Thomas scores 22 twice

Future KU power forward Quintrell Thomas of St. Patrick High in Elizabeth, N.J., scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Celtics’ 66-60 loss to Houston Yates on Saturday. The game, played in Houston, was shown on ESPNU.

Friday, Thomas scored 22 points and had six rebounds in a 79-67 victory over Houston Madison.

St. Pat’s entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the country by ESPN and No. 3 by USA Today.

“Thomas, who stands 6-8, used his combination of quick leaping ability and his broad, squared shoulders to dominate in the paint. Thomas threw down a handful of dunks that drew praise from the patrons,” Rivals.com reported.

Thomas’ teammate, St. Pat’s junior point guard Dexter Strickland, has narrowed his college choices to North Carolina and Florida.

Happy for Langford

KU coach Bill Self was thrilled to see ex-Jayhawk Keith Langford sign a contract Friday with the San Antonio Spurs.

Langford, who averaged 23.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in nine games for the Austin (Texas) Toros of the NBA Developmental League, did not score in four minutes of his first NBA game, a home loss to Toronto.

On Sunday, the 6-4 Langford scored two points off 1-of-3 shooting with two rebounds while playing 51â2 minutes of the Spurs’ home victory over Memphis. His first NBA bucket was a 22-footer from the top of the key off an assist from ex-KU point guard Jacque Vaughn.

“We are all excited for Keith,” Self said. “We were under the impression he would get called up this year based on how he played in (Spurs preseason) camp and how he was playing in the D-League.

“He’s got an opportunity now. Even though he plays just four minutes the other night at least he’s out there. I just hope he’s aggressive and makes the most of this opportunity. He’s talented enough to stay in that league a long time.”

The Spurs also called up DerMarr Johnson, 6-9 from the Toros, over the weekend. It’s believed either Langford or Johnson – not both – will stick with the team past the Jan. 10 deadline for guaranteed contracts.

The San Antonio Express News reports that the Spurs are “already pushing the luxury tax threshold and it appears unlikely they would choose to keep both players.”