considering Memphis, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Iowa, Stanford and Wichita State.

“Georgetown and UCLA are just getting involved,” Fonda said.

UCLA came to watch him practice Monday night in advance of Thursday’s game at Kansas.

Kansas (Friday), Kansas State (Tuesday) and Oklahoma (Tuesday) are also expected in soon.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook.

Some 43 NBA scouts have requested credentials for the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Championship Round to see players like Duke’s Kyrie Irving and Kyle Singler and Gonzaga’s Steven Gray.

“Forty-three is a lot,” said Ray Cella of the Gazelle Group, which is putting on the event Monday and Tuesday. “Obviously, when you get quality teams coming to one place everybody wants to come out.”

No. 1 Duke meets Marquette at 7:30 and Jacob Pullen and No. 3 Kansas State face No. 11 Gonzaga at 9:30 (both on ESPN2).

“Gonzaga may not go out to the Midwest all that often, so you now got an opportunity to see Gonzaga,” Cella said. “Duke I don’t think goes out to the Midwest all that often. Obviously, Kansas State and Marquette are out there.

“So many scouts are regional scouts. Now you’re going to get another set of eyes looking at guys that ordinarily are seen by the one guy who’s in that area.”

It remains unclear whether Gonzaga’s Elias Harris will play in the game. Harris left Tuesday’s game against San Diego State with an Achilles’ tendon injury. The Achilles isn’t torn and Harris’ status remains undetermined.

“Hopefully, Elias is going to be able to play,” Cella said.

DraftExpress.com projects Harris as the No. 21 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

The site has four Duke players going in the first round: Irving at No. 3, sophomore forward Mason Plumlee at No. 11, senior guard Nolan Smith at No. 22 and Singler, a senior forward, at No. 23.

“You’re talking about a lot of quality players and it’s a chance for a lot of people to see them,” Cella said.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

“He’s trying to narrow it down to 5 or 7 by the time the season starts,” she said Saturday by phone.

The 6-foot-8, 224-pound Perry said his list currently includes Memphis, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas A&M, North Carolina and Wichita State.

Iowa and Wake Forest have also offered and his mother said Georgetown, UCLA, Miami and Stanford are also interested.

North Carolina assistant Jerod Haase called last night (Friday) and speaks with the family once a month, Fonda said.

“They haven’t offered him yet,” Fonda said. “They call once a month. He told me that Roy [Williams] was coming to his first or second game in December. It’s nice to know that Coach Williams wants to come to Wichita and watch him play.”

Ellis has already taken unofficials to Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Memphis for Midnight Madness.

“We had a great time there,” Fonda said of Memphis.

Next up is a visit to Kentucky for the season opener Nov. 12.

“We’re going to go to Kentucky for the first game,” she said.

Texas A&M and Stanford both want him to visit as well, but Fonda said, “We just haven’t been able to make it everywhere yet.”

As for a time-frame on a decision, she added: “He’s not in any rush to make a decision. He’s still just a junior.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

“I actually grew up liking Duke but not [any] more,” the 6-foot-8, 212-pound rising junior said by phone from the Kevin Durant Skills Academy in Chicago. “That’s what I liked growing up more.”

Now a member of the USA Developmental National Team and one of the top small forwards in the nation, Ellis has a slew of elite programs after him — but he isn’t counting Duke among them.

Ellis lists Kansas, Memphis, Kentucky, Kansas State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Stanford, Oklahoma and Wichita State as college options.

“Nobody has a an edge. I’m just looking,” said Ellis, who carries a 4.0 GPA.

Ellis said he plans to visit some of those schools during the upcoming school year, but has no immediate plans.

As a freshman, Ellis was named the 2009 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year, the first freshman in Kansas to ever receive the award.

“Being a young player and getting an opportunity to get that it’s a hard thing to do with all the seniors and everybody,” he said.

Ellis helped lead Wichita Heights High School to a 24-1 record, including a perfect 16-0 mark in the Greater Wichita Athletic League en route to the Kansas Class 6A State Tournament championship. Along the way, Ellis averaged 19.2 ppg. and 11.7 rpg., also being honored as a consensus all-state first team member. In the title game, he pulled down 20 rebounds and scored nine points, helping his school win its first championship since 1977.

Being from Kansas, it’s only natural that fans want him to play for the state university.

“Everybody’s bugging me, ‘Kansas, Kansas,’” he said.

Now he’s running with Durant and other elite forwards before playing at the LeBron James Skills Academy July 5-7 in Akron, Ohio.

“It’s going pretty good,” Ellis said. “[Durant] played with us all [Sunday] and [Monday]. It’s good to see how he works.”

Ellis says he wants to improve his “ballhandling” and “footwork” so he can try and follow in Durant’s footsteps.

Just don’t expect him to do it at Duke.

(USA Basketball contributed)

(Photo courtesy Rivals.com)

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

After growing seven inches in a year, Davis is now 6 feet, 9 inches and 187 pounds.

“He went through a major, major growth spurt,” said Anthony Davis Sr. “He’s eating us out of house and home, for sure. He just won’t gain the weight.”

Davis burst onto the national scene this past spring and was named Most Promising Prospect at the recent NBA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Va.

“It’s a great award,” Davis said by phone from the Kevin Durant Skills Academy in Chicago. He will also soon play at the LeBron James Academy in Akron, Ohio.

“It feels good knowing that they say that I”m really working hard.”

Davis plays at Chicago Perspectives Charter School, hardly a national hoops powerhouse. Yet with a 7-foot-2 wing span and the ability to hit short jumpers, score from the wing and in the post, Davis is making major waves.

He has transitioned from a shooting guard to a combo forward as he has gotten taller.

“He’s gotten bigger,” said his father. “He has to face up and do a lot of post-ups instead of just shooting. He’s a adapted well to the position.”

“I see myself more as a three,” added Davis. “I like playing the wing instead of down low. I can shoot the ball and put in on the floor when I have to.”

Davis said he’s learning from Durant how to use his lower legs instead of his torso to generate power.

“He’s teaching us how to stay low when you get the ball,” Davis said. “When we are dribbling we  have to stay low and when we’re coming up use your legs instead of our torso.”

Davis lists Ohio State, Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Kansas State, Duke and North Carolina as his suitors but says he has no favorite. His father also mentioned Georgia Tech, Illinois and Memphis.

“We’ll probably be taking some visits in late August,” Anthony Sr. said.

“We’ll probably go see Kentucky, Memphis, Georgia Tech, Duke and North Carolina. He’s already been to Ohio State, Illinois and Purdue.”

(Photo courtesy Rivals.com)

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter