Illinois ended up offering a scholarship to Florent “Flo” Thamba today. He is a player who could checkmark both of the items on this list. He is a 6-foot-11, 235-pound, big man from Grundy, Virginia. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 294 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 25 center in the nation.
I wouldn’t put too much stock into what the recruiting sites say for this kid. Thamba is only listed at 6-foot-9 on their site and according to his AAU profile, he is listed at 6-foot-11. I also think he is a wanted man by many programs and that means he is likely a late bloomer.
Thamba played for Team United during the AAU season this year. They are members of the Nike EYBL and, despite the team playing not so well, Thamba really impressed some people. He was a rebounding machine. He finished the AAU season averaging 5.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and .7 blocks per game. Just imagine if Nnanna Egwu added about 30 pounds and that is what you get with Thamba.
Thamba is an athletic big man who can pull down rebounds and block shots. If they need him to get a bucket down low, he can do that too. He can also bump around in the paint which is something we haven’t had in a very long time on the Illinois basketball team.
