Isiah Thomas' stint with the Knicks was far from memorable, but by deciding to coach college basketball at Florida International he is starting with a clean slate.

In the last week, Isiah Thomas landed Dominique Ferguson, the No. 8 player in his class (2010) by ESPN and No. 16 by Scout.com. Landing Ferguson was huge for Isiah, because it gives him credibility as a recruiter.

Coming in, the big question about Zeke was whether or not players were going to be willing to come play for a coach, who pretty much ruined the New York Knicks. All those fears have now been set aside, thanks to his first big signing.

Sure, Ferguson is only one player, but getting a player of his caliber to play for FIU is ground breaking. If Isiah Thomas really can recruit at this level, then Florida International could morph into the Memphis of the Sun Belt.

The Panthers are not going to win this year, too many holes to fill, but if Thomas can put together a couple more pieces (for 2010) to add to the four Junior College players he has already added for this coming season, there could be something in the future for FIU.

As I stated before, winning this coming season will be very hard for FIU, but landing Ferguson, who is already going to be the most hyped recruit in Sun Belt history, and the potential to recruit similar highly touted recruits in the future leads me to believe that Isiah Thomas can find plenty of success at FIU.