Unsigned, under-appreciated senior Cameron Thomas scores 32 as Mount Carmel dominates St. Ignatius
Mount Carmel senior Cameron Thomas might be the best player in the Catholic League. He’s undoubtedly one of the best players in the area.
But college recruiting has gone off the rails, especially for high school players, so the strong, athletic 6-3 guard has no Division I scholarship offers.
Thomas was basking in the glow of scoring 32 points in the No. 15 Caravan’s 80-49 demolishing of host St. Ignatius, so the college stuff wasn’t at the top of his mind on Friday.
“I’m trying not to pay attention to it,” Thomas said. “I know it will come, eventually. I’m just waiting and grinding. I know what I can do.”
But Mount Carmel coach Phil Segroves is much more annoyed by Thomas’ situation.
“He is without a doubt the No. 1 unsigned senior in the state,” Segroves said. “He is a Division I player, and he has one Division II offer. It is an atrocity. He has an offer from Wisconsin-Parkside, which we are thankful for. We did get a phone call today from a D-I school that is going to come out. I cannot believe that he is not ready to play at a UIC or even Loyola. He’s 6-3. He’s the best player on the floor, and he played a kid I really respect in Phoenix Gill and he outplayed him all night long.”
Thomas was 13-for-16 shooting and 3-for-5 from three-point range and had eight rebounds.
“It just goes to show you have to play with the right AAU team,” Segroves said. “That limited Cameron in regard to the looks he had over the summer.”
Mount Carmel (14-2, 2-1 Catholic League Blue) jumped out to a 15-0 lead. The Caravan held St. Ignatius (13-3, 0-2) scoreless for the first four minutes of the game and kept the Wolfpack from scoring a field goal for the final four minutes of the first half.
Air Force recruit Grant Best had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals for Mount Carmel. Junior point guard Noah Mister added 22 points.
The Caravan put on a show, with Thomas dunking, Best showcasing crafty moves and Mister eliciting oohs and ahs from the packed gym with his ballhandling.
Two other guards in the junior class, Rich’s Jamson Coulter and DePaul Prep’s Rykan Woo, earned headlines over the first half of the season. Segroves feels Mister should be mentioned with them at the top of the 2026 class.
“If tonight didn’t show that Noah Mister is one of the top point guards in 2026, I don’t know what would,” Segroves said. “No one could stop him on the floor. He went by people. He went around people. He went through people. He defended. He had deflections. He had assists.”
There was a running clock in the fourth quarter when Mount Carmel took a 31-point lead at 76-45. It was a statement win for the Caravan, dominating a preseason-ranked team that features the only Big Ten recruit in the state. Gill, a Northwestern recruit, did all he could against Mount Carmel and finished with 22 points and nine rebounds.
The Wolfpack beat Benet in November and Lane in early December but have struggled in high-profile games since, losing to Loyola and Lake Zurich.