Ruston High legend returns

Scotty Thurman is making his return to Ruston, but this time he’s going against his alma mater.

Thurman, a former basketball standout at Ruston High School and the University of Arkansas, is now the head coach of the Parkview Patriots out of Little Rock, Arkansas, and will coach against Ryan Bond and the Bearcats (14-8, 2-1) tonight at 6 p.m. at Memorial Gym.

Thurman, now 49, said the opportunity to give his team a measuring stick against one of the top teams in Louisiana, and his former school at that, makes tonight’s matchup worthwhile.

“I’m excited about bringing my team to my hometown to compete and play in front of a good crowd and look forward to watching the kids compete and have fun,” Thurman said. “It’s always odd seeing the Bearcats on the other side and it’s going to be very odd but fun this time since it’s going to be in my hometown. So, in that sense it will be nostalgic but it’s not about me. It’s about the kids coming out and competing and matching up with players in a different state and seeing where we match up.”

Bond and Thurman were familiar with each other from their playing days in north Louisiana at Weston and Ruston, respectively, and spent some time together at the Louisiana High School All Star Game.

After decades passed, social media reconnected the two and sparked a desire to compete against each other to test their teams and give communities a competitive battle across state lines.

“I hadn’t talked or seen him since the late 90s and then I reached out a couple years ago and wanted to start playing them,” Bond said. “It doesn’t count for power rankings for us but it’s pretty neat to have him come back to Ruston. It’s a shame we can’t play in our gym but at the end of the day, they have a very good team, and they play a tough schedule so we’re looking forward to it.”

Thurman, who played at Arkansas from 1992-95 and earned All-SEC three times, knows a thing or two about standing out at the next level and is anticipating the matchup between his senior college prospect Dallas Thomas, a Clemson commit, and Ruston freshman Ahmad Hudson, who’s already received multiple college offers.

Thomas, a 6-foot-7, 170-pound forward, who held offers from Auburn, Arkansas, Illinois, and Houston, is rated as the No. 2 player in Arkansas by 247Sports. Going up against Hudson, standing at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, it’s the matchup everyone will have their eyes on.

“Dallas has brought leadership to our team,” Thurman said. “He’s a four-year varsity player, and he played up as a ninth grader and his trajectory has only ascended. He’s got a lot of natural gifts, long arms, he can shoot it and handle it. It’s unique in the high school game. It should be a fun matchup. Overall, we’ve had an up and down season, but we’ve been playing well over the last eight to nine games.”

The Bearcats will look to respond after falling 62-60 on the road at Ouachita on Friday, snapping the team’s 11game win streak.

Aidan Anding led all scorers with 23 points on four made threes, while Jamadrion Lillard was the only other Bearcat in double figures with 11 points. Ruston also missed eight free throws and turned the ball over 19 times.

Now the Bearcats will take on the Patriots and Thurman, nicknamed the “Ruston Rifle” by Razorback faithful, tonight at 6 p.m.