SNY.tv: Online Home of All Things Sports

Villanova's Jay Wright, Kentucky's John Calipari and Florida's Billy Donovan were all in the stands trying to catch the eyes of some of the best high school players in the land.

But one coach stood out even among that heady company.

As he sat in the stands next to an assistant, Isiah Thomas, the new head coach at Florida International University, was clearly the biggest name of them all.

Wright smiled at Isiah and shook his hand. Calipari slapped his back. Thomas and Donovan traded friendly barbs about which head coach in the state of Florida had been the better point guard.

"I know all those guys. I've know them for years. We've always helped each other and so seeing Billy, seeking Coach K [Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski], it's good to see those guys and be welcomed into the fraternity," Thomas said.

New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski joked that Thomas' arrival on Friday meant that he had taken on a new role at the camp.

"The best guard who's a camper is Joe Jackson [of Memphis, Tenn.]," Konchalski said. "When Rod Strickland showed up on July 9, there was a new sheriff in town. The best guard was Rod Strickland.

"[Friday] morning Rod Strickland has just had his badge taken away and the new sheriff is Isiah Thomas."

Thomas, the former president and coach of the Knicks, signed a five-year deal at FIU in mid April after he was relieved of his duties at Madison Square Garden. He has never coached at the college level.

Thomas came to FIU after several years of losing and legal problems in New York.

The Knicks finished 23-59 a year ago, prompting Thomas' firing. They never won a playoff game in his stay as president or coach, and his overall record in New York was 56-108.

Thomas' hiring met with some resistance at FIU in part because two years ago a jury ordered Madison Square Garden to pay $11.6 million to Anucha Browne Sanders, a former team executive who alleged she was sexually harassed by Thomas. Thomas continually maintained his innocence and was never found personally liable.

"Given that a federal district jury found he sexually harassed a colleague and created a hostile working environment, this hire sends the wrong message about FIU's commitment to the success of all students, faculty and staff, regardless of their gender," Laurie Shrage, the director of women's studies and a philosophy professor at the university, wrote in an email to .

She also said she planned to hand deliver to Thomas a copy of the university's sexual harassment policy.

Thomas is now experiencing his first run through the July recruiting period, which means long grueling days on the road in gyms in places like Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Orlando.

"This is a lot like the [NBA] pre-draft camp where they bring all the players in and you have to get a quick read on some of the guys," Thomas said. "It's the first time you're getting a chance to really eyeball them. You depend a lot on your assistant coaches who have seen a lot of the guys, so it's very similar to when you're a GM and you come to the camp and your scouts are pretty much telling you who's who and then you put an eyeball on a guy."

Thomas scrambled to put together a roster after taking over at the beginning of the late NCAA signing period.

"Right now it's about recruiting and trying to get up to speed," he said. "We got the job on Signing Day so we're pretty much scrambling, trying to get together a team that can be competitive this year. [We're] just trying to get up to speed on 2010 and 2011."

Thomas also managed to alienate some Florida high school coaches because they say he did not call three recruits who had committed to the school before he became coach to let them know what his plans were.

"From Jacksonville, to Orlando to Pensacola, there's a lot of coaches in Florida not happy with him right now," Wolfson High coach Greg Rosebrock, who was upset at how his player, Chris Rozier, was treated, told The New York Post in May. "He's not making friends here. I understand not wanting him but place a phone call and do it in a professional way."

Thomas reportedly didn't call the three recruits because he thought it was an NCAA violation to speak with them.

Thomas made a run at several of the top uncommitted players in the nation -- including Noel Johnson, who decommitted from Southern California and landed at Clemson, and Latavious Williams, who selected Memphis.

Thomas was also reportedly interested in Brooklyn Lincoln star Lance Stephenson, but a source close to the FIU program say Thomas never actively recruited him. Stephenson ultimately signed a financial aid agreement with Cincinnati.

"We were in the race for some of the kids," Thomas said.

Thomas has signed four junior college players, including Brooklyn native Marvin Roberts, a forward who averaged nearly 30 points per game at Redlands Community College (Okla.).

Thomas also recently score a big high school commitment, literally and figuratively.

Chris Coleman, a 6-10 junior center from Buffalo who attends Durham (NC) Mt. Zion, gave Thomas a verbal commitment, choosing FIU over traditional powerhouses like UConn, Syracuse, West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

"Isiah coached me at a camp. He played in the NBA, he coached in the NBA, so he's got a lot of experience about it and that's what I'm trying to get. So that's the main reason why I committed there," Coleman said at the Reebok camp. "He gave me little tips about what I should do down low. I tried it out and worked. So I thought, if I can get a few more tips from him, it might be better."

Asked if more top players would follow Thomas to FIU, Coleman smiled and said, "The smart kids, yeah. The ones who want to go to the NBA."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.