Thiara settling in

He's crafty, creative and can score 30 points a game. He's also still growing into his shoes.

Manik Thiara, a standout sophomore — soon-to-be a junior — at River Valley High School, has once again garnered the attention of hoops gurus from around the country. But apparently, a summer loaded with AAU basketball games from Portland to Las Vegas to Los Angeles, from which he recently returned, wasn't enough exposure. Thiara made another stop in San Diego in late June — invitation only.

The guard was included in the Phenom Top 150 Tournament — a two-day event packed with the nation's top 150 sophomores, games and scouts.

Known for his poise and confidence on the court, even Thiara admits, it was nerve-wracking.

"It was. Right when I walked into the hotel there was this Adidas setup and a ton of scouts, so yeah, I was a little nervous," he said. "But after the first two scrimmages, I kind of just went on a tear.

"I didn't expect to do as good as I did. I just got comfortable and everything went really good."

Thiara left San Diego ranked No. 40 among sophomores in the country.

It doesn't surprise his coach Terry Evans.

"He definitely is poised. He doesn't get rattled," Evans said. "He works harder than anyone on his game."

His junior season, as any, won't go unchallenged by Evans, however.

"He needs to take on more of a leadership role," the coach said. "It's great that he can score in such a variety of ways, but he's going to need to get those seven rebounds and five, six assists each game, too, if we're going to win. That's going to be the challenge for him this year."

Thiara chose just that as a focus during the offseason.

"I've been scoring since I was young, it comes natural, but I'm working on my all-around game," Thiara said. "I don't want to have any weaknesses."