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Well-traveled JuCo star Chris Thomas decommits from Xavier

NCAA Basketball Tournament - Xavier v Baylor

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 23: Head coach Chris Mack of the Xavier Musketeers reacts during their 70 to 75 loss to the Baylor Bears during the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball South Regional Semifinal game at the Georgia Dome on March 23, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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As if things weren’t bad enough for Chris Mack and the Xavier Musketeers, the future of his program took a hit over the weekend.

Chris Thomas, who is one of the most talented wings in the Class of 2013, decommitted from the Musketeers on Sunday, according to Jeff Borzello of CBSSports.com. The report says that a desire to be recruited along with the issues at Xavier -- Dez Wells was expelled, two recruits were ruled ineligible this year, Mark Lyons left the program with a year of eligibility remaining, and the black eye from a brawl with Cincinnati still remains -- all played a role in Thomas’ decision.

But there’s more to it than that.

Anyone that has followed his recruitment shouldn’t be surprised by this decision, however. Thomas hasn’t exactly inspired with his reliability. Borzello explains:

He started out in his hometown of Denver at Montbello (Colo.) but never played a game there. After that, Thomas attended Princeton Day Academy (Md.) and then planned to enroll at Westwind Prep (Ariz.). After deciding not to attend Westwind, he ended his high school career with a couple of months at South Kent Prep (Conn.) – before enrolling at Chipola Junior College in Florida, where he took classes but didn’t play last season. Thomas reportedly obtained his GED at Chipola and is expected to begin taking classes this year.

Thomas is a five-star talent, but the fact that he’s not being pursued by the elite programs should give you an idea of just how many red flags he has. He can’t stay with one team or one program for an extended period of time. He has academic issues that need to be worked out -- part of the reason he decided to spend a year and a half at a JuCo was because his high school transcript was a mess. He’s already reclassified once.

Who knows where Thomas ends up now, but it will be interesting to see how long he lasts there.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.