As recently as June, Phil Taylor couldn't have told you what part of the country FIU was located in.

``I thought maybe it's in Florida because of the F,'' Taylor said.

However, since Taylor, 17, started playing basketball, he could tell you who Isiah Thomas was.

Taylor, a point guard at Wheeler (Ga.) High School, is among a handful of talented recruits committing to Thomas, FIU's first-year basketball coach.

``Coach Thomas played the position I play and, as a kid, he's one of the guys I patterned my game after,'' said Taylor, who ESPN rates as the No. 35 point guard in the nation for 2010. ``Coach Thomas is going to groom me to be as good as he was. He's a Hall of Famer and who better to learn basketball from.''

Chris Coleman -- the No. 5 center (ESPN) and No. 15 junior in the nation (hoopscoop.com) who committed to FIU earlier this month -- also is intrigued by playing for Thomas.

Coleman, 6-11 and 250 pounds, attended the FIU basketball camp in June and liked the way Thomas coached him.

``Coach Thomas gave me little tips about what I should do down low,'' said Coleman, 16, who plays at Mount Zion (N.C.) Christian Academy. ``I tried it out and it worked. So I thought, if I can get a few more tips from him, it might be better.''

Although Coleman, who has offers from Connecticut, Texas and Syracuse, has verbally committed to FIU, he still has another two years before he can sign. Making sure Coleman is a Golden Panther two years from now is one of several tests facing Thomas, who inherits a program that has lost 20 or more games in seven of the past nine seasons and has made one NCAA Tournament (1995).

RECRUITING CHALLENGE

``It has been extremely challenging,'' Thomas said. ``We got the job on signing day [April 15], where most of the good players were already gone. We just have to make sure to stay on top of kids committed to us. Having these early commitments gives us a great opportunity to put other pieces in place.''

A novice to the NCAA's rules and regulations, Thomas passed his NCAA recruiting test shortly after he was hired.

Since then, Thomas has spent the summer scouting NBA pre-draft camps, poring over scouting reports, hiring a coaching staff and offering scholarships to players such as Taylor and Coleman.

``I'm understanding the NCAA rules and state university rules,'' Thomas said. ``Everything is new to me as far as the college experience as a head coach. Every day, I'm learning more as far as the recruiting process.''

For the upcoming season, Thomas has signed six junior-college players, among them Redlands CC (Okla.) forward Marvin Roberts, the nation's leading JUCO scorer, and Roberts' teammate, Antoine Watson, who was fifth in scoring among JUCO players. Thomas, who will coach in renovated U.S. Century Bank Arena, expects his first season to be a learning experience, in part because the majority of his players have never played on the same team.

``It will be a factor for the first 10 to 15 games,'' said Thomas, who inherits five players from former FIU coach Sergio Rouco. ``By the time conference play rolls around, hopefully we'll have a rhythm. We'll struggle a little bit this year.''

The Panthers' new coach wants a ``tough defensive-minded team'' and will run an uptempo offense right from the season-opening tip at Ohio State. As has been acknowledged, Thomas' presence has given a jolt to a dormant FIU basketball program.

``I knew Isiah would turn the basketball program around,'' athletic director Pete Garcia said. ``But the strides that he is currently making with recruits and the excitement being generated is amazing.''

SPREADING THE WORD

And while many of the top recruits nationally still are not sure where FIU is, Thomas said they are becoming more aware with each visit he makes.

``FIU is definitely on the map for a lot of these top players and we are getting good looks,'' Thomas said. ``I like the commitments and the buzz FIU is getting. We'll continue bringing in the right kids, grow the program and eventually take it into the Top 25.''