Forget, for just a second, the basketball dominator that is Deshaun Thomas and consider Russell Byrd, the Blackhawk Christian standout and future Michigan State Spartan who suddenly is rocking the recruiting world.

Don't believe it? Then you should have seen Byrd's performance during last month's NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlotte, Va. The 6-7 shooting guard went 18-for-26 from three-point range against some of the best high school talent in the country. He averaged 9.1 points a game and wowed plenty of recruiting experts, including Scout.com's Dave Telep.

“He rocked the NBA camp,” Telep said. “He was outstanding. He surprised himself and the rest of the country with what he was able to do there.”

Byrd scored a game-high 15 points, making 5-of-6 three-pointers, to lead his Hornets team in its final game. He scored in double figures in three of his seven games despite a player rotation that limited everyone's playing time. He is orally committed to Michigan State, although he can't sign a national letter of intent until November.

“He came in with a load of confidence,” Telep said. “He obviously had been working very hard in the weight room. He shot at an extremely high level. He was one of the bright spots.”

Byrd is ranked No. 78 nationally among all players by Rivals.com (ESPN.com has him at No. 73), No. 15 among small forwards, although his stock is rising. He averaged 19.1 points and 8.3 rebounds as a junior last season.

“If you want to talk about guys who really enhanced their reputation,” Telep said, “Russell Byrd in four days in Charlotte couldn't miss. Michigan State got a guy they're going to be able to count on to give them buckets beyond the three-point line.”

Byrd will get more rep-enhancing opportunities this month while playing for Spiece Indy Heat during the annual July AAU tournament series. One of his teammates is Thomas, the Bishop Luers superstar who is positioned to become the greatest high school scorer in state history.

The 6-6, 208-pound Thomas has 2,254 career points. The state record of 3,134 is held by Damon Bailey. Thomas needs to average at least 34 points as a senior to surpass Bailey. He averaged 30.3 points last season.

Thomas, who is committed to Ohio State, is ranked among the nation's top 15 players and top five power forwards by national recruiting services.

“He is one of those guys who just produces,” Telep said. “He's a guy you can always count on to get his numbers. He'll probably start collegiately playing the 4 (power forward), but he has good skills to step away from the basket and shoot.

“He uses his left hand deceptively well. He can kind of sneak up on you with that big body and being a lefty. To me, he'll be one of the top three to four guys nationally at the power forward spot.”

Don't forget South Side's Raphael Davis, a rising sophomore who already has committed to Purdue. The 6-5 guard averaged 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists last season.

Telep saw Davis play two games during a May tournament at Spiece Fieldhouse.

“In that limited amount of time he passed the look test as a high-major player,” Telep said. “He's got plenty of bounce. He can shoot from the perimeter. He has to continue to work on his ballhandling and attacking skills going to the rim, but he has all the raw material to be a really good player.”

Like Byrd and Thomas, Davis also will have a busy July on the cross-country AAU circuit, which provides opportunities for players to improve their skills against elite competition in front of hundreds of college coaches and recruiting evaluators.